Quick Advice

[scucci1979]

With the advice of a doctor, I am going to begin Alyssa on solids this week, due to her large formula intake. She is drinking 45ozs and is gaining weight steadily.  I am still shocked at the amount she is drinking.  She still has two night feeds and clearly she does not need them. I am wondering if I should eliminate the second night feed now or wait until she around six months (if she has not dropped it on her own)?  I am diluting the second nf.
Any suggestions/ideas?

[LeeLeeMelis]

Hmmmm, I didnt bottle feed but this is tricky. According to your ticker she is just about 5 months so I would probably go with the doctor. I know we stress on BW to wait till the longer end of that 4-6 month window but every baby is different. We started Wesley at 5 months so you're really not that far off of BW recommendations.

Does she have any tummy issues?  What I would say is to try to get more in her during the day and gradually drop one of the night feeds (at this young one NW isnt crazy) and try a little cereal. If she doesnt respond well stop and shift the night feed to day more.

I hope that helps, good luck!

[scucci1979]

How do I wean the bottle(s) at night?

Also, she has been waking up at 6am, bedtime is at 7pm. I am happy with the 11hr night but she used to give me a 12hour night with two night feeds. Normally when she wakes at this time I just cuddle her back to sleep. This morning I put her back in her crib and she just talked until 7am, when I got her. Sigh.  I was thinking of counting her wake up time from 6:30am instead.  Then when I gave her the bottle at 7am, she was falling asleep on it.  Grrr....these awful EWs.  I am happy with a 6:30am waking. Do I need to shift her bedtime to 7:30pm?

[LeeLeeMelis]

Let me think of it in terms of nursing, I would just cut him off after fewer minutes on the breast. So could you just make a smaller bottle and then add that many ounces throughout the day?

How is her day sleep? Perhaps that EW is OT??? I am paranoid with OT with my son so before pushing a bedtime to later I always (and still do at 2.5) opt for a slightly earlier bedtime in case he is OT.  Did she sleep for long at the 7am wake up feeding?

[scucci1979]

She might of been a little OT yesterday as she was up from 4:30pm-7pm with a 10min snooze in between. We were out!  I kept her up as she was drinking and put her down at 8:30am. She slept until 10:30am.  I would rather have a 6:30am wake up instead as her last feed is normally at 4am. 

[LeeLeeMelis]

You do what you have to do when your're out and about. No worries! It sounds like you got her caught up, good work:-)

You've got it all under control, keep us posted if you go with the solids!

[scucci1979]

thanks. She is on the higher side of A times I think b/c anything under two hours will give me a short nap. Coincidence! I don't know! After two hour nap, she had an A of 2hrs and 15min then gave me nap of one hour and 25min.  I am so scared to push her more. I wonder if she needs more and in return she will sleep in more!

[LeeLeeMelis]

that theory has ALWAYS worked for us. Wesley was very very sensitive to OT so he always needed a bit extra sleep and that helped any issues we were having.