7.5 Month Old Showing Less Interest in Breastfeeding.....

I breastfed all 4 of my children till at least 12 months. If you are keen of the idea of him weaning from the breast, then that's fine, but he will still need the formula till he is 12 months. If he won't take the formula either, then I would not recommend letting him wean from the breast yet since "breast is best". I would suggest cutting back to just one solid a day. With 2 of my children, I didn't offer solids until they were already 9 months to discourage food allergies. I wonder if it's possible it's something that you eat or take on a regular basis that makes him dislike the taste of the milk? As long as he is gaining weight and eliminating normally, then, it sounds like he's healthy little guy.

R.

If he's nursing lots at night you might want to discourage those and encourage him to eat more during the day. I'd also probably reduce the fruit and add some cereal. On the other hand if it seems like he's growing and nursing some, he's probably just fine and you shouldn't worry too much.

It sounds to me like your son is getting plenty of food to eat, whether it's baby food of you nursing. my son is 11 months and he only nurses 3x a day and eats food 2x a day. in reality a food meal is taking the place of a nursing time. my son when he nurses he is fast getting done is less than 3 minutes(probably 2-3 oz worth) he burps and then goes to the other side. then about a hour later he wants food so i give him a jar or a bunch of crackers. i wouldn't worry about it. all babies usually are distracted, but if he truly is hungry he will nurse. hope this helps. S. D.

Go to lalecheleague.com for verification...it is an excellent site for ALL your breastfeeding concerns, and an excellent support group.
Between 6-12 months, 100% of your baby's nutrition is met by breastmilk or formula. Any other food given is to teach your baby how to eat, and to test for allergies. The second year, you can allow for 70% of your baby's nutrition to be met by breastfeeding if you are still doing so. If he has enough wet diapers, he is fine. Don't worry about how many poopy diapers, that doesn't matter, my pediatrician says it is normal for a breastfed baby to go up to two weeks without pooping cause the milk is so well used by the baby. You may notice now that he may only be pooping out the solids you feed him. The reason he may not be interested in nursing in the day is because he is at an age where he is stimulated by so many other learning activities and the world around him, he might not be so interested in eating. He does nurse best at night cause there are less distractions. Don't worry about measuring how much he eats, cause the measurement is his wet diapers. For a baby your son's age the normal feedings are from five to seven times a day. A really good book to read is A Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins. Another excellent book is Primal Mothering in a Modern World by Hygeia Halfmoom. If you feel he needs more daytime nursing, try doing it in a dark, quiet spot. Don't fret if he refuses, just offer again in an hour or two. Also, at this age, your baby is extremely efficient at getting more milk from you in a shorter amount of time. Good work breastfeeding, mama! It is the best thing you can do for your little one. My little girl is almost ten months and we are still breastfeeding. Just wait, the older he gets the more acrobatic he will get at feeding times, wanting to play and eat at the same time! Please feel free to write to me if you need any mama support.

We also have a 7 1/2 month old boy right now and he is also breastfed and getting 2 solids "meals" a day, although we add the baby oatmeal cereal to his fruits & veggies for a little iron kick. I work full-time, so I pump 2-3 times at work and then he nurses 2-4 more times when I'm home (usually one early AM and then the rest after 4PM). He's also (praise the Gods) sleeping 8-10 hours straight now at nite. SO, we have to kinda cram in the recommended 6 or 7 nursing sessions (or 4 oz. bottles when I'm at work) plus the 2 meals. Sometimes he only nurses 5 times, sometimes 8... I look at us as a team and he's good at knowing what he needs and my body is good at responding accordingly.

One idea if you're trying to sneek in more milk... feed him his solids at lunch and dinner times instead of breakfast and dinner... then he MIGHT be more interested in nursing more in the morning.

The Nursing Mother's Companion book is excellent, they also say that babies at this age do not spontaneously wean themselves... sometimes teething issues can also play a part in what the book calls a nursing strike. Just offer the breast every 2 or 3 hours (when he's awake) and your son will do what he needs to do.

Good luck and way to go! :)

Actually all the nutrition babies need comes from breastmilk at this age. They don't get very much from food, it is mostly there for texture and taste. Try nursing him before giving him food. He may be getting filled up on all that Filler and not getting what he needs from you. I'd lose interest in milk (and I have) if something sweeter was available.

But to make sure he's getting enough, give him the breast before the gerber, I guarantee he'll do more than a few sucks. He nurses best at night because he's not getting that food, and he misses the breast during the day.

