Question regarding fazing out DF

[Pinkhippo]

Hi there,

I have a question pertaining to stopping the DF.  in the BWSAAYP she suggests that this should occur around the 7 month marker.
On P.123 she says we should do this in 3 day increments.
We have recently started taking solids in the am, but otherwise my LO has always been EBF.  I see for Day 1, Tracy recoments "going back to clustering so that you get more calories in".  I guess my question then is does she mean clustering toward the end of day, or all day? I am BF my LO every 4 hours or so. Also, she only describes instructions for those of us who are BF for day 1, what is the strategy for the other days, besides making the DF earlier by half an hour? Please help me by providing clearer instructions.... I have not idea the quantity my LO is taking in at any one time.

Another question I have is, how do you know when your LO is ready to have the DF stopped?  Are there signs I should look for? For my LO, I have noticed for the last week or so, I have slept through the alarm that is supposed to wake me for the DF at 11.  When I do wake up, its closer to 12-12:30pm, so I go ahead and do the DF at that point. I believe without my interference she would continue to sleep... and awake at some earlier hour (however, I have not tested this hypothesis).

Thanks for your help, I look forward to hearing your insights.  Also, please feel free to redirect me if this is not the right forum for this question.

[*Ali*]

Have you seen our FAQ on phasing out the DF? "How do I implement/drop the dreamfeed?"

It is certainly harder with feeding directly from the breast to know and control how much LO is taking. The idea is though that if the DF is earlier she will take less from the breast and therefore be hungrier in the morning when she wakes up and naturally take more from the breast then.

Clustering would just be in the evening rather than all day I imagine so you might add in a feed before the bath and then offer again after bath immediately before BT. Or perhaps offer a feed with her solid dinner if she has one. I'd probably be tempted to wait until she is on 3 solid meals in addition to the 4 day time milk feeds personally. You can try clustering in the day if the evening doesn't seem enough when you try it.

If LO is sttn with a feed apart from the DF and has been doing so consistently and she doesn't seem ravenous in the morning then I would guess she may be ready to start phasing out the DF. If you find she isn't and starts EW or NW and looking for a feed then I'd stop and just keep the DF a little longer. 7mo is certainly at the young end of the spectrum for a EBF baby to drop the DF. Many EBF LOs will need it for another few months.

[Pinkhippo]

Thanks so much, this info is very helpful!