Which bottle to drop...? Getting in a muddle!!

[londonlady]

Hi,

My DD is 8.5m and has recently got back on track after a nasty stomach bug.

The upside of the virus has been that her solids intake has increased nicely, but she is still also taking a lot of milk which is fine - but kind of in the wrong places IYKWIM?

Our current muddle is that she has started refusing her BT bottle, I think because of a bottle (albeit a small 4-5oz one) at 3.30/4pm and now an increased amount of solids at about 4.30/5pm. Refusing the BT bottle is having a knock on effect on the DF, in that she is either waking for it, or taking a larger amount so we're no closer to dropping it.

We had been trying to phase it out before her stomach virus, then while we were getting back on track we upped the oz again as she'd lost weight and needed more.

My question is - should I drop the 3.30/4pm bottle first, to get our BT one back on track and then work on dropping the DF in another few weeks time? This sort of seems counter-intuative as we want to be dropping the oz from the night, not the day... but I can't see how else to restore the BT bottle?

And in order to drop that afternoon bottle, do I need to offer lunch first and move her usual 11am bottle to after lunch? 

Thanks,
Rachel. xx

[MommyMoulton]

If it were me I would drop the 3pm bottle. Once that's settled then work on the DF. 

maybe try to base your decision on whether she wkes for the DF or not. If she does try resettling and keeping the 3pm bottle. And vice versa. Sorry I'm not much help we have no DF and no3 pm bottle.

[mickey44]

If she is having a good amount of solids at supper then I think I would drop that 3 p.m. bottle and maybe start pushing that 11a.m. bottle to after lunch depending on when naps are etc.  Once she starts taking a good bedtime bottle again then I would work on dropping the DF.

[Seona1973]

our timings at that age were:
7am - milk
8am - breakfast
11am - milk
12pm - lunch
2.30pm - milk
5pm - dinner
7.15pm - milk

By 9 months ds had dropped the 11am milk feed and it was replaced by a snack and water around 10.30am.  I would maybe make the afternoon bottle a bit earlier and see if that helps her increase the bedtime feed.

[londonlady]

This is the problem, she is asleep from 1.45pm-3pm or a bit later (3pm if I have to do the school run, 3.30pm if I don't.) I'd have to get her up at 2.45pm to feed her before the school run, and she would then have a huge afternoon to get through on only a 45m nap which I just don't think is fair - on any of us.  So I can't do that feed any earlier unless I give it before her nap, but I can't see she'd take it with the current bottle at 11am, and solids at around 12pm...

I think my only choice to get the BT bottle on track really is to drop that afternoon one and push lunch first, milk afterwards in the 2nd A time to help bridge the gap. I know it's not the "done thing" but she is on 25-30oz of milk a day so I don't think I need to worry about her milk intake!! lol.

Guess we'll give it a whirl and see how we get on!! Thanks for your thoughts ladies. x

[Lolly]

I don't see anything worng with your plan! It seems to be the most common thing to do - milk at wake up, after lunch just before the pm nap and bedtime. If she needs something between waking up in the afternoon and evening solids you can offer a light snack, just watch you don't start feeding to sleep with the bottle before a nap!

We did this routine from 8 months and it worked just fine! I would get the bedtime bottle back on track and then drop the DF too!

Laura

[londonlady]

Thanks, good to have the reassurance. I think we may start tomorrow...