Thanks guys.
I think I will give the formula idea a go. My mum suggested something similar a few days ago but I wasn't sure so it's good to see someone else has had success with that. I think he is hungry, but I don't think he really needs the calories if that makes sense. He has been eating like a bird for the past few months (I think due to a recurrent chest infection and teething) but the past week he has started eating like a horse and still wakes up for an extra feed.
It started out as just a varying amount, between 2 and 7oz so I was confused about whether he was actually hungry, but now he takes 6oz without fail. Oddly, when DH feeds him, he will sometimes demand a SECOND BOTTLE
![Sad :(](https://smiley.babywhispererforums.com/Smileys/classic/sad.gif)
His EASY is a bit all over the place because of spacing his solid and liquid feeds, but it looks something like this.
Awake time anything between 6 and 8.30 but usually around 7.30ish (this is a recent mercy, we used to have EW's too) When it's really early I pull all his times back a bit, but if he wakes after 7 I keep all the times the same. Usually anything before 6.30 will be down to nappy leakage so he's not really ready to get up - we're doubling up his nappies but it still happens.
E 7.30 Breast feed - both sides.
E 8.30/9 Breakfast - was eating just a few spoonfuls, but is now up to a weetabix and a half or similar
E 11.30 Breast feed - both sides. I admit that I feed to sleep at this one. He used to put himself to sleep
(provided he was in the buggy and not his cot) but I found he wouldn't go down for his next nap until
quite late and that pushed bedtime too late.
A 7.30 - 11.30
S 11.30 - 2 He was only doing about 1.30 to 2 hours, but the last week he started to do 2.30 (although yesterday
and today we got short naps I think due to teething)
E 2pm Solids - he was eating next to nothing, and had to be all fully pureed, but suddenly he is eating quite
well, and complains if there are no lumps! I usually give him a yogurt or broken up pieces of soft fruit
for him to feed himself for afters. He ALWAYS eats the yogurt - I know there is something mega wrong
if he won't eat his yogurt!
E 4/4.30 Formula feed (SMA Gold) - again, this used to be about 3 - 4oz, but is currently around 7 - 8oz
E 6.30/6.45 Formula feed (SMA Hungry Baby) usually about 7oz, but sometimes he will drain the bottle and take up
to another 5oz from a second bottle.
A 2 - 6.30
S Again, we tend to feed to sleep here, or at least cuddle until he's drowsy - he's reflux so I haven't tried
PU/PD - mainly because in the night I've never been certain that he's not in pain (we used to have
multiple, very long - up to 3 hours - NW's) and I don't want to use it at bedtime and then not follow
through in the night.
At the night feed he usually falls asleep on the bottle and carries on drinking, then wakes up the second I lay him down but that isn't a problem (at the moment) as he will rub his head quite hard on the sheets while I leave the room and then babble quitely to himself until he goes to sleep about ten minutes later. He used to do this for DH when we started formula feeds at bedtime (he was exclusively BF until 10 months) but he stopped self-soothing and needed a cuddle when his top teeth came through.
We were having a wake up anything from 11pm to 3am, but the Hungry Baby formula seems to have pushed this to about 2.30 the past few nights (we've only been trying this type of formula for a few nights). In the night I give him SMA Gold and he takes anything from 5oz to 14oz (if DH does the night feed he tends to demand a second bottle - not sure why).
Sorry this is so long. I know there is a lot of AP in there but it's mostly because I haven't known what to do about PU/PD when he is in pain. I'm fairly certain that when he was still suffering with the reflux he was feeding to sooth the pain, and it has gradually turned into a habbit feed.
I'm going to try the gradually reducing formula idea but if anyone does have any comments on our EASY I'd be grateful - we have had odd nights where he has STTN after short napping (one hour at lunch time and refused a later nap), but I think that was probably just coincidence.