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EAT => Bottle Feeding => FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions & Related Information - Bottle => Topic started by: Mom_to_L&S on September 20, 2007, 11:20:22 am
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FROM EMMALOU: This thread has been very informative and helpful with regards to dropping the dreamfeed, I hope this serves as some help for mothers who are deciding to drop it, as Lenas mum has had such a success following the recommended way to drop the DF. Watch this space, she is down to one oz on the DF!
Hi Ladies,
Just thought I'd run this question by you since I'm not too sure what the right approach is here.
My LO turned 7 months today and I had planned to start weaning off the DF following Tracy's schedule in the book.
The problem now is, that since 4 days, my LO has only wanted to drink half of her bottles. I offer 3 x 180ml (6oz)-bottles per 24H (this includes the DF) + 1 x 120ml mixed with cereal.
Up untill 4 days ago, she drank most of this completely. She has always been a small drinker and has had several phases where she drinks reluctantly which we could solve by changing to faster teets, switching formula etc.
Her reluctance has never been this strong though and I'm unsure if weaning off the DF may now be poorly timed.
No matter what I try, she simply refuses to drink more than 120ml (tried a sippy cup, straw, offer 1 hour later etc)
Should I wait it out to see if this will pass and start weaning off the DF when she is back to drinking better?
My gut-feeling tells me to start offering less DF (she used to drain the DF but not since 4 days, even though she is always completely asleep during it) and then see what it does to her appetite over the course of a few days.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance,
Sophie
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Hi Sophie,
It could definitelty be that the DF is affecting her appetite during the day - Is her morning bottle the same at the moment?
Also something to consider. Could your lo be teething? This could affect her intake as it can hurt her gums when sucking. If you think she may be teething you could try rubbing some teething gel on her gums a few minutes before a feed to see if this helps ease the discomfort.
Are you on the fastest flow teat now?
HTH's let usknow how you get on.
Paula
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Hi Paula, thanks for responding so quickly :)
* I'm not sure if there are other teets availabe, I'm using the Avent no 3 at the moment. Will check the store tomorow.
* Teething : Not sure, she doesn't seem to be grizzly otherwise but we've had some NW so maybe she is. I'll try the gel this evening and see if it makes a difference. Her solids are going very well so you may be onto something!
If she keeps this bad drinking up, do you think I can start making the DF smaller?
Thanks,
Sophie
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Hi Sophie,
When our DS was on Avent bottles, in the UK they went up to a size 4 - so would be worth seeing if you can get them in this size. When this eventually got too small for our DS we used a steralised pin to make an extra hole in the teats and this also did the trick. Although the teats to not last as long when you make an extra hole, and will need replacing sooner.
With regards to the teething gel, it might be worth a try to see how things go.
I would definitely consider starting to reduce the DF to see if this makes any difference.
Good luck. Please keep usposted on how things go.
Paula
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Hi Paula,
I will try to find the No.4 later today, thanks for the tip.
Last night, I offered 120ml + 4 scoops of milk for the DF and she drank it all. This is about 1 scoop less than what she drank for the past 4 days for the DF so I guess weīve started weaning! Iīm very excited about it since I do think she is ready.
She slept very well last night but drank poorly again this morning.
Iīm sure it will take a few days for her appetite to go up but so far so good.
Iīll keep you posted if thatīs ok :)
Sophie
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Hi there, I had to wean the DF slowly as DD would refuse her morning bottle if she took it. Paula has given you some great advice, Good luck :-*
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I am pleased that she slept so well for you. That is fantastic.
I agree with Emma, it may take a bit of time for her appetite to increase during the day, however the #4 teat may change that too.
Please do keep us posted.
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Hi :)
Iīll use this thread as my weaning DF-logg if thatīs ok, it may help others in the future too?
Last night at 6.30pm (after our first night with a smaller DF), she drank 200ml, almost a full bottle! So that was great.
That same evening, I offered a 4 scoop/120ml DF again and she stopped drinking after 100ml.
She had a great night with only 1 weird NW at 1am but she resettled soon (5 mins) and then slept on untill 6.30am, after a solid 11 hours of sleep. Very pleased with that!
This morning, she still only drank 120 ml though. Tried to add cereal to the rest of the bottle and feed it with a spoon but she refused after 2 bites.
I still havenīt found the no4, will check some other stores later today.
Sophie
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Hi Sophie, log away, sometimes it is better to keep a log, so that you can see any patterns that may develop. It may take some time for your lo to increase that morning bottle, only time will tell
Great news on last night :-* :-*
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Thanks, Emma Lou :-*
Last night and this morning were the same as yesterday.
She drank a full bottle right before bed, 120ml at DF and then a half bottle this morning. She did accept a yogurt 1,5 hours later though so her appetite seems to have gone up.
She had an excellent night without any NW.
Sophie
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Sophie - Great idea about keeping a log for weaning the DF - It will definitely help others.
Sounds like Lena is doing fantastically.
Great Job - Please keep us posted.
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Night 4 : 90ml/3 scoops DF, good night without NW
Morning Day 5 : Drank a full bottle! :)
She woke up an hour earlier than normal though (6am) , and was clearly hungry so I fed her, is that ok?
I fed her, she drank a full bottle and then was clearly tired ( i treated this feed as a nightfeed since it was before our getting-up time) so I let her sleep untill she woke up and she slept untill 8.15am when we started our day.
Hoping that, in a few days, she will be able to sleep a little longer again.
Sophie
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Hi there, you did great, yes its fine to feed her if she is clearly hungry, is great you got that bit extra sleep. sounds like weaning the DF is really working for you :-*
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That is fantastic news - Glad things are going so well.
Even better that you got a few extra hours sleep ;) ;D
Keep us psoted.
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Night 5 : 90ml/3 scoops DF and LOTS of NWīs with tossing and turning, whining etc. Mommy is tired today!
Morning Day 6 : Awake at 6am for food again, she drained her bottle (yay) but then didnīt go back to sleep like she did yesterday and decided that she was UP! Ack! A crappy morning nap followed and she is now mid-lunchnap so hopefully she will make it a good, long one ::)
Sophie
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Hugs Sophie,
Sorry about the bad night - Hope that she naps well for the rest of the day and that you get a good night tonight.
Please keep us posted.
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Thank you :-*
She napped brilliantly this afternoon (2H) and is in good spirits, fingers crossed for tonight!
Sophie
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Keeping my fingers crossed for you
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Night 6 : 90ml/3 scoops DF, 1 NW at 3am, resettled quickly though.
Morning Day 7 : Awake at 6am, clearly hungry again, so fed her, drained bottle.
THEN she dozed off again, so I climbed back into bed as well without setting the alarm (not working today) thinking sheīd sleep untill 8am-ish like Monday-morning but she woke me at 8.45am!!! :o
I hadnīt planned on starting the day quite so late. Iīm just going by her A-times now and she just started her lunchnap at 3pm now. Still aiming for a 7.30pm bedtime at the latest.
I have a question though :
* Should I try to get more calories in during the day so she will not wake for food at 6am anymore? I mean, I am pleased that she is drinking her bottles completely again but in reality, when the DF is out of the picture, she should have achieved an increase in food-intake, right?
Right now, she is drinking much less DF and drinking her old amounts of milk (when I say "old", I mean the amounts she drank before her appetite dissapeared and she was drinking half bottles).
So Iīm thinking I should get more calories in now.
This morning, after she had woken up, I offered her a baby-yogurt which she fully ate. At 12 she had lunch (veggies/salmon), which she ate completely as well.
Will this eventually result in her sleeping untill 7am again (which she has done for months and was our normal starting point of the day)
Thanks,
Sophie
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Hi there Sophie, does she drain the bottles you make? If so you could increase them all by an oz and see how that goes. Well done, sounds like things are going great. I imagine if you increase the milk intake you should see a change, and as solids naturally increase she should be able to go until 7am
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I agree with Emma, I would increase the bottles by an oz each and perhaps even her last bottle by 2 oz just incase she wants to take a little more.
You could also try offering a yogurt after meals etc as a pudding to fill an extra gap. That way you are getting extra calcium in her too.
Wow - How I miss those 8:45 wake ups - could really do with a few now :-\ Glad you got a bit of a lie in. If she goes to bed a little later tonight, it will still be worth it ;)
I am pleased that things are going so well. Do keep us posted.
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Evening + Night 7 : Following your advice, I offered her 2 oz more of which she drank 1 so that was great!
DF 60ml/2 scoops
1 NW at 1am, settled quickly and then slept on untill 7.15am! No early wake-up! :)
Morning + evening Day 8 : This morning and tonight, she didnīt drink her bottle completely, though, left 50ml in each bottle.
Weīll see how it affects her nightsleep but Iīm not too worried about it since it may have been just a fluke and a day with less appetite.
Will keep you guys posted and thanks for the support, it really means a lot :-*
Sophie
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You are very welcome, we are here for you. Sounds like you are doing good
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That is fantastic news - sounds like things are going in the right direction.
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Evening + Night 8 : Like yesterday, she didnīt finish her bottle, let alone accept an extra oz like she did 2 days ago.
