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  1. #1
    slknight is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    I know that every baby is different, but Alex is 10 months, and is still nursing AT LEAST 8 times a day. I'm happy that I'm breastfeeding, but honestly, this is really starting to seem like too much to me for this age.

    We do give him solids; usually twice a day, but sometimes three times per day. I'm wondering if I should increase his solids? To be honest, he's kind of hot and cold about solid food. Some days he can eat a whole little jar or two at one sitting, and other days he'll only have about three bites.

    He's a big baby - 22 pounds at 9 months - and I'm beginning to think he's nursing so much because he's always hungry.

    Any advice?

    Thanks,
    Susan and Alex (04.18.03)

  2. #2
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    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    Welcome to the club! My 10.5 month old DD (26 pound) still nurses that much. I've tried increasing solids (she never eats more than 1/2 a stage 2 jar at one sitting), offering finger foods as snacks around the clock, etc. It's made some difference, but not much, she just isn't very interested in solids. What I have started to notice recently, though, that if she's been drinking more water from her sippy cup than normal, she is less interested in nursing. My SIL's DS is the same age, she's managed to replace his night waking feedings with a bottle of water. So I think in some cases at this age, we might be okay occasionally substituting a nursing with water. If you do try it, let me know how it works!

    Anne

  3. #3
    Rachels is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    Abigail definitely still nursed that much at ten months. Breastmilk is still meeting his primary nutritional needs and many emotional needs as well.

    -Rachel
    Mom to Abigail Rose
    5/18/02

  4. #4
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    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    size doesn't make a difference. schuyler was 21 lbs at 9 months and 30 inches tall. he doesn't eat any more than his smaller friends at this point.

    if you are happy to nurse 8 times a day, i don't think there is anything wrong with that. so i am not saying that he shouldn't nurse all day if you prefer to nurse him to sleep or for comfort or just for snacks. but if you only want to nurse him for a feeding, then i think he is eating pretty often (compared with the average 10 month old.)

    my ped told me to go ahead and go down to 3 times per day at his 9 months appt. i can't figure out how to make that work for us right now, so we still nurse 4 times per day. 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm.
    schuyler eats 4oz of yogurt and some cheerios for breakfast at 8am, about 6oz of solids at noon for lunch. and about 6 oz of solids at 5pm for dinner. he drinks water with every solids meal, sometimes 6oz in a day, but usually much less. maybe 3 oz per day. as you can see, he always nurses at least an hour BEFORE his solids meals so that he gets his nutrition from bm before from solids.

    i think we will go down to 3 times/day pretty soon since he is 11 months on monday and we do intend to start weaning right at 12 months.

    so i guess my point is- if he is joe average baby he wouldn't need to eat more than every 4 hours. BUT he isn't joe average baby. he is YOUR baby. maybe you can get down to 6 times and then work your way down to 4 times over a long period of time. he will probably drink just as much per day, just with more at each feeding, if you reduce feedings.

    Liza has been hangin' around this board for six years.

    My sons are 4 and 6. And they are very loud.

  5. #5
    lfp2n is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    Hi Liza

    How do you plan to go down to 3. We do nursing at approx 6.30, 9.15, 12.30, 4.30 is bottle of EBM at daycare, and 7.30. She also eats solids at 8, 1.30 ish and 6. It feels a bit like we are always nursing or in the highchair. Are you going to try to roll a nursing session into one of the solid food sessions. When does eating solids and drinking milk happen at the same time , after they are 1?




    lucy (march 03)

  6. #6
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    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    i am planning to get nursing and solids closer and closer together and then at 12 months, i will start to switch to solids before nursing. (or whatever is more convienient at the time-maybe nursing then solids if i need to go somewhere and have someone else feed him solids.)

    i am also planning to give him ebm in a sippy with his lunch (11am/12pm) when i drop that nursing session. so he will still get the bm, but from the cup. (i have been pumping so that i will have a stash for that!)

    i will do the same with the 3:00 nursing, i think. start giving him a sippy and a snack instead of nursing. i will hold onto the bedtime nursing a little longer, until i feel like i can feed him dinner at, say, 5:30 or 6:00 and put him to bed at 7:00 without feeling like he needs anything else before bed. (maybe just a few sips from a cup)

    i am going to keep the morning nursing the longest, because that is when the best milk is available. and when i have the most to offer. plus, i am with him every morning. so it isn't like evening, when i think i might want to go do something when i stop nursing because i finally don't HAVE to be there when he goes to bed (or pump). we will keep the morning session until i think he is bored with it, or until i get pregnant again and just can't handle it. (ttc in may/june)

    i am not sure if i want to go down to 3x/day by going straight to sippy of EBM at lunch, or if i want to start nursing at 7, 1:30, 7 instead of 7, 11, 3, 7. because i could move his lunch to 11:30... i dunno. it is so easy right now, i don't know why i would change it! but i would like to slow down on nursing in april in order to get ready for ttc in may/june. i would like to be done with weaning by 14 months. i always thought 12 mo, meaning 11 or 13 whichever worked better. but now i think i would rather just take it slowly over 2 months and let him do a little more self-weaning. if he decides right at 12 mos that he has had enough and isn't interested, then i will let him drop it.

    oh- and we are going to try at little bit of soymilk at 11 months, so that after 12 months he can replace the lunch sippy of ebm with soymilk. (one ped said i could give soymilk at 9mo, another said wait until 12. so i think i will give a tiny tiny bit after 11 mos. he has already had some in mac and cheese...)

    Liza has been hangin' around this board for six years.

    My sons are 4 and 6. And they are very loud.

  7. #7
    spu Guest

    Default RE: How many times a day should a 10-month old nurse?

    Hi Susan,

    That sounds like a great schedule. He's getting the best nutrition (among other things) from you. If you're comfortable and he's comfortable, I'd say go with it. If he's nursing lots, it could be for comfort, or that extra hind-milk... he's also at that age where he's reaching out into the world developing a little more independence and learning more about his environment, so he may come back 'home' to you for that extra ounce of reassurance.

    I thought my babies needed more solids at one point because they're on the low end of the weight scale, and nursed tons, so when I tried to up their solids, they refused. (which was silly to begin with, since bm has more calories per ounce than solids anyways...)

    susan

    twin girls 7.20.02
    charlotte + else

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