I had this same issue at this age. My son got more interested in everything else rather than stopping to nurse. I was really worried that he was just going to stop, because I did not want to pump or give formula. In the end it was just a faze that lasted for 1-2 months. He eventually went back to nursing the regular amount and I nursed him for another 2 years. 7 months is the age when everything gets really interesting to an infant. I'm sure it will pass, keep nursing it's so important. :)

My son was so busy that at about 8 months he was nursing only in the morning (as soon as he woke and was still sleepy) and right before bedtime. At nine months we went on a 2 night camping trip and it was our undoing. the new environment was too much and he wouldnt hold still long enough to nurse. I was ready anyway as he had 8 teeth (yes 8!) and was rubbing me raw and couldnt really avoid it.(he only bit one time though). Sounds like those who stuck it out found their babes more interested later though. Good luck. Jen

I would guess that he is probably getting as much breastmilk as he needs or wants. As long as he isn't dehydrated, like you said, still wetting plenty of diapers and all, and not losing any weight or worrying the pediatrician at his check up (probably going in again @ 9 mos.??), then I'll bet he's happy as can be to nurse when he wants to. I am still breastfeeding, and my son is 20 months. He wants more some times, and less others. I think they go in phases sometimes. It is strange not to be able to tell how much they're drinking, but you can tell they're OK by their diapers, weight, good checkups, etc.

It does sound like he's weaning himself. My son started doing the same thing around the same age. During the day he would just want a quick snack at the breast and the only time he nursed well was right before bed. So I weaned him altogether off breastmilk at 9.5 months, he didn't put up any fight. He was ready to be done. Not to mention that he was biting a bit and pinching my arm while he nursed, so I was ready to be done too! :) You could consider pumping and giving him breastmilk in a bottle until 1 year of age or you could start switching to formula. In one way consider yourself lucky if he is weaning himself, it sure makes it easier on you. Some babies really resist it.

At 7 1/2 months it's reasonable for him to be learning to sleep thru the night. I agree to cut down and then cut out the night time feedings. Unless you mean the one feeding before he goes to bed. That one lasts for a long time.

He'll drink as much as he needs. I don't remember the amounts of solid food recommended but if you're giving him those amounts and he's drinking breast milk too as well as being healthy and gaining weight you're both doing fine. Trust yourself and your baby. Your baby's body knows what he needs. All you have to do is offer it.

If you do want to know how much he's drinking you could weigh him before and after. That's what they do for newborns when they're not sure if they're getting enough.

I don't think he's weaning himself. He just needs less milk.

both my kids lost interest in nursing at around 8 months. I think they were just too busy and distracted. I wasn't ready to wean them so I just continued to nurse through it and after a few weeks they both eventually started to enjoy it again.
good luck

Hello,
My name is A. I am 34 years old. I have a 4.5 year old little girl who has leukemia she finished her chemo last feb. I also have a 17 mo. old little boy. I breast fed both of my kids. I stopped breast feeding my son when he was around 7.5 months old. He didn't seem like he liked it either and he would bite my nipple. I got tired of that really fast. I have heard that sometimes your breast milk changes taste with what you eat and also your body makes the flavor change trying to help ween the baby. Don't feel guilty if you don't breast feed for an entire year. If your son is growing like he should you should try giving him formula. You can get formula at Walmart for 11.00 a can and it is the same as enfamil. Costco also has generic formula for about the same price. You should see what your doctor has to say. Don't forget they will eat when they are hungry. I tried giving my son a bottle when he was about six months old and he absolutely did not want any part of it. When i tried a month and a half later he took it immediatly and never went back to the breast, he forgot all about them

Hi R.,

Your son is probably making sure he gets as much breastmilk as they need. Babies have an amazing ability to self-regulate the amount of breastmilk they take in, making sure they get just the right amount for their stage in life, as long as it is offered in abundance. Breastmilk is nutritionally complete for the first year of your child's life, so don't worry that he's not getting enough nutrition. You're probably right that it's easier for him to nurse at night because of less distractions. If he's not able to nurse well during the day, he'll sure make up for it at night! My son did that too for several months, then started nursing more during the day again and less at night. As long as you just keep offering the breast to him throughout the day and let him nurse on demand and as much as he wants at night he'll make sure he gets enough breastmilk. My son is almost 10 months as still almost exclusively nurses, his dr. said that by the time he's 12 months it would be best if he was eating at least one meal and one snack a day of solid foods, so don't worry that he's not getting enough solids. Going for several hours without nursing isn't a problem at his age, as long as you offer him the breast. If he doesn't want it, don't force him because that could make him just reject it completely. Try again in an hour or so. Even a few sucks are better than none. If you let him sleep with you at night (if you're not already) it will make night feedings a lot easier than getting out of bed every time he wants to nurse, and he'll probably eat a lot more. A great website you can check out about all things breastfeeding is www.kellymom.com.

Regards, and remember that breastmilk is still the perfect food for your baby! :)

A.

My oldest daughter did something very similar, she didn't want her bottle very much during the day , but she would drink 8oz before bed, once during the night, and first thing in the morning. My pediatrician told me that some kids are just ready for more solids earlier than others, and to start giving her a more balanced solid-fod diet. We added whole milk yogurt and cottage cheese (and other soft cheeses when she could chew a little better), gerber entrees with meat, etc. By about 9 months, she wanted nothing to do with the jars of food, and only wanted table foods. Always check with your doctor, but he might just be ready to branch out.

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