DF again was 60 ml/2 scoops (2oz) and she only drank 40ml! (1,5oz) I was very pleased with this since this means she is used to not drinking that late anymore (even though she is asleep while she drinks).
The night was good, 1 NW at 4am though that lasted untill 5am when she started crying and whining ( her cue for food)
Morning Day 9:I fed her at 5am, she only drank about 150ml (5,5 oz ) though BUT she slept in untill 8.15pm when I let her drink some formula out of a cup and fed her a yogurt.
Even though I am liking the sleep-ins, lol (and Iīm sure DH will too now that itīs almost weekend), I liked yesterday better, when she slept untill 7.15am (our normal start of the day). Because then, she can be fed and up and going instead of this drinking and then sleeping again.
Iīm hoping her appetite for the 6.30pm-bottle will increase again so sheīll hopefully last longer.
Again, I have a question :
When do I stop offering DF now? Is it needed to go all the way down to 1 oz/1scoop for 3 days, starting tonight?
So far, I have done :
3 nights 4oz, 3 nights 3oz, 3 nights 2oz.
Thanks,
Sophie
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I would personally go with the 1oz 1 scoop for a few days - especially since she is still waking in the night, and having an early wakings.
See how it goes.
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Thanks, Paula, I will offer 1 scoop tonight.
I didnīt do it last night since she was sleeping so deeply and I didnīt really think the 1 scoop was going to make much of a difference.
She has 1 NW at 1am and settled quickly, themn awake at 6am to drink a full bottle and then slept in again untill 8.30am when we started our day.
Her appetite during morning and evening bottles is still only a 180ml/6 scoops (think thatīs about 5,5oz).
Sophie
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This story is great, really shows how weaning the DF can work well.
Well done you!
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Evening + Night 10 : At 6.30pm, she had a 180ml/6 scoop (5,5oz) bottle, there were 2 more scoops in it but she didnīt want any more.
Following Paulaīs advice, I offered a 1oz/1scoop DF at 10.30pm but she refused the bottle after a few sips! Great news, I think :)
The night was a bit off because loud sirens woke us all up around 4am >:( and Lena couldnīt find her sleep anymore after that, she tossed and turned for about an hour and then I fed her at 5.30am. She only had about 4oz/150ml Dang outside noises >:(
Morning Day 11 : After eating, she slept untill 7.15am which is when we got up to start the day. I was intending to offer a yogurt around 9am like we have been doing the past few days, but she was clearly tired and ready for bed at 8.45am, after only 1,5H A-time (she usually has 2H30M - 2H45M of A-time) and is napping now ???
Iīm guessing this is due to the being awake so much during the night?
This evening, I am going to offer 1oz/1scoop for a DF for the last time and then we should be officially done! After that, I will keep working on getting more calories in during the day thus hopefully going past the 6am wake-ups. The NW around 1am or 3am, Iīm not too worried about and I donīt think they are hunger-related since a little bit of PU/PD usually solves this quickly and she has been known for having spells of these NW in the past.
Oh and Paula, I finally found the Avent No.4-teet yesterday! She drank really fast with it, though and she seems to need some time to get used to it.
OT : I keep looking at your ticker, youīre so close now, how exciting :)
Thanks for making this a sticky, Emma Lou :-*
Sophie
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Sophie, I am sorry about the early waking - that is awful when it happens.
Sounds like things are going really well and that Lena has adapted really well to the new routine. You have done a great job, and this diary will help and give other mums encouragement on weaning the dreamfeed :-*
I am pleased that you found the #4 teats - if you find that she is battling with them, you can always try and sit her up a little more for a feed so that the milk does not hit the back of her throat too quickly.
9 days for me to go, and I am really feeling it - hopefully this little bean will decide to make an appearance soon ;)
Good luck for tonight - keep us posted.
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Evening + Night 11 : She drank her full bottle but, like last night, wouldn't accept an extra oz.
DF of 1 scoop/1oz : she blatantly refused to drink! So I guess it's safe to say we are officially done with the DF :)
The night was very good; only 1 short waking around 4am which a re-tuck and plug solved.
Morning Day 12 : Lena slept untill 7am, drank a full bottle and then we started our day.
Paula : SO close now, I'll expect you to dissapear from here any time now :D Good luck in advance!
Oh and holding Lena a little more upright while using the no.4's did the trick, thanks.
Sophie
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Sophie that is fantastic news - congrats on weaning the DF - you must be so pleased ;D
I am pleased that holding DD a little more upright did the trick with the #4 teats.
I am hoping to dissapear soon - I am so fed up of being pregnant now - don't feel I can go on much longer :-\ Hopefully this little madam will decide to make an appearance sooner rather than later ;D
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Hi Paula,
Just popped in quickly to say hi and say that all still is well; allthough Lena is not eating more now that we have dropped the DF. She is still on 180ml-bottles and won't take more. I do try to give her some yogurt every day to get at least a little more calories in her. So overall, one could say that she is now eating less than before but still thriving. Her nights are good. We're a bit in wonky-nap-land at the moment with regards to the morning nap but it'll sort itself out.
Paula, you are STILL here, awww :-* How are you feeling?
Sophie
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Hi Sophie,
Thanks for keeping us updated - That sounds perfectly fine having 180ml bottles and a yogurt - remember you can always hide a bit of milk in foods as well as count the milk in cereal as well as cheese etc.
Sorry the naps are a bit wonky, I am pleased that the nights are going so smoothly.
Yup I am still here - only 5 days to go, and hopefully no more, but would prefer less :)
Keep us posted.
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After posting in a different post that I am a DF dropping weenie, I've decided to take some good advice and tackle the DF, and I am taking Paula's advice and am going to use this as my diary of weaning the DF as well! I would love some support and advice from you lovely ladies who've already "been there and done that"!
Some background:
DD has been on EASY and DF since about 7weeks.
She takes 7oz bottles 4x/day and a 5oz DF at 10:15pm for a total of about 33oz of formula/day.
Her night sleep has been fine, other than some serious teething issues right now.
She doesn't eat her solids very well - usually has two meals (breakfast and lunch) that are homemade, and takes about 2 ice cube sized servings at both meals, and may or may not finish them. She sometimes has supper, but her pm nap sometimes is long enough that her two pm bottles fall pretty close together, and she isn't really hungry for the supper meal, it just depends on how the naps go.
I've decided that I will use the two fold approach - decreasing amount of milk offered over time as well as moving the DF earlier and earlier.
Night #1: Tonight the plan will be to offer dd 4oz of formula at 10 and keep our fingers crossed that things will go smoothly! Wish us luck!
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Good luck - we will be here with you every step of the way.
Keep us posted on how things go.
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Good luck, vadensmommy!!! As you probably know, I did the 1-fold approach (lol) and just dropped the DF in size. I guess I was feeling a bit icky about waking Lena just mere hours after she had gone to bed.
I'm back posting here because I have a situation I'm not sure how to tackle (and to check if Paula is still around!)
Since succesfully having weaned the DF and Lena doing fine for a week or so, she has woken up the past 3 nights at 11pm :-\ Here's a quick rundown of the events:
Night 1: I thought the wake-up was a fluke and thought nothing more of it, but she had a lot of upset NW and a bad nap day following. She was more hungry during the day and I upped each feed with 1-2 oz and offered yogurt (the yogurt I had been offering consistently for the past week already)
Night 2 : I figured she was hungry because she already ate so much during the day, so fed her 120ml/4scoops. She drained this and went back to sleep. A good night with only 1NW at 4am; settled quickly and slept untill 7am. The day following, she ate 4 more scoops in total than usual.
Night 3 : When she woke around 11pm, I fed her 120ml/4 scoops again, she settled quickly but then had 3-4 NW, waking up screaming, very upset. PU/PD worked but only briefly since she woke up so many times.
She was UP at 6am ravenous again and drank (what is for her) a full bottle of 180ml/6s. She never settled again so we had a very early start today.
My ponderings are:
- I am getting more cals in her during the day but she keeps waking up hungry, how do I deal with this? I know Tracy said to always feed a hungry baby and I'm pretty sure it's not habitual because she is such a reluctant drinker usually and when she downs a bottle, it means hunger or she would refuse the bottle otherwise.
Is this a growth spurt? I believe there is one around 8 months?
- She is getting OT from all the NW and the consequential bad naps, how do I solve this?
At this point, I don't know what to tackle first, I had to decide between posting on the naps board, the NW-board and this board, lol because they are all accurate, oh joy joy ::)
Lena is in good spirits during the day though and hardly gives any tired signs.
Any thoughts? Should I post this elsewhere, maybe?
Thanks in advance,
Sophie x
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Awww hugs Sophie, sorry things are not going as smoothly.
Do you think perhaps she could be teething and sucking on the teat to ease some discomfort? Some lo's will suck for comfort when teething and others will refuse the bottle - just a thought?
It could quite possibly be a growth spurt too - how many bottles is she taking during the day, and how much solids?
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You're still here! Very soon now, Paula :-*
Her routine on a normal day:
7am : wake up + eat 180ml/6scoops
9am : 100g baby-yogurt OR bottle 120ml/4scoops
10am: nap untill 11h15am
12pm : Lunch : 250g veggies/chicken (or fish) + 50ml water
2pm: nap untill 4pm
4pm : 120ml/4 scoops stirred with 100g pureed fruit and 4 scoops cereal. This makes a porridge I feed her with a spoon.
