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Offline ballardlm

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How to regulate intake
« on: April 14, 2011, 18:45:23 pm »
Hi, my DS is 3 mo and we just started the EASY routine. We were breastfeeding until a couple of weeks ago and now we have switched to bottle. He has had no problem switching to formula but I don't know how much to give him. Some times he will only take 4 or 5 oz, and sometimes he wants 8 oz! He is still waking every 3 to 4 hours at night to eat and is draining his bottles then so I don't think it is habitual waking. I read that I should add an oz to each of his bottles during the day, but he never eats the same amount. Any thoughts?
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Offline Lolly

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Re: How to regulate intake
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2011, 19:00:52 pm »
That is the problem with bottle feeding I'm afraid, you do waste a bit! When he was breastfeeding he could well have been doing the same thing, some smaller feeds, some larger but of course you couldn't really tell. It may be that you find one particular feed is always smaller than the others so you can adjust but then one day when he wants more you will be making up extra formula ::).

I would (an did) make the same size feeds - so if 8oz is the most he will take then make 8oz bottles. I know you will be wasting some from some feeds but at least it will be there for him if he wants it. With formula feeds there should be some left in the bottle at the end of a feed so they can stop when they are full and not just because the bottle is empty.

If you are still on a slow flow teat going up to the next size can help them take bigger feeds too. Are you doing a dreamfeed? How is his day eating routine?

Laura
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Offline ballardlm

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Re: How to regulate intake
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2011, 19:26:51 pm »
He eats every 3 hours during the day pretty regularly. He eats at 7 before bed and we dream feed at 10. The he will wake up around 1 or 2 am and around 5 am to eat. I read in the book that by this age he should have dropped the 2 am feed but I don't know how to encourage that.
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Offline Lolly

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Re: How to regulate intake
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2011, 19:34:05 pm »
Dropping night feeds is as much developmental as size and age driven and it's completely normal to still be having a NF after a DF at this age. If the waking is a different times each night and he is taking a good feed he is hungry. There is a big growth spurt around 3 months too so that could also be driving nightfeeds.

We didn't do anything to stop nightfeeds with my DD until she was well established on solids at around 8.5 months. She didn't take to the dreamfeed, so we left the NF and weaned it. He could well drop it by himself soon, if he is waking sooner than 3 hours for a feed you can try and resettle  - maybe at that 5am feed to get him closer to wake up time.

Laura
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