Want to drop Dream Feed for 7.5 month old twins

[ddykeman]

Hi,
My twin girls are 7.5 months old and doing well.  They BF every 4 hours or so (8, 12, 4 and 7ish) and also get a little formula before bed.  They are eating solids for breakfast and dinner.  They should be very stocked up however have started waking up for the dream feed.  We want them to drop the feed and I am confortable they are eating enough but they wake looking for it- please help. 

Also, since I am bfing, I am never sure how much they get when they nurse- both typically nurse for 5-8 minutes- how do I know if this is enough?  Maybe they need the df cause they aren't getting enough?  any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  People have suggested pumping and bottle feeding but I cannot imagine dinog that right now- I anticipate beginning to wean them soon- starting around 8 months but doing so slowly so it will be a while before they are on bottles so I know what they are taking in for milk.  Also considering adding in lunch or increasing their meals.  My 2 year old son was so much easier when it came to all of this.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Danielle

[~ Vik ~]

First, hats off to you for bfing twins!  That's fantastic!

Have you seen http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65750.0?  Some very detailed instructions on how to drop the dream feed for you

both typically nurse for 5-8 minutes- how do I know if this is enough?

Do they seem satisfied between feeds?  Are they wetting plenty of diapers?  Do your breasts feel softer after a feed?  By this age nursing los have gotten very efficient and can take full feeds in minutes!  Check out http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65904.0 for more information too.

Also considering adding in lunch or increasing their meals.

You certainly can, at this age I believe that my ds was having three meals per day.  Just keep in mind that until the age of 1 milk is their most important source of nutrition.  Keep offering solids an hour after bfs and ensure that their milk intake doesn't decrease.  And remember that any breastmilk or formula added to solids counts towards milk intake too!

hth