6.30pm : 210ml/7 scoops (if hungry will offer an extra scoop)
7pm : Bedtime (usually asleep within 10 mins)
I really can't say if she is teething, her gums aren't red and she doesn' t seem to be in pain. She is resisting naps which can be because of OT or teething? I really am clueless on this one.
Thanks,
Sophie
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SIGH - yes I am still here and feeling very uncomfortable. Hoping she comes soon.
Right I am just thinking out loud here - but just a suggestion.
At breakfast time have you thought about introducing a cereal with formula mixed in instead of a yogurt - this could be a little heavier on her tummy.
Also at lunch time, perhaps offer her a yogurt after her lunch, to fill her up a little more.
Then at dinner time, you could offer a protien and veggies etc - basically what you eat and maybe a small yogurt or fruit puree afterwards.
Then bottle before bed.
Just a thought, if she is waking hungry in the night, the extra food during the day may help with this.
Also, is your lo going through anything developmental at the moment i.e. crawling, pulling up to stand etc? This can cause night wakings as well as them resisting their naps.
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Thanks for the suggestions.
I will try your suggestions starting tomorrow since I'm at the office now. Sounds very sound :)
1 question though : What time would you offer the dinner when her bedtime bottle is already at 6.30pm? We usually eat after she has gone to bed but I guess I could feed her at 6pm. Wouldn' t that make her bottle too soon after?
Sophie
ETA : She isn't trying to stand or crawl at the moment.
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You could keep her dinner at the same time - perhaps just double up what you make for lunch and offer it at dinner time.
My DS is 2 and he still eats his dinner around 4:30 ish - he prefers it that way.
Hmmm, am still wondering if it is something developmental lurking in the background. Is she going through any SA at the moment?
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Yes, she has started to show SA since a day or 5. We seem to have tackled it when we are at home though, doing WI/WO during nap-and bedtimes and she is playing alone now well again.
I have thought too that she maybe always woke up here and there during the night and then fell back asleep on her own so we never knew but that now; she is scared when she wakes up alone in her room? She really cries HARD whereas she usually used to talk/whimper when she woke up.
I am feeling pretty insecure about the feeding her at 11pm since I don't want to regress back to the DF. It's so hard to read her sometimes that I can get insecure :-\
I'm not quite sure what time you mean now for her dinner time, she has her fruit/cereal/milk meal at 4pm and then bottle at 6.30pm. I'm confuzzled, lol.
Sophie
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Perhaps offer her the same for dinner that she had at lunch time but just stick to the 4pm time.
Could definitely be the seperation anxiety - have you tried using WI/WO to see if that helps.
I agree, you don't want to go back to doing and 11pm feed if you can help it - have you tried just offering her water to see if she is just thirsty?
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So you mean eliminate the fruit and give veggies/protein again?
Guidelines here advise against that; at to only give 20g protein a day but then again, Belgium seems to have completely different guidelines than the UK-ones, to add to the confusion.
I haven't tried to offer water instead no; since I think she is actually hungry.
Do you think it's ok to wait 2 more days (I believe a growthspurt lasts 5 days? correct me if I'm wrong) and then offer water instead of milk if she is still waking up?
Sorry about the endless questions --This is really about the only time so far I have my hands in my hair and don't know what to tackle first and what causes what, IYKWIM?
We do WI/WO yes during nap and bedtimes but do PU/PD with the NW's since neither me or DH have the stamina to do WI/WO during the night, bad I know! :-[
Sophie
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Wow I did not know the guidelines were different in Belgium.
Yeah, I would definitely wait the 5 days and see how you get on from there.
Hugs, I hope things improve soon for you.
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I will do that then and try your schedule tomorrow. How many grams of protein can you offer according to the guidelines? Hopefully she will stop waking at 11pm out of her own, fingers crossed.
Having spoken to lots of BW moms in my BC, I have found that there are insane differences all around the world when it comes to nutrition for babies. Really puzzling!
Hang in there, I'm rooting for you here
Sophie x
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To be honest I have never heard of only being able to offer a certain amount of protein a day - My DS had protien twice a day from the beginning when we introduced solids. If you would prefer not to offer protein again, you could always leave the protein out, and stick with veggies etc, and just make the meal a bit bigger.
Let us know how tonight goes.
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Well, to be honest, I donīt really follow the Belgium guidelines entirely since I believe they are pretty outdated and so different from our surrounding countries. They also say no dairy untill 1 year but Iīm feeding Lena yogurt every day ;D
Yesterday, she had a great nap-day and ate very well. Screaming fit at bedtime though and it took her untill 7.45pm to settle, definately SA there. I WI/WO my socks off.
Lena woke up around 10pm already ::) but was still half asleep and just needed the paci, no food. She then slept untill 5am which I was very pleased about. She didnīt resettle though and I caved and gave her a 180ml/6 scoop bottle which she drained and then fell back asleep untill 8am.
She just ate a yogurt, refused any milk/cereal.
Congratulations on reaching your due date, hope things speed up for you now. I know how you feel, I went 4 days past my DD too and was induced. Hugs.
Vadensmommy, how did it go?
Sophie x
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What time is her bedtime - do you think she could be ready for a bit later bedtime? Just thinking here.
I am pleased that she re-settled for you last night. Definitely sounds like a growth spurt - ride it out for the next few days and see how things go.
I have reached my due date and this little madam has other ideas. Hopefully she will make an appearance SOOON.
Vadensmommy - did you start weaning last night? How did it go?
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Yeah, I think itīs a growthspurt too. I offered her a bit of milk before her morning nap and my reluctant drinker took it.
Her bedtime is 7pm. I strive for 12 hour-days usually. I think she is having SA because she was having her eyes half-closed and dozing off but everytime I left her room, would pop her eyes open and scream, well it was more shrieking, actually.
Sophie x
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Yup definitely a growth spurt, especially if she usually refuses milk.
7pm is a good bedtime. If your lo is suffering from SA, you could always try putting her down, and sitting by the side of her cot with your had on her back or tummy not looking at her, but just letting her know you are there. And every few days, you could just move further and further out the room until you are out of the room completely.
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Thanks for the advice. Hope this is not too OT but I read up a bit on SA and it indeed suggested to stay in the room untill LO is asleep, like you say.
But my LO is Textbook/Spirited and the Spirited mostly translates to naps and bedtimes where she is so alert that even the slightest detail, sound etc will attract her attention.
I have had to do TONS of sleeptraining when she was still tiny to teach her that the world doesnīt go anywhere while she naps. She has been an excellent napper for months now and our winddown is very short and minimalistic, a.i. that I just donīt speak to her, donīt sing, donīt caress, donīt pat since this just keeps her too awake. I just put her in sleeping bag, sit for a few minutes in her darkened room, put her in her cot and then leave immediately since she would keep checking if Iīm still there if I stay in there.
Now with this SA, Iīm a bit umpf as to how to deal with it, she cried a lot yesterday and I really dislike that. WI/WO worked but yesterday, it took longer than usual. In addition to being scared, she also got angry because I kept leaving, I think. Do you know what they recommend for Spirited sleepers in this regard?
Sophie
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Hmmm I am stumped now. Your best bet would be to pop over to the sleep boards, or have a look on the FAQ's sections there to see if they have any other recommendations for Sprited lo's.
If WI/WO worked yesterday, do you think that it may take a shorter time today?
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Sorry, I've been out of pocket for a bit.
Last two nights (so Night 1 and 2)
We fed dd 4oz at 10:00 (she'd previously been taking 5oz at 10:30). Both mornings she has slept later than she has in the past few weeks - 6:30 instead of 5:30 which is great because 6:30 is our ideal wake up time.
She still hasn't been super interested in eating/bottles, but we've only dropped one oz ;) so we'll see how things go.
She continues to FIGHT her sleep - not just naps, but bedtime too. I really think she is teething as she is gnawing on an ice cube in a safe feeder currently and loving it. Well now she is rolling around to get places - her way of crawling. Once she's asleep however, she has slept great - last night was from 5pm to 6:45am with two DF. She only took 2x30min naps and was exhausted by 5. I had to wake her at 7 for her last bottle of the day which she downed in about 10minutes (7oz) and then dh did the lessened DF at 10 which she also downed, and didn't hear from her until 6:45 so we both slept in a bit and I was just late for work :) I have sent her with a little more breakfast the last couple of days to the sitter just for good measure, and I am trying to make sure she does supper consistently.
How many days do you wait between decreasing the # of ozs? I will probably do 3oz next and have dh do it at 9:30. Tonight will be night #3 with this amount, and I thought about doing 3oz tomorrow night, how does that sound??
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Sounds like she is doing great :)
I did 3 nights with the same amount of oz and then dropped 1 oz, did that for 3 nights etc.
When I was down to 1 oz, she refused to drink it the 3rd night so we were done!
It took a few days for her appetite to increase during the day too, so I wouldnīt worry about it just yet, give it a little time.
