Drop the Dream Feed Cold Turkey

[Oliverjack]

My instinct is telling me to drop the DF but I wanted to ask if I am right before I go for it! Also I have read about how to drop it but wondered if going Cold Turkey would be better for me but again wanted to check before I choose my strategy!

My LO is 6 months old and has been having a DF since he was 6 weeks old. We started weaning at 5 months as he was up to 8oz bottles but he has taken to it like a duck to water! At the last weigh in he was just over 18lbs x his routine:

7.30am wakes
8am solids porridge with fruit
8.30 am milk 5/6 oz
10.30 sleep apx 1.5 - 2 hours
11.45 wakes
12pm solids veg/fruit
12.30 pm milk 6/7 oz
2.30pm sleep apx 1.5 - 2 hours
4pm solids veg/fruit
4.30 pm milk 6/7 oz
6pm sometimes nap depending on sleep earlier in the day
7pm bath
7.30 bottle 7oz
7.45/8pm bed
11pm DF 6oz

He is established on 3 meals per day and can quite happily eat a whole hipp organic pot in 1 sitting! He does however struggle to take all his milk and sometimes it does feel I am force feeding him. I'm normally happy if he eats 5oz min after his solids.

The meal he really struggles with is his milk after breakfast and tea time he can sometimes leave 4 oz but will still eat his DF really well.

Last night my OH and I decided we were going to drop 1 oz every 4 days and do it that way but he is such a good little boy that we are wondering that if he is so established on solids and the fact that he doesn't fancy the milk during the day that he actually doesn't need the DF. If I do drop it should I give him some extra milk or solids at 6.30pm?

Any advice would be very much appreciated x I am really looking to going to bed at 9.00! X

Merry Christmas x

[Seona1973]

Could you switch the milk and solids round so he has milk first and then give food about an hour later so that he maintains his milk intake?  I would probably drop it gradually to minimise the chances of him waking for a feed in the night.

[Lolly]

I agree with PP - at this age milk should be the priority and instead of thinking about dropping feeds you would be better to be giving milk first.

He is taking a good swould probably miss those calories if you did and he is on the young side for dropping it. It ususally around 8 months that the DF is dropped.

Looking at your routine I would give milk when you give solids and vice versa, that way he should take in more milk, don't forget that milk is more filling at this age than the early solids and has more of the fats and nutrients that he needs.

Laura

[Oliverjack]

Thank you both for your advice x I dropped 1oz of the dream feed and he is now drinking a full 7oz after his breakfast x so I'm going to leave in the DF but get it down to about 4oz and then just see what happens in a couple of months x it is only 8 weeks away and I would hate to have to start getting up in the middle of the night again when so far we have been very lucky x

Don't want to tempt fate just for a few hours extra sleep x plenty of time for that x

Thank you again! Merry Christmas x