8 months - Formula, Quantity and follow on

[buba2006]

Hi there

Recently i went to my HV who advised cutting down the amount LO drinks.  He's currently on Aptamil First.

He used to have

7am - 7oz (normally 5 and rest used in cereal)
8am - cereal and fruit (normally 4 or 5oz)
11am - 7oz (normally 4 or 5)
12 - savoury and fruit (normally 8oz)
3pm - 7oz (normally full bottle)
4pm - savoury and fruit (normally 6-8oz)
7pm - 7oz (normally full bottle)
10pm - 7oz (normally full bottle)

HV advised trying to get rid of the 11am and 3pm bottles so I've started to reduce them so here's what he gets now

7am - 7oz (normally 5 and rest used in cereal)
11am - 3oz (normally 2 or 3)
3pm - 5oz (normally full bottle)
7pm - 7oz (normally full bottle)
10pm - 7oz (normally full bottle)

I thought it was weird why she didn't recommend getting rid of his 10pm dream feed.

My question mainly is how much milk should i be giving LO?? Should i still be using first milk should i tried the stage 2 milk?? Should i try and get rid of his 10pm bottle gradually?? If i do what bottles should i increase if any??

incase it makes a difference LO approx 19lbs.

I'm having problems with his naps and night wakings as well but i know i need to look at his milk intake too.

[* Paula *]

Hi,

I am not sure why your HV would advise this to you.  Mine was completely the opposit and was always drumming into us how much milk they need to take and that their milk is their main source of nutrician until the age of one.

Your lo should be taking anywhere between 21-24oz per day.  This can include other dairy products like cheese and yogurts as well as any milk used in cereal and cooking.

If you are looking to drop some of your lo's milk, I would be inclined to drop the Dreamfeed first.  You say that you are having problems with nightwakings.  As your lo gets older, the dreamfeed can tend to cause more upset with their sleep and in turn could cause more night wakings.

At 8 months our DS was on 3 bottles a day purely cause he had lost interest in his 11am feed, and was not taking much of it - we deicded to drop this and move lunch a bit forward to 11:30.

If your lo is showing the signs of wanting his milk, I would offer it to him, as long as it is not interferring with his meals and he is still eating a varied amount of foods then he is doing perfectly fine.  Let your lo be the one to tell you what he wants, he will let you know when he is ready to start dropping his bottles.

Hope this info helps.

Paula

[taygensmom]

He may be telling you to drop some feeds because some babies will decrease their solid intake and rely heavily on the formula, when you want them to slowly be changing this around. About 24 oz per day sounds about right for his age. I doubt your HV really cares that much which feeds you drop, as much as he cares that you decrease the overall milk intake. At 8 month I had dropped the dream feed and my LO was taking a bottle at 7:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM, and 7:30 PM (about 6-7 oz per bottle). I gave him the bottle before breakfast, lunch, after his afternoon nap, and then before bed.