Paula, last night we did the sitting with her at bedtime untill she dropped off and it actually worked, no tears and Lena was asleep within 15 minutes :) Thanks for the reassurance.
No waking for food at 11pm either, so Iīm guessing the growthspurt is subsiding. Iīm still going to keep her calories up during the day though.
Hope you are feeling well,
Sophie
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Vadensmommy - that is fantastic news - sounds like things are looking up ;D. I agree with Sophie, I would do it for 3 days before dropping the next oz, and then do that one for 3 days etc. I am so pleased that things are going so well.
Sophie, that is great - I am so pleased that last night went so well and that she slept so fantastically for you. Keep us posted ;D
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Well hmmm,
last night was an interesting one and I'm not quite sure what to do next. DD took one 1.5hr nap yesterday between around 12-1:30 because she was at the sitters for both naps because I had a continuing education seminar to go to. So I got her home late afternoon and tried and tried for a catnap, but she wouldn't go to sleep. So again she finally passed out "early" for the night around 5:30 while eating her last bottle. Had some errands to run, so dh was home when she woke up about 45min later. Not sure how long she stayed up, but dh ended up feeding her about 4more oz at that time to get her to go back to sleep - so her "df" was while she was awake around 7pm. I decided not to feed her the df because she'd sort of had it really early. She woke at 4 and cried for about a minute, but woke for the day at 6:10 with NO NIGHT FEEDINGS ;D Very exciting. The sitter says she ate great today, AND finished her 10:30 bottle with the sitter which she NEVER finishes, has had a great pm nap today, although no am nap.
But now what do I do tonight. I am thinking about going back to 3oz at 9:30pm tonight, but since we didn't last night, I don't know about tonight. I might have to wait and see how she does with supper tonight. She still hasn't done supper consistently because she's been so tired so early, and is too tired to eat. What do y'all think?
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It is completely up to you. Some mums have had great sucess with dropping the DF cold turkey.
Make your judgement on how her solid intake goes this evening and then decide.
Good luck. Keep us posted on how you get on.
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Hi Vadensmummy,
I'm a day late in replying so I don't know what you ended up doing but here's my 2 cents (even though I'm not a mod here, I'm still butting in, lol)
If it were me, I'd have gone ahead with the 3oz DF and continue the weaning. It sounds like that day was an off-day regarding naps, early bedtime, extra bottle early in the evening etc. so I wouldn't count that as a weaning day but as a day where you just followed your LO's rythm and get back on track today.
Remember that I started weaning the DF when Lena was drinking VERY poorly during the day. A bit of a risk and I had feared horrible NW but it worked like a charm.
Over here, things are going great; the growth spurt has subsided completely and she is back to eating her normal amounts, good naps and good nightsleep. :)
Paula, what's the news from your front? How are you feeling?
Sophie x
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Thanks ladies. I didn't get back on last night before dd went to bed, but had decided just to go ahead with the weaning instead of cold turkey. Again i am just too chicken to go cold turkey. A lot of poultry in that sentence :D Anyways.
DH always does our DF, and I usually set an alarm that is in the living room so he won't forget/get lost in the internet/fall asleep, etc. I go to bed much earlier than dh, and so he stays up to do the df. Well since I had reset the alarm it decided not to go off, and dh did do the df, but instead of the scheduled 9:30, it was again at 10, but only 3 oz. She woke up early again this AM, but I don't know if that is because the df was late, or because she was OT because she fought her night sleep last night yet again for over an hour before she finally died out. DD's naps have been horrific the past two weeks and really make me want to pull my hair out, but that isn't really the fault of the df now is it? Between teething and learning to crawl this week it has been a nightmare. So I think for these next two nights we'll do the 3oz's at 9:30, and then go to 9 and 2oz. Will keep you posted!
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Sophie - I am so pleased that things are going so well and that the growth spurt has subsided. :-* Me I am still around. Had a MW appointment yesterday and she said that baby won't be here anytime soon :'( Said my body does not seem to be ready - Have a hospital appt next Friday to check the possibility of induction - but I am hoping that I will have had her by then.
Vadensmommy - Development can wreak havoc on their nighttime sleep and naps - when she is awake allow her to practice as much as possible during the day, so that hopefully she will sleep better during the day / night. Have you tried any teething meds for her?
Keep us posted on the weaning.
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Paula - any baby yet? I just noticed your ticker, so I wondered what was happening.
We have tried massive amounts of teething meds -tylenol, motrin, orajel, homeopathic teething tablets. The pain motrin and tylenol do seem to help. I just hate to give them until I know that she is going to need them. Like last night she fell asleep just perfectly without any need of meds. She did start crawling yesterday officially WOOHOO. I leave her on the floor to play and practice crawling as much as I can so she can get it out of her system before time to sleep. So I'm hoping that whatever has been causing her extreme wakefullness - teething or crawling, is on the downhill slope so we can get back on track with everything else.
So on to what I am really here for :) DF wean weenie ;D
Last night DH was gone to a football game, so I did the DF at 9:30 for 3oz and it went very well. She didn't wake up, and slept till 6:15 this AM. I did hear her cry out around 2:00, but only for a minute, and she put herself back to sleep. When she did wake up this am she babbled and fussed for about 20minutes, and I think she might have even fallen back to sleep, because I didn't really hear more from her again till 7 when I went to get her. 7 is about 30min AFTER normal E time :) I will really enjoy being able to sleep till 6 or even 6:30 this weekend if this keeps up! Much better than 4:45!! The plan will be more of the same tonight - 3oz at 9:30, then tomorrow we'll move on to 2oz at 9. Wish us luck!!
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No Baby Yet :( 4 days overdue and nothing seems to be happening.
That is great news on the crawling. Hopefully her sleep patterns will improve.
Sounds like a fantastic night last night ;D Good luck with tonight - keep us posted on how you get on.
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Bless your heart. I do know how that goes. I was exactly a week overdue when dd was born, and that was only after being induced - ended in c-section. But most importantly we were both healthy and everything went smoothly, and I hope everything does go smoothly for you too, whenever you do have this baby :)
Well, let's see. Things continue to go very very well. This gradual weaning thing is really great. Friday night dd got 3oz at 9:30 and slept well. She did wake once at around 3. I listened for a couple of minutes, and ended up having to go into her. We don't do pu/pd really, have never really needed it, but I am afraid after our teething issues that I'll need to brush up on it. I did get her up and rock her for a minute and was able to put her back down without having to feed her or anything and she went back to sleep.
Last night (saturday night) we did 2oz at 9. She woke at 4 and cried for a bit. I usually listen for a minute, go to the bathroom, wash hands, and go get her. By the time I got to the door of her room she quit :) So I didn't have to go get her, and she got up this morning around 6:15. I really think that some of these NW and earlier than ideal mornings (although 6:15 is pretty good, but she was cranky, and ended up napping not even 2hrs after waking) to OT. We've been really busy with moving a business in the family, so there have been a LOT of late nights, late naps, waking her up from naps to be somewhere at a certain time, etc.
So tonight will be more of the same as well as tomorrow night - 2oz at 9, then we'll drop to 1oz at 8:30, and then to nothing! So far dd is really eating solids so much better! She's had 3 meals consistently, and is showing hunger signs for solids, which is new! She hasn't however, been quite as interested in her bottles. I usually try and do 7oz for each bottle, and she's still doing at least 6oz per bottle (for a total of at least 24oz per day not counting the df) but it is a little more of a struggle to get it in her. I may have to tweak the amount of solids she is getting if she continues to not want her bottle just to make sure she is getting enough.
I'll keep you guys posted!
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Sounds like you're doing great :)
Lena had a few EW too when we were weaning but it didn't last long.
Sophie x
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Sounds like she is doing fantastically - keep it up.
Great news about her taking more solids. 24oz of milk per day is perfect for her age - the minimum is 21oz, so she is doing well. Remember yogurts, custards, milk in cereal and cooking etc also count towards her daily intake.
Keep us posted on how things go.
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Well I have been away for a few days, and am about to be away for a few more, so I thought I'd take a very brief moment to update.
Things continue to go really great and I am super excited. Tonight is our last DF night, and it probably won't be much of a DF because we are going to be on the road to go visit family and will probably be getting there around 8:30-when the DF will be due. We had one really really early waking and I did have to feed her - it was the very next morning after my last post. She fell asleep during her bottle the evening before, and so her DF was the last 2oz that she should have had for her evening bottle instead of the DF. So she was up at 4:30 very very very hungry, and I couldn't get her back down, so I went ahead and fed her because I hadn't mentally prepared to do pu/pd or anything to fight it out-and she was obviously hungry. DD went back to sleep and I had to wake her around 6:45. I was worried that i had started something, and was afraid it would happen again the next morning, but it didn't!!
