A couple of questions about Breastfeeding a 12 month old.

Melany - posted on 03/09/2010

I say they will eat when theyre hungry. So just continue to offer healthful choices, and keep offering the fruits and veggies. I've found that my son (14 mos) eats much better if i eat with him, and were eating the same thing. I'm not sure about "normal" breastfeeding, but mine still nurses 6-8 times/day.

Try not to focus too much on how much on how much eats, you dont want mealtime to be a struggle forever! Just make it seem more appealing, like "its what everyone else is doing". A little peer pressure isn't such a bad thing in this case, at least in my eyes!

Good luck Momma! You're doing just fine!

Martha - posted on 03/08/2010

As long as he is nursing 3-4 times a day he is getting pretty much all of his nutritional needs, and calories. Remember that breastmilk has more calories and (good) fats in it than pretty much anything else. Instead of giving him jarred baby food, make your own. Take the soft fruits/veg and just lightly smash them so they have more texture and feed it to him. So he'll get used to the textures while still getting them in a way he's used to. Then try feeding him chunks. Good luck.

Beck - posted on 03/08/2010

My son turned one yesterday. He is also nursing more, started a few weeks ago, I thought it was another growth spurt? He is having;
7am breastfeed
7.20 breakfast (a banana / weetbix/milk)
9.30 bfeed then fruit (one or two peices cut up)
11.20 lunch 200grams of meat / vegies / rice or pasta or cous cous then 100grs of yoghurt and fruit puree
2.30 bfeed then arvo tea (cheese / ham crackers or muffins or pikets etc)
5.20 dinner; 200grams of vegies and rice / pasta / cous cous
6.30 bfeed
He has lots of water through out the day.
So he is only having 4 feeds a day but a month or so ago I thought he was going to drop his daytime feeds, now he is having long, good feeds again? I am happy with that though.

A month of so ago he got really fussy with being fed, so I was doing things like salmon patties, meatballs with vegies in, zucchini slice (quiche) and salmon rice loaf which has protein, vegies and carbs. This was he could pick them up and eat them himself. Now he is back to being happy to be spoon fed (which I prefer because I know he is getting a good meal). he is also starting to spoon feed himself.

My son would eat anything though so its a little hard to compare. Bubs are all so different with their appitites. They self regualte very well. Just offer lots of different things, be a good role model with sitting and eating together when you can and try and cover as many food groups as you can.
We play lots of games during meals to at times distract him if need be.

Sylvia - posted on 03/08/2010

My daughter was still mostly nursing at that age -- I think she maybe ate chicken, corn, applesauce and yoghurt? I forget. (She's 7 now, and my memory's not so good LOL...) Anyway, if he's healthy, happy and growing, chances are his calorie intake is fine. Little kids often eat erratically, and they still seem to turn out OK.

I'm afraid I have no idea what a "normal" number of nursing sessions for a 1-year-old is. To be honest, I lost track of number of nursing sessions per 24 hours sometime around 6 weeks :P

Angelica - posted on 03/08/2010

My son is now 21 months old and he's breastfeeding 23-30 times a day. He's breastfeeding MORE now than when he was little! My son's pediatrician tried to force me to stop him breastfeeding, she tried to scare me into thinking my son will have more cavities if he continues to breastfeed. I went straight to a few dentists and they said she was wrong and in fact it'll be better for him in the long run. So just watch what your pediatrician says and take it with a grain of salt. And always do your research on whatever they say. In this day and age we'd love to believe our doctors know what's best for our children but they really don't always have the answers so always remember to check. And as long as your son is happy and healthy, he's fine. Remember our toddlers' stomachs are not as big as we think they are! My son's above average on everything and he really only eats one solid meal a day, the rest is all breastfeeding.

Teresa - posted on 03/08/2010

At a year my son was nursing a LOT. He pretty much only ate fruit, dairy products, and snacks. No clue on 'normal' since my son who will be 2 in 3 weeks still nurses as much or more than your 12 month old. ;)