Reducing milk feeds when solids increase - one feed or over all feeds?

[violagal]

Hi all,
My DS is 6.5 months old and we started him on solids 3 weeks ago.
Before we started he was taking a lot of milk;

7am 8oz
11am 8oz
3pm 8oz
5.30pm 4oz
7pm 8oz
NF 4oz

After about a week he dropped the half feed at 5.30pm and the last two nights he dropped the NF (yay!!)

I read the FAQs and it says at some point between 7-10 months a feed may be dropped so I'm just wondering is there one that is most common? He still seems to drink the other 4 full bottles and he's now having 3 meals at 9am, 12.30 and 5.
Is it likely that he might soon just start drinking less in each of the 4 milk feeds or does it not really matter? I'm just so chuffed he's now slept through the night twice that I don't want to risk anything by him not having enough milk...
Thanks!

[Shiv52]

I would not cut anything until he starts to cut it himself. It tends to be either the 11 or 3 feed that is cut. I'd say 4 bottles is fine and you don't really want to cut to 3 until closer to 9-10 months.

Hurray for STTN!  Hope it lasts!!

[violagal]

Thanks Shiv52 - will keep offering the 4 x 8oz bottles then until he starts to reduce himself.
I know - couldn't believe it was twice in a row, fingers crossed for a third tonight!

[Shiv52]

Fingers and toes crossed for you xx

[violagal]

Hello again....well after a few more days he now seems to be taking more milk!! I make up 8oz bottles (nearly 9oz when powder added) so that he usually leaves a drop but the last two days he has been draining the 11 bottle. Should I be thinking about giving solids before milk at some point? What are the indicators for that to happen? Also having STTN for 3 nights (hurrah!) he then needed a night feed again - I have capped this at 3oz and although he complains a little it is enough for him. What to do?!

[violagal]

Hello again

So the night feed has gone again, let's hope this time its for good.
However I think we are now overfeeding or feeding too close together in the afternoon.

He has a bottle at 3pm, solids at 5pm and then another bottle at 6.30pm. However today and yesterday he vomited after the 6.30 bottle which makes me think he is just gorging himself as he will just eat and eat if I don't stop him! Should we cap his 'dinner' at 5pm as I believe its more important that he takes the milk than the solids?

Thanks in advance...

[violagal]

Another update
He really is a little piglet so I've now reduced his bottles to 7oz and am capping how much solids he gets at 'tea time' to no more than 6oz which seems to have stopped the early evening gorging!
However I'm still a little confused as to how the milk feeds reduce when at this stage he's having the milk about an hour before the solids? It really does feel like I'm feeding him all day long as the longest he goes without anything is 2.5 hours, is that normal??

[Haribo2012]

Hi, you do get a month or 2 where you feel like all you do is feed milk then solids but they do reduce it themselves. My LO dropped 11am bottle first at about 8 months then dropped 3pm one about 10 months.
I remember worrying how I would know but they just start fussing a lot with it and only drinking small amounts so you just end up giving less then offering a snack and water instead.
Honestly while bottles are going down well enjoy it as snacks are messy lol!

[violagal]