So at least 2 or 3 times this week I have had to wake her in the mornings at 6:45 which is about the latest I can let her sleep before needing to get her up, get her dressed and fed and get on to the sitters so I won't be late for work. SOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo nice to be able to take a shower in the mornings and be in peace and not hear her fussing because of an early wake up. I am so excited things have gone this well. Now it might all go to pot this weekend since we will be out of town, but I hope not. She is continuing to eat well - still has 7oz bottles 4x/day, and I am considering cutting back a bit because she really is fighting taking the last ounce, and I don't want to force feed her. Really strange because the past few mornings when I thought she would be the hungriest because of only a 1oz DF, she hasn't been and has only wanted to take 6oz. I wasn't quite sure what the limit was on how LITTLE formula they were supposed to get, but it looks like at least 4x 5.5oz bottles would be the least amount to give and still be ok. So 4x 6oz bottles would be fine if that is what she wants. Continues to eat her solids really really well, and has even been "asking" for them by fussing when she gets hungry, and that is new!!! YEAHH!!! So now I wish I had been less of a DF wean weenie, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it? Thank you ladies for your support, and I'll try to update how the weekend goes when we get back in town Sunday or Monday!
Paula I hope you have "popped" by now and that everything is going well!
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Wow that is fantastic news - I am so pleased that everything is going so smoothly. I hope that the weekend stays the same for you, but remember you have done this now, so any slight little hitch, you will be able to cope with.
The miminimum amount they need to take is 21 oz per day, but this can include milk in cereal and cooking as well as yougurts, cheeses, custards etc. Sounds like she is doing perfectly on the 4 x 6oz bottles.
I have still not had this little bean - Will be going in to be induced on Monday. I am hoping that the baby will be here before then though.
Looking forward to reading your update next week ;D
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Well lo and behold we are out of town, and I have found a bit of internet connection during a quiet moment while dd is sleeping and everyone else is at a ballgame!
Last night went well considering everything we've put dd through, and the weekend isn't nearly over. We still have an 1.5hr drive to visit my family and set up "camp" there tonight. We rolled into my BIL's house right at 8:30 and of course all the movement and setting up the paknplay woke her up. I fed her that last ounce, and it wasn't much of a df because she was wide awake. I thought she would settle after that, but no, it took about another 1.5hr to get her to go to sleep. She is so well sleep trained that she won't sleep anywhere else but her own bed. That is great when we're at home, but terribly frustrating when staying with family or in a hotel and all we have is her paknplay.
After getting her to finally rest last night, she slept great and woke up at about 6:15. Earlier than I would have liked to get on the weekend, but much much much better than that one 4:30am wakeup we had last week.
So tonight will be the first night that we don't do a DF, although since we will be staying with family, if she wakes hungry I probably won't fight it, I'll just feed her so we don't wake up anybody because my parent's bedroom is right across the hall from the guest bedroom we all sleep in. I think the real test to all of this will be Monday morning once she's had two nights of no DF, and a really busy weekend where her naps and sleeps have all been out of kilter. We'll see - wish me luck!
Paula, I hope that everying goes super smooth monday (or sooner, fingers crossed ;) )
I'll keep y'all posted on this DF weaning!!
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Being out of town can send things potty - I would not worry too much about it. Just try not to use too much accidental parenting that could be hard to get out of.
Great that you have found an internet connection.
Fingers crossed for the rest of the weekend - please keep us posted.
Paula
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Ok, so
we've officially dropped the dF
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO
Since this past weekend we were out of town, and the first few nights back were really out of whack from her catching up from the busy weekend, so there were long naps and laaaate bedtimes (which also meant a late last bottle). So last night was the first night that she ate at her normal time for her last bottle-around 6:30, and went to sleep around 7 and slept till 6:20 this morning with NOOOOO wakeups and NOOOO night feedings :D :D :D
So I am hoping that tonight will go as smoothly - dd was about 2oz behind on her last bottle of the night, but had at least an ounce of yogurt at supper, so hopefully that will tide her over.
Random side note: I've always made dd's baby food but while we were out of town this weekend I took regular Gerber baby food. She wouldn't eat it! Barely ate any solids while we were gone at all except for the jarred pears. I guess I should have been feeding her jarred food all along, just so it wouldn't be completely new for those times when we are out of town and it is easier to take the jarred foods.
Paula: Glad to see you've had this baby! I am sure life is a massive whirlwind currently, so I don't expect a reply - I hope you are both doing really great!!! Thanks for all of your help with this DF weaning stuff!!! You are great!
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Hi there,
I'm so happy to hear that your LO has done it! Makes you proud, doesn't it? Good job :)
Love the new picture, by the way.
Lena had a bit of a growth spurt when right before she hit the 8-month mark so we had a couple of nightfeedings there but that has long passed now.
I did have to up her daytime food-intake so maybe that's worth looking into?
I add yogurts, milkporridges etc to tank her up.
FWIW, Lena doesn't like jarred food either ;)
Sophie x
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vadensmommy - that is fantastic news - well done on dropping the DF. You and your lo have done great ;D
Yes baby has finally arrived, and I feel like a first time mum again, I keep on second guessing myself on everything :-\ Abigail is beautiful and is doing really well.
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Oh paula I love the name abigail, I think that is just beautiful, and I am so glad to hear you are both doing well. I am sure in the next few days you'll feel like an old pro again!
Sophie - thanks for the info, and for the comments on the picture :) I wish that little outfit was ours because it was super cute, but it just happened to be what the sitter stuck on her after a MASSIVE poo that got everywhere and she said it was just what was at hand. Hahaha.
So yes I do feel proud. ;D DD went to bed last sleep around 7:15 last night and I had to wake her up at 6:45 this morning! She did cry out at least once, but I can't remember if I even had to check on her or not - I don't think so ;) I hope we have a good night tonight as well. DD has been super sleepy still (hopefully no illness, maybe just still recovering from our crazy weekend out of town), and went to bed tonight around 5:30 and woke at 6:30, took her bottle and went right back to sleep before 7. So we'll see how it goes! Thank you both so much for your help. I am going to retire my part of this post now I guess, and I hope to see you both on other boards!!
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Uh oh ladies, I think we might be starting to wean the dreamfeed. Without mommy's consent! I love the cuddle time I get during the DF, but the last few nights she's been fussing (asleep but fussing) and refusing to take more than a few ounces.
Vadensmommy- Well done! Sometimes my dh will ask me how the baby slept and I figure if I can't remember, then it must have been pretty good. LOL
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Good luck grahamsmama!! It really wasn't nearly as painful of a process as I had worked it up in my mind to being! I know what you mean about missing the cuddles though. DH often has to work very late (self-employed) and many days we're out the door before he gets up, and dd is asleep before he gets home. So I got him to start doing the DF once I went back to work, and there have been many many days that is the only time he has gotten to spend with her, so I felt really bad about having to get rid of it-probably another reason we waited so long. He seems to really enjoy that time as well. But some things are slowing down at the office so hopefully he'll be able to get away a bit earlier and see her for a while before bedtime. Good luck!!!
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That is fantastic news that she is sleeping so well. Congratulations on dropping the DF ;D ;D
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Well just when you think you have everything figured out . . .
DD woke up at 2:45am last night and I tried for at least 20min to get her to go back to sleep - very very unusual, and a very unusual time as well. Ended up having to feed her - she sucked down 4.5oz - and only because I wouldn't let her have any more. She did not feed to sleep, and when I laid her down, she instantly settled, closed her eyes, and I didn't hear another peep till 7:20am. I am 90% sure this is a growth spurt - mostly because of how great she's been sleeping the last week or so - has taken 2 loooong naps every day, and has been sleeping really well at the sitters (also unusual). So a GS makes sense. Glad I have at least had a weeks worth of good - non DF or NW nights, otherwise this would have been super confusing! I am going to try and get more solids into dd today, and hopefully that will help have no NW tonight for food!
Paula - that is such a sweet picture of the two of your lo's!
Grahamsmama-how are things on your end with the Df?
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I don't know!!! :-\
Last night she would only take 4 ounces and was up at 5-something to eat. That's not really ok with mommy. So, we will see what she does tonight. She's kind of starting to only want to take 4 ounces in all her bottles, so I'm not sure what's going on. She's been really distracted and hard to feed during the day too.
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yeah, 5am is never ok with this mommy either :D
DD is also terribly easy to distract. I have a really really really hard time feeding her anywhere other than in her room. And there was at least a couple week period where the lights had to be off and the noise machine on for me to get her to eat well - and that was around 6mo. Is she teething? I seem to blame just about everything on teething, but she STILL doesn't have any yet!! Ha!
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Vadensmummy, the exact same thing happened to us : weaned DF succesfully for about a week or so and then, bam! a growthspurt. It lasted 5 days and all is well again now (well, aside from Lena messing up her rythm due to the clocks changing, but thatīs another horror-story for another day :P )
Donīt get discouraged!
Sophie
Paula : That picture just melted me :)
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Thanks for the compliments ladies :-*
Vadensmommy - Definitely sounds like a growth spurt to me. Thomas would sleep a lot when going through a growth spurt too. Let us know how you get on with the increase in solids today.
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Well last night went fine, and dd slept through just fine. She did stay up a lot later though, and therefor her last bottle of the day was more like 7:30pm - and it is typically at 6, so I don't know if that had any affects or not. She slept till 7:15 this am which was fab - I was off work today, so we layed in a bit and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being at home all day more than just one day (sat) has helped me see there are things that are a bit awkward about our routine, and I'm going to do a bit more looking into timings of EASY for this age group. I am going to try and do later nights this week, although it is hard for us to do later mornings, in order to try and not be up at 5:30 Sunday morning - when our clocks change. Thanks for the encouragement!
