Watering down formula

[Layla]

Hi Ladies, I am just wandering of anyone has had success with ending night feeds by watering down formula. Dd2 is just over 6 months and she has 4 bottles during the day (no more than 4oz) and 3 at night (around 10ish, then sometime b/n 1-2am and in the early hours of the morning b/n 4-5am). Its practically waking every 3 hrs at night after the 10pm feed. I know that its normal for them to still feed at night at this age but I am not really sure if she needs the 1-2am feed so much and want to know how I can encourage her not to feed then and take more in during the day. She was BF until 6 months, which is when I started introducing the bottle and all BF has been stopped as of about 3days ago. She has solids during the day but nothing has been a hit (unless its a bannana  ). I didn't really want to do shh/pat because I have a toddler in the house and didn't want to disturb her sleep so much at night (cause then she will be a nightmare during the day). I've heard that watering formula down slowly can give them the "message" that its not the time of the night to eat and therefore eventually she will start taking more in during the day. I just wanted to know if anyone has had success with this and over what period should I do it? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Layla

[MGardner]

that's what my doctor suggested I do, I tried but found better success in only making 3oz bottles at first and going down from there to 2, to a little less than 2 and so on. This worked for us and he started sleeping thru finally at 7.5 months.

[londonlady]

Hi,

We watered down and eventually dropped the night feed a while back and it worked really well. I'd read about it on here and decided to give it a go when the  time was right. The logic being that whatever they're taking at night is what they need to take during the day. By watering down little by little, their tummies are satisfied at the point of feeding as they've taken the volume of liquid, but the calories that sustain them are less. So they wake hungry the next day and begin to make up those calories during the day.

We only did it when he was getting later and later with his night feed - he was waking at about 5am consistently and he then wasn't particularly hungry when we started the day at 7am. This was at about 14 or 15 weeks for us and I was winding down the breast feeding.

I think the advice was 1 scoop less of formula every 2-3 nights so that you transition very slowly. For us, I think it took us less than a week to drop the feed, he woke for a few nights (probably out of habit) and either took very little or refused the bottle and eventually slept later.

Good luck!

[macsmum]

I did it too and it worked a treat ds continued to wake for about a week afterwards but then stopped

Emma

[LŠuren]

I did it a few days, only after he dropped his night feed to 2oz, it was a matter of days before he slept right through.  Although to this day I am not sure if watering down helped or it was coincidence

[SallyDom]

Yup worked for me too,

Good luck, hope it works

x

[Layla]

So, do you think that I need to do it for every night feed we've had or just the one she wakes for b/n 1-2am. She goes to sleep for the night b/n 5/5.30 (i know its early but she is dead set on doing it and wakes b/n 6/6.30am). So, should I keep feeding her the normal amount at 10ish (considering its 5hrs away from her last feed) and then start watering down the 1/2am feed as well as the early morning feed?

[SallyDom]

Hmmm, I'm no expert but in your situation I would probably give 'full strength' feed at 1am and then watered down on the second, until she starts to sleep through and miss the early feed, then you can concentrate on watering down the 1am feed.
x

[litomi]

BW book mentions that any feed after 11pm counts as night feed. I would water down night feed bottles.

[LŠuren]

So, do you think that I need to do it for every night feed we've had or just the one she wakes for b/n 1-2am. She goes to sleep for the night b/n 5/5.30 (i know its early but she is dead set on doing it and wakes b/n 6/6.30am). So, should I keep feeding her the normal amount at 10ish (considering its 5hrs away from her last feed) and then start watering down the 1/2am feed as well as the early morning feed?

If you are doing a DF at 10pm then don't water that one down, just the 1 - 2am feed.
You have to be completly sure your LO is not hungry, walking at differnet times every night is a sign of hunger rather than habitual waking, where they wake at the same time everynight - but not out of hunger.

[Layla]

Thanks for those suggestions. Well last night was a first, went to sleep at 6pm, fed full amount at 11.30pm and then I heard her make some noises at 5ish, by the time I made a bottle thou, she was asleep. I was completely surprised and hopefully this is the pattern to come. I haven't watered anything down yet, she just slept on her own!  .

Thanks again
Layla

[LŠuren]

Good news!!

Good luck for tonight 

[SallyDom]

How did she get on last night? It is so brilliant when they finally sleep through isn't it.

Sal
x

[Layla]

Well last night she went to bed at usual 5.30pm, woke up at 10:45pm ate the full amount, then woke at 3.30am and I fed her the full amount and then I heard some talking at 5.30am but I think she may have fallen back asleep again and slept until 6:15am.

So all is well for now, I really don't mind her waking at night, if its similar to the last 2 nights. Its only when she wakes every 3 hrs that I didn't think it was necessary. Still haven't watered any feeds down but I am trying more solids during the day so maybe she is therefore getting more calories in.

BTW, she grabbed a hold of my finger this afternoon and I rubbed it against her gums.... and felt something sharp . My little baby is teething! I was really surprised as #1 didn;t cut her 1st tooth until 9 months and I was sure #2 would do the same but it looks as though she may have started teething earlier. May also explain the night waking, I guess.

Thanks again
Layla