Author Topic: Drop DF even if not STTN?  (Read 1056 times)

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Offline mamatea4

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Drop DF even if not STTN?
« on: May 14, 2012, 16:23:14 pm »
DD2 turned 6 months on May 2nd.  Right around that time she STTN for 1st time & that lasted for a week; now for last 4-5 days waking is erratic at night (anywhere from 3:30-6:15) so it could very well be a growth spurt (takes full feed each time), but if this is going to be continual I'm wondering if I should even consider weaning the DF any time soon.

What is the general practice of dropping DF for BF baby at 6/7 months if they are not consistently STTN?

Thanks!

Offline Fiver

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Re: Drop DF even if not STTN?
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2012, 19:22:32 pm »
It does sound like a GS.  Hopefully things will settle down again soon.

Some people find that a DF interferes with sleep and so drop it, so it's not uncommon.
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Offline mamatea4

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Re: Drop DF even if not STTN?
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2012, 20:21:05 pm »
Good to know.  In the case of DF interfering with sleep is it still better to wean off it or just drop it all together?

Also, if she's not STTN due to hunger though -- even after GS is over (since BF babies usually don't last as long between feeds & maybe she just continues to need the extra feed) should I keep the DF instead of weaning even though Tracy's book suggests weaning off at this age?

Offline Fiver

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Re: Drop DF even if not STTN?
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2012, 20:23:45 pm »
Entirely up to you.  If you feel it's not working, you might consider dropping it.  If you want to keep it for a while and gradually move the time earlier until you meet up with the BT feed, that would be an option too.  As for whether to wean or drop it, I'm not sure which would be best as I've never given a DF, so never had to lose one.
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Offline Erin M

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Re: Drop DF even if not STTN?
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2012, 02:36:51 am »
I dropped the df around 7 or 8 months with my dd1 as she was taking in a decent amount of solids and had STTN for months.  With dd2, her nights were generally unsettled around df time, so I dropped the df around 6(ish) months and it helped her sleep! With ds, he didn't STTN early on and woke from hunger after the df -- he also didn't take solids well until around 8 months, so I had no intention of dropped the df!  He started sleeping through from the df slightly more than half the time around 8 months and I started dropping the df around 9 months, finally finishing it for good around 10 months! 

All this to say, it really depends on your baby and how you feel about her overall feeding patterns and how she feeds at night.  If it doesn't seem to impact her overall sleep, you can feel comfortable leaving it for a while still.  :)