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That is great about last night.
Keep us posted about the later nights.
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Hello all! First, a big thanks to you all for posting your DF weaning experience...very helpful :-). At Paula's suggestion, I'm going to do the same (post that is ;-) My 5.5 mo has been drinking less and less during the day for the past week or so, and although he hasn't started solids yet, my sense is that it's time to drop the DF. He is on a solid 4 hr EASY, sleeps well at night, naps well - all that part is good. But he is not hungry for his first feed, second feed...and lately 3rd feed. He takes about 4 oz each time and then outright refuses the rest. He takes his 7 pm feed reasonably well (about 7 oz) and DF well (6-7 oz) for a total of about 26-28 oz per day. Thinking about it today, he did the same thing when it was time to drop last night feed.... He's a big boy, but has never really had a voracious appetite...that is to say, he drinks the normal amount and doesn't want more. Sooooo....
I'm going to give the gradual approach a try...started last night with 1 oz less and DF at 10:00 instead of 10:30 (it had already been at 10:30 for about a week - Papa was away and I was just too tired to make it to 11:00 - so I have a head start! :-) It didn't affect his consumption today - so far it looks like this:
7:00 4 oz
11:00 4.5 oz
3:00 4.0 oz
and the rest remains to be seen...I'll post when I can to let you know how it's going...and if you're reading this Paula, congratulations! I hadn't realized that Abigail arrived so recently! So kind of you to have helped me out on the other board with such a new baby in the house - a big thank you!
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Thanks for the congratulations :-* Feels like Abigail has been here for ages, I cannot believe she is already 5 weeks old. Time flies.
With regards to the weaning - it can take quite a few days for you to start noticing any difference in the morning feeds, but once the DF is completely eliminated, you should notice a difference.
Good luck. Keep us posted on how you get on.
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welcome to the DF posts mimicoto!!
I wish you the best of luck! I know I was terrified to drop it, but it was SOOO much easier than I thought it would be. You'll get some great advice from Paula - she is fabulous!! I'll probably keep an eye on your progress as well :) I will say this - it took a while for dd's daytime appetite to increase. We were probably down to just a couple of ounces before I saw a change in her solids intake, so it may take a week or more for him to really start to up his daytime bottles, but who knows - each one is so different! Fingers crossed with you!! 8)
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Thanks for your welcoming words and encouragement ladies :) Lovely way to start....
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Hello ladies (and gents of course ;-) A quick update to let you know how the DF wean is going. We're 3 nights in and so far it is been pretty uneventful - which is great news ;D You were right vadensmommy - I'm not sure what lies ahead, but it hasn't been at all scary so far....no major NW, nothing out of the ordinary - however, I find his sleep has really settled into a nice routine - daytime naps are particularly good. Here's what it has looked like so far:
*Note - you'll notice that the DF actually went up the 2nd night - b/c I had been offering 6 oz (1 oz down from his original 7.0 oz) and the first night he took 5, and the 2nd - 6 oz...
Night 1
10:00 DF 6.5 oz
Day 1
7:00 4oz
11:00 4.5 oz
3:00 4.5 oz
7:00 7.0 oz
10:00 5.0oz Total 25 oz
Day 2
7:00 4 oz
11 4 oz
3:00 5.0 oz
7:00 5.0 oz
10:00 6.0 oz Total 24 oz
Day 3 (today)
7:00 - 8:00 6.0 oz (it was in divided feeds, but he took it, which is a VAST improvement!)
The plan for the weekend is to reduce the DF by a further 2 oz and bump the time up another 1/2 to 9:30. Wish us luck!
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Sounds like all is going smoothly, that is great.
Good luck for the weekend, keep us posted on how things go.
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Sounds great!! - Will you drop the 2oz all at once? I probably would have been too chicken to do that ;) Something else to keep in mind - right after we dropped the DF, dd went through a growth spurt, so don't be surprised if something kooky happens like that!! It's always better to be prepared imho! Keep up the good work, hope things continue to be smooooooth sailin! 8)
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Day 6 and things couldn't be going better....yes vadensmommy, I did drop the 2oz all at once...the first night of that, he started winding up for a cry as soon as the bottle was empty, and I thought I was done for - but I popped the paci in and he was out like a light! Curiously all of his sleep (naps and night-time) has improved since we began this process - it could be coincidence, but I'm not asking any questions ;) His daytime consumption started to improve 4 days into it....here's what yesterday looked like:
7:30 5 oz
11:30 6 oz
3:30 7 oz
6:30 6 oz (kinda close to the last feed, I know...but bath was early and he's totally conditioned to bottle after bath...)
9:30 4 oz
total: 28 oz (best in a long time!)
today he's done 6oz at each of his feeds so far....
I'll keep my eyes open for any GS wierdness ;-) and keep you all posted....
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That sounds great! DD did the same - all her sleeps improved dramatically, and her solids amounts went through the roof! Glad to hear things are going so great!!!!!!
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That is fantastic, I am so pleased things are going so well for you. ;D Well done.
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Thanks to both of you for the encouragement - knowing we're not going it alone really does help.... :)
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;D ;D We are here with you every step of the way.
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mimicoto - how are things going for the past couple of nights? Still smooth sailin?
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Yup! Super smooth! I thought of you last night vadensmommy - I'm not sure but I seem to remember from your posts that by the time you got to the earlier, smaller DF's your lo just started refusing them....that's what happened last night. He ate really well during the day (best ever, really), then last night at 9:00 I went in with a 2 oz bottle and he wanted nothing to do with it - gave me the distinct impression that I had disturbed him from what he'd rather be doing! He slept through the night with no problem, and although he was not terribly hungry for his first 2 feeds, he drank his 3 pm like it was the last bottle he was ever going to have ;D I'll offer the 9:00 DF again for the next couple of nights and see if he's ready to just give it up. Like you, this was MUCH easier than I could've imagined!
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Fantastic news, I am so pleased that things are going so smoothly ;D
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Sounds great!
I think it might have been one of the other moms that their lo refused the df. DD seemed to always want to eat at night, no matter what ;D So much less interesting things going on at night than during the day I guess. Hope the good stuff continues!!
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Alright, our night sleep has gotten rotten in addition to the EW, so I'm going to try again with the DF wean. I never finished it because everyone got sick and we went out of town and she seemed to be having a GS, all at the same time.
So, tonight it's 4 ounces at 9p.
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Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Lyn!!!!
**Pom Pom's waving**
Ok, there's my cheering for the night - just be glad you can't see me shakin my big booty!!!
;D
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LMAO ;D
Good luck Lyn, let us know how you get on. :-*
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Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Lyn!!!!
**Pom Pom's waving**
Ok, there's my cheering for the night - just be glad you can't see me shakin my big booty!!!
;D
;D ;D ;D
Well, she was up today at 5:20 ish, but she wasn't hungry at all. She pooped about 20 minutes after she woke, so that's what that was about. I'm doing 4 ounces today and I'm going to try to do it a little earlier. And we will see.
Thanks for the encouragement you guys!
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I hate it when poop interfers with their sleep :(
Sounds like she is doing well. Way to go Meghan.
Keep us posted Lyn :-*
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Hey Lyn! Happy to see another 'weaner' on the boards ;D And vadensmommy - the new photo is beautiful - not to mention your cheerleading efforts LOL!
Just checking in - we are on the home stretch!! Tom is down to 1 oz at 8:30 pm, and I think after this step, we're just going to drop it entirely. He is sleeping well through the night - I haven't heard a peep from him in about a week (at night that is), and daytime drinking is good - still not so hungry in the morning, but that could just be him. We've had a little nap weirdness the last 2 days (short naps - not like him) but we had the sitter in all day Wednesday (an exception), and that may have thrown things a bit. I'll post again to let you know when I officially become a 'former weaner' ;-)
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Fantastic, I am so pleased that Tom is doing so well ;D
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Well, she would only take 3 ounces at 8:30 last night. So, tonight I'm going to try to offer 2 ounces at 8 and see what happens. She was still up in the middle of the night, but she wasn't hungry. And she wasn't that into her bottle this morning. I think those little teeth are really bothering her.
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Hugs Lyn, Hope those teeth pop through soon.
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hey mimicoto - glad to hear things are going so well, thanks for the props in the pics, and my pompoms :) gotta break those girls out every now and then!
Lyn, hope you find some remedies on those teeth. Had to take dd to the Dr. today (nasty diaper rash, eww) but was playing with her and thought I saw teeth!!!! but no, must have been some leftover milk :)
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She would only take 2 ounces last night at 8:30 and then slept through to 5:45! I couldn't do it at 8 as planned because she was still awake (loud siblings). ::) So, we are on our way!!
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Sounds like she is doing well Lyn.
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Good for you Lyn and Meghan! I'll send some good vibes...it wasn't as tough for us as I expected, so I'm feeling positive for you guys! My Tom Tom (as opposed to Paula's :) is officially DONE with the DF :-) He's gone 3 nights without it now and has slept through beautifully....we hear him stirring a bit between 8:30 and 9:30, but he dozes back off and is out until 6:30 or 7:00 ;D I'm sure other stuff will crop up down the road, so I'm sure we'll find you somewhere else on the BW Boards soon!
