Distracted from breastfeeding
Those of you who have breastfed babies who are older than about 5 months, probably know what a mission it can be, once they start to get really interested in the world around them and very distracted from breastfeeding. So Reuben is now 8 months old & usually eats a solid 3 meals a day with good, nutritious snacks inbetween. But whenever it comes to breastfeeding during the day, he's just SO distracted that he takes a few sips & then stops. I've tried everything, like sitting in a quiet room, no TV or radio, not even speaking to anyone while feeding. I don't give him water or tea or anything else - I've decided that breast milk is sufficient for the first year of his life & then I'll introduce other stuff later. At night, however, it's an entirely different matter - he'll drink from me all night long so that I wake up with very empty breasts. But during the day my breasts fill up so much that they're ready to explode, come night time. So my worries are: a) that he may not be drinking enough milk, so not getting all the goodness that he needs, and b) that my milk supply will dry up if I go practically all day without nursing him c) that he'll get dehydrated Someone suggested to me to cut back on his solids, so that he'd be more hungry for breast milk, but that doesn't really make any sense to me. Surely, at 8 months, the object is to slowly start weaning & introduce MORE solids? Has anyone had this? What do you do to keep a distracted baby interested in the breast?

Hey Yolande, I BF Jess until 8 months, and tbh even if I hadnt had to quit because I had to go into hospital, I would probablty have done anyway! Like you say, they are far more interested in the world around them! Now I am not suggesting that you quit, but maybe he only needs it at bedtime now? I would also give him water, I started Jess on water from around 7 mths, once she was on the solids. I think he may just be telling you he doesnt need as much any more. Your milk supply will just adjust, my friend just quit feeding her daughter at 18 months, and for the past few months it was just at night that she was feeding her Good luck xxxx

Just a thought, it might not work but ......... how about wearing a pretty necklace for him to look at? Sorry if thats a rubbish suggestion Holly & Ethan xx

I BF both boys until they could have cows milk they did get fidgety but they were always fast feeders, never more than 5-10 minutes anyway. I think hollys idea of a funky necklace is a great one.. as for being dehydrated, you can give him some water during the day with his food . He will take from you what he needs in a 24 hour period.. looks like he is mainly wanting milk at night rather than during the day.. You are doing brilliantly! Jen x

I think you are doing great Yolande, I fed my boys til they were anywhere between 6-9 months, it varied with each one. They were all similar to as you describe, prefering to feed at night, we just went with it. I gave water in the day from a easy to sip on cup, as was concerned about dehydration. Jeni's right, Reuben will take what he needs over 24 hours, he must just prefer the night feeds. Well done on getting this far, my boys were/still are nosey rascals and were tricky to keep on the breast, think that is why the bedtime feeding worked so well, as they were so sleepy. dolly x ds x 4