Amount of Oatmeal in a day?

[LandonsMommy]

Hello all-

I have just discovered this website about a week ago and have been getting lots of great information!

Our LO is now 6 months and one week, and has just been moved to the 4 hour EASY. (I didn't realize that I should have done this about 2 months ago from the three hour EASY!)

We have also been eating purees and oatmeal in the past month, so there has been a lot of transition here at our house.

DS is breastfed, but takes bottles while I am at work. Right now our schedule looks like this:

7:00 BF
8:00 1/2 jar of fruit with one tablespoon of oatmeal and water mixed in

11:00 6 oz bottle
12:00 1/2 jar of veggies


3:00 6 oz bottle
4:00 1/2 jar of veggies with one tablespoon of oatmeal and water mixed in

7:00 BF and bed about 7:30

Sometimes I'll do a quick BF at 8:00 if we are putting him down a little later.

He is up a few times in the middle of the night. Last night at 1:00, I rocked him and he slept until about 4:30 where I nursed him one one side and he slept until 7:00.

My question is if two tablespoons of oatmeal a day is enough or to much? I have seen where some babies are eating just one a day, and others where they are eating two at a time just in the morning.

I want him to start taking more at his bottles, so when he wakes up in the middle of the night, I try not to give him a full feeding.

Help! Does this look right?

Thanks so much!

[~inbalance~]

I think 2tbsp of oatmeal a day is fine.  Milk is still the main focus so as long as he is not decreasing his milk intake then I think what you are offering is ok. 

[LandonsMommy]

Thanks for the reply!

His amount of milk has gone down just since we switched from the 3 to the 4 hour EASY, but that is common, right?

[~inbalance~]

How much milk is he getting now? 

[LandonsMommy]

I BF him in the morning and then he gets two, 6 oz bottles while I am at work and then I BF again in the evening.

He does wake up in the middle of the night to eat where I nurse him. On the 3 hr EASY, he was getting three, 5oz bottles while I was at work. I am hoping that he will start to take 6.5 oz and work his way up to 7 at each bottle.

He is eating every 4 hours 7-7. I have seen other's schedules that will feed at 7, 11, 3 and then every two hours at 5 and 7 to get five feedings per day rather than four. Should I try that, or is that too much too close together with eating solids in between?

Thanks for your replies!

[~inbalance~]

Ideally you want him to maintain his milk intake for now.  With that said, it's obviously hard to know exactly how much he is taking in total when you are also breastfeeding.  I would stick to 4 milk feeds during the day, plus 1 at night if you are still doing that.  Hopefully he will start taking a little more in his bottles, but overall I think you are both doing fine. 

[LandonsMommy]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease!

[MommyIsa]

Have you tried a dreamfeed? Perhaps this could help with the 1 or 4am wakings?

[LandonsMommy]

I haven't. . .

Is it too late to start it now that he is 6 months?

Do you do one?

[~inbalance~]

Most LOs will start dropping the DF by about 7mos, so it might be a little late to start.  We never bothered with it just because it didn't suit our routine.  Personally I would just stick to feeding whenever he wakes, if you are still going to feed at night. 

[LandonsMommy]

Thanks! Last night he woke up at 1:30 to eat, but the night before that he made it to 5!