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mimicoto - that sounds great! Feels good to have one less feeding doesn't it!? I know when we got down to 4 bottles a day it was so nice - still is!
Lyn, sounds good - will keep the pom pom's ready in case you need more cheering :)
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I think I might need more cheering! Meghan has been up to eat at 4am the past two nights. So, I'm going to increase the DF just a bit again, maybe 4 ounces instead of 2 and see if that gets her through again. If not, I'll assume it's teeth or something else. Honestly, I would much rather feed her at 9pm instead of 4am. She doesn't go back down well after that feed. And then once I do finally get her back down she's up at 6 anyway for the day. I am one tired mama!
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mimicoto, that is fantastic news. I am so pleased that things are going so well.
Hugs Lyn, do you think that Meghan could be going through a bit of a growth spurt?
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Poor you Lyn - good strategy to back up and slow down a bit....I really found that it took at least 3 days for Tom to start making up for the lost DF volume in his daytime feeds....it took about 2 weeks in total, and now (pretty much for the first time) he is hungry for his daytime feeds.....let us know how it goes...
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Lyn, keep in mind a GS. DD went through one right at 3 days after we dropped the DF. I was so glad that we had already had 3 nights of 12hrs of sleep with no feedings, otherwise I would have been Super confused. Upping the Df amount sounds good. Keep us posted :)
So Pom Pom's are coming back out ;D :
Rah Rah Rah
Six Boom Bah
Mommy needs sleep
but, Meghan wants to EAT.
Goooooooooooooooooooooooo Lyn!
**Doing the splits**
**Pom Pom's a shakin**
ok, dd has been sick, that is the best I can come up with. Sending sleep vibes your way!!!
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Ok, I am loving the cheering!!! ;D ;D ;D
But, I need to modify it just a bit...
Rah Rah Rah
Six Boom Bah
Mommy needs sleep
But, Meghan refuses to EAT!
I don't know what's up with this girly. She refused the DF tonight. :-\ I waited and tried again ten minutes later and she took an ounce, then ten minutes after that and she took another ounce, then ten more minutes and she wouldn't open her mouth. She did stay asleep though.
She just didn't want it at all.
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How has she been with her daytime bottles Lyn?
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Ok-ish. Just taking 5-6 ounces, but that's up from 3-4 for the two middle ones. This morning she was up at 4:50 (so not too awful), drank 5.5 ounces and then slept until 7:30!!!
I think I might just skip the df if she's going to fight it anyway, no point staying up to force her to eat 2 ounces. I'll go to bed earlier and then the 4-5am wakings won't bother me so much.
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Hey Lyn!
I don't blame you on the DF - I'd probably work on weaning the 4-5am feeding instead of trying to force the DF since she doesn't want it. You could probably do the same thing for that feed - set your alarm for 30min earlier and take down the # of oz ever three days and get the same results - no night feeding, and sleeping through the night. I hope that goes well for you!
Glad you are enjoying the cheering. I may need a bit of my own. DD was at the ER last night with a 104.4F fever=40.22C. :-[ We have fever reducers and antibiotics now, so hopefully she is on the mend. She is sleeping really well so far, except for me having to wake her to give the fever reducers. We may have to do some night time weaning/NW intervention ourselves before it is all said and done, but I hope not.
Keep up the good work ladies! I hope we all get some good night's sleep very soon!!!
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Hugs, hope Vaden feels better soon :-*
Lyn, have you tried offering Meghan just some water at that early am waking to see if she is just thirsty?
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I may need a bit of my own. DD was at the ER last night with a 104.4F fever=40.22C. :-[ We have fever reducers and antibiotics now, so hopefully she is on the mend. She is sleeping really well so far, except for me having to wake her to give the fever reducers. We may have to do some night time weaning/NW intervention ourselves before it is all said and done, but I hope not.
Poor little thing. That's so scary. I hope she's feeling better. I'll definitely come up with a cheer if you need it, but I hope you don't!
Lyn, have you tried offering Meghan just some water at that early am waking to see if she is just thirsty?
Why didn't I think of that? No, I haven't. But I will tonight!!! I went out to dinner and dh gave Meg her last bottle and put her to sleep. She only took 5 ounces for him, it's usually 6, so I hope that doesn't mess anything up.
I'm just going to skip the df tonight and offer water and see what she does in the morning.
thanks
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Thanks guys :)
She seems to be doing better, sleeping well right now. The antibiotic she's on tends to mess up her tummy, so I may be covered in puke for a few days. May check with the ped tomorrow and see if they'll swap her to a different one.
Lyn,
the water is a great idea -of course if she won't take just the water, you might be able to water down her formula and see if that helps the weaning process too. I've never watered down dd's formula, we always took down the # of oz, and fed earlier than the regular waking time, but I've heard of moms doing the other and it worked well too.
:-* Thanks ladies!
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Try some probiotics too, I think that acidophilus works the best for antibiotic related tummy troubles. I just open a capsule and dump mix it in with her milk once a day and that seems to work. Just make sure you store it in the fridge after it's open.
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Try some probiotics too, I think that acidophilus works the best for antibiotic related tummy troubles.
I have never heard of these? We are in US, so I wonder if they call it different things here?
The nurse is supposed to talk to the ped. when he gets in to see if she needs to stay on it, or if we can change it. She seems to be much much better today - no fever meds, no fever. Not really taking her bottles well-but again, the antibiotic. Thanks for the concern guys! I'll be out of pocket for a few days again - my BIL is getting married - YEAH another girl in the family, and I get my first sister - am excited ;D
Keep us posted guys on how the weaning goes!!
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We're in the US too. I get my acidophilus at Target. It's in the vitamins/minerals section, they organize alphabetically, so with the A things. You can also get it at Whole Foods or online at Vitacost.com.
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How did the night go Lyn?
I know what you mean. Abbie will not take a bottle off anyone else as well as me. She can drink up to 6oz with me, but will only take 3 or 4 if anyone else is feeding her.
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Well, she was up at 11, 1 (took about a half ounce of water), then ate a whole bottle at 5. then slept until 7.
She was just so restless. Maybe the change in her bedtime routine is the reason. Pretty sure dh just rocks/feeds her to sleep.
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Could very well be a growth spurt then Lyn.
:-\ Would DH tell you if he rocked her?
Have been meaning to say, I love your new avatar :-)
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:-\ Would DH tell you if he rocked her?
No, but I've caught him at it before. I didn't ask him this time because I didn't want him to think I was being critical and then not agree to let me go on MNO again!!! I put Meghan down 98% of the time. I really need to work on getting her more used to him, I think!
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LOL my DP does it too - sometimes we just gotta let them do what they gotta do.
I know what you mean about getting them used to your lo. I needed a break this morning and asked DP to give Abbie her bottle, well she took a few oz and then screamed. I could hear him getting frustrated, i came downstairs, and she fed better from me :-\
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DD absolutely does better with her bottles from me than anybody else. Sad when MIL or DH wants to do it, but then just gets frustrated by her constantly wanting to get up and play instead of eat. Wish I had the same desire to play instead of eat :D
Keep at it Lyn, you'll get there!!!
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Wish I had the same desire to play instead of eat :D
;D I hear you on that one.
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Hi all, This thread has been really helpful. I haven't had time to read all the posts but has anyone out there gone cold turkey on the dream feed and what were the results? I just can't imaging that keeping waking him earlier and earlier and less and less milk will really work for us. His night wakigns are all over the place anyway but the df definatly needs to go. He refuses his morning bottle every day.
Michelle
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Michelle, if your lo is still having night wakings - do you feed him or do you just re-settle?
Are you actually waking your lo for the DF? The DF is best done while your lo is still asleep.
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Well, I need help too with the DF. But I'm not even sure what is screwing everything up. Connor jus will not eat more than 4 oz/feed during the day. Last night he woke up at 9:30 and 2:30 seeming to want to eat, DH fed him but then of course he wouldn't drink more than 4 oz. for his morning bottle. I'm not sure what to do. I don't think he'll resettle at night without a lot of crying or a bottle, but then it's just a vicious cycle. Should I just stuff him full of solids to help him make it through the night? Just let him cry? because feeding him is making him worse. Growth spurt? Except i think he had one last week! He's 8.5 months and is capable of dropping dream feed, but we haven't been able to. Any advice?
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Hugs Lisel, sorry you are having such a rough time.
Can you post what your routine looks like, including solid amounts etc, so that we can have a look at it for you. At 8.5 months, your lo should be able to go through the night without a feed.
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I agree he should and he has done it in the past. This is what he looked like before.
7 am 6-8oz bottle
8 solids-maybe half a cup of cereal mixed with fruit
11-6-8 oz bottle
12 lunch-few tbsp
3 bottle
5 supper
usually by 6-6:30 bottle and bed
df around 11
now he won't eat more than 4 oz and it's a fight. sometimes i cut out a solid meal so that his next bottle will be emptied but it never seems to work. I'll see how tonight goes. maybe i should be cutting out a bottle, but I can't see cutting out the df until he starts finishing off his other bottles. Am I feeding him too much solids? I just don't know anymore.
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How many ounces would you say he's doing right now? How long has he been refusing to eat more than 4 oz? Is it a new thing? Could it be teeth? Does he have any problems with reflux? Sorry for so many questions! I don't think it's too much solids. He should be getting about 24 oz of formula.
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I agree with grahamsmama, it does not seem to be too much solids, it could quite possibly be teething, this would explain the night wakings. Is he showing any signs of teething?
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Not really any signs of teething. But who knows. It's been at least a week or two I think. I guess he is still getting around 24-30 oz. His first four bottles would be 3, his fourth sometimes all 8 oz, and the df is usually 8 oz. So about 28 oz. It was just such a asudden thing, from 40 oz to 28oz. And then he started waking up at night for a few nights. So maybe first I need to get rid of the df which I have been wanting to do for a while?
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Hey lisel!
I could have posted the same as you at 8.5mo. DD was waking super early in the morning, refusing bottles during the day, not eating much solids, taking a good bedtime bottle and really good DF. Weaning was the best thing we did -you can read about it somewhere in this thread :) We did the gradual reduction in oz 30min earlier every 3 nights. So she'd been taking a 6oz bottle at 10, and the next three nights I did 5oz at 9:30, next three nights-4oz at 9 etc. until the DF was gone. Once we got about half way there I seem to remember noticing an increase in daytime appetite, and once it was completely dropped - dd started sleeping later in the mornings - Before her average wake up was around 6, not it's more like 7 or 7:30!!! Fabulous! Best thing I ever did, my advice would be to go for it. If you do it gradually it will give your lo time to compensate by upping the daytime calories. Good luck!!
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I agree with Vadensmommy.
The DF can actually cause more nightwakings. Definintely give it a go and see how you get on.
Please keep us posted.
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Hi all,
well it has been a week now since the df went. I have to say....night wakings haven't stopped BUT....the have not worsened. There has been little difference generally to sleep EXCEPT...he now drinks everty bottle up during the day and 3 small meals too. Feeding has seen a dramatic improvement.
All I can say is....do it!! I can't believe I waited so long.- The signs were there at least 6 weeks ago.
Good luck all
Michelle
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Fantastic Michelle ;D
I do hope the sleep improves for you soon :-*
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Good work Michelle!
If nothing else, not having to fight to feed vaden was worth it all for me :)
I hope you get a break during the night soon!!
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Thanks guys!!
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Hello all! Good to *see* you vadensmommy and *Paula* :-) Just checking in to add my encouragement to Lisel to give dropping the DF a try. My story with my lo is on this thread. I was nervous about it as well, but it went super-smooth and straightened out some NW problems - and all of the daytime appetite problems we were having. When we decided to drop the df, lo's 'poor appetite' lasted all day - he would take a proper feed until his 3rd or sometimes 4th bottle of the day. As vadensmommy says, it's not as scary as you think and I really didn't find it disturbed my lo to gradually do the df earlier. It took a while for the appetite to catch up, but really not as bad as I thought it would be. Give it a go and good luck!
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Hi mimicoto ;D great to see you. Pleased to hear that things are still going well.
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Hi all,
Ben slept through for 2 nights!!!! Yay!! But last night woke 3 times again :(
Never mind....I am convinced dropping the df was a good thing!
Michelle
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Hugs hun, things will get better I promise.
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Hey Michelle
Do you think the wakings are hunger driven??
All I know is that less than a week after we dropped the DF, dd went through a growth spurt. It may have been Sophie - Leanasmom that started the thread, but her dd did the same thing - went through a GS right after the df was weaned, so at least I had sort of mentally prepared for it. She had a couple of hunger driven NW's, but once the gs was over, the nw's went away as well.
If it isn't hunger driven -do you do pu/pd or just pd?
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I totally agree with Vadensmommy - could definitly be a growth spurt.
Love your new avatar of Vaden ;D
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Hi....no they are not hunger driven...probably otiredeness. I had better go over to naps and ask some questions there as his naps are not great now. He is still inbetween still needing the morning nap and not. It is a real pain.
He is not able to pull up yet. I don't do PU/PD at all anymore.....just put the dummy back in :-[ I know I know. It is really not a solution but I tried PU/PD and it never 'solved' the problem entirely. He still can't really self soothe and I am at a loss as to where to go from hee. I need to do some more 'work' on it all I think. Things are better than they were but stilll I wonder when he will EVER just learn to go to sleep WITHOUT me having to go into him once. AArrggghhh...... need to get over to props and PU/PD too by the look of it :(
Michelle
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Hey Michelle
Vaden learned to self soothe really early on in life (thank heavens for my angel baby), but when she started pulling up, the sleep stuff got really irritating, and I used pd, and it worked like a charm! I don't really do it anymore even if she isn't sleeping great for one odd nap - I do more AP, but if it starts to become a problem, then we go back to pd. Good luck, and I hope you find what you're needing to get him sleeping well!!!
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I am starting the df wean. Quick question - do I drop the oz's and make the feed time earlier or just drop the oz's. How long should it take? We are down to about 3 oz now, sometimes even one. I tried cold turkey, but he woke up crying about an hour after the normal df time, so I am trying to do it gradually. He is almost 9 mos, eats breakfast and dinner meals, and takes a bottle at 7:30 11:30 3:30 and 7P.
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If you're down that far already, it shouldn't take long! I did a few days at each ounce amount. I also tried to move it earlier at the same time, but we were already so early (9/9:30) that I couldn't move it much earlier than 8 or so.
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I agree with grahamsmama, start moving the time half an hour earlier every 3 days and drop by an oz every 3 days and see how you get on.
It should not be long now though.
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Sorry this is a REALLY long one!
I've had my son on EASY for about 12 weeks - he's now 28 weeks old. I discovered this technique after trying other stuff to try and get him to sleep at night and its the only way thats worked! He's a big boy and weighs around 23lbs! He's on three solid meals a day plus puddings and has 5 feeds of formula of 4oz a day (although I think he'd take more but HV advised I was overfeeding him)! and takes an 1.5 to 2 hours nap in the mornings and afternoons and sometimes needs a catnap around 4pm. I feed him formula at 7, 11, 3, 7 and 11pm. I want to drop his dreamfeed as he's pretty good at eating his meals now. I tried as Tracey suggests dropping an ounce every three days (but did it every hour instead of half hour as he's only on 4oz feeds) this didnt work and he was waking around 4am (although I didnt feed him and he did go back off to sleep after about an hour til his usual waking time of around 6.45am), I got fed up of the 4am wakings though so went back to 4oz at 11. I was going to drop it altogether (I'd added an ounce to his other 4 bottles) last night but he woke at 10;58pm so ended up feeding him again, he took all 4oz bearing in mind he'd had 4 5oz feeds!
Does anyone have any suggestions of anything else I can try? Or am I just being lazy and should persevere with the early wakings and see if it sorts itself out? I dont think he's getting too little food as even when he wakes at 4 he is happy to wait til 7 for breakfast, I'm a bit stuck.
Thanks
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:-\ I am unsure as to why your HV is telling you that you are overfeeding your lo. :-\
My DD is nearly 9 months, and is taking 27oz of formula in 3 feeds - 3 x 9oz bottles, and is also on 3 meals a day, and has a pudding at lunch time, and a yogurt in the afternoon.
20oz of formula is the minimum amount that your lo should be taking.
I would advise you to up the amount of milk your lo is having in his bottles, to say 6oz or so and see how he copes with this. Up until the age of 1 milk is still your lo's main source of nutritian, and food is really only for practice until he gets older.
I would definitely offer more milk in the day, and once your lo is taking more milk you can consider weaning the DF.
Hope this information helps.
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Completely agree with Paula. 4oz a feeding is not very much at all! Vaden was getting at least 4x 7oz feeds at this age, and we still had a DF of 4-5oz at night as well. We didn't drop the DF till around 8.5mo if I remember right (it's buried somewhere in this big post), but that is pretty late. I'd let him have as much milk as he wanted each feeding and see how he did, but that is just me. V was never a big big eater, so I was always trying to get more in her during the day :) Good luck to you!
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Hiya!
Quick question. I am in the process of dropping the dream feed. I am at 3 oz at 930 and this evening he only took about one oz (it's day two of this feed amount and time). I plan on continuing to do the three day rule but am wondering is it worth waking him up for 2 oz only @ 2hrs into his sleep. Should I just do those last couple of oz cold turkey?
Would love advice from those who have done it already!
p.s. Ds will be 8 months old in two days and takes four 6-7 oz bottles. I haven't added any of the DF oz to any of his bottles cause he can't tolerate it (spits up like crazy) so have made up for most of those oz in solids foods. (2tbsp = 1 fld oz) He eats three meals a day, two tbsp of two food groups at each meal.
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Hiya,
Sorry for the delay in replying. What did you decide to do? How did it go?
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no worries! I just decided to go cold turkey with the last couple of oz. he had a few nights where he was reallyhard to put down for bed and it ended taking like two hours. So when i did offer it the one night he didin't wanted it and the othe night i was scared to wake him up. lol. So far so good.
Let's keep our fingers crossed!!!
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Hugs hun. Keep us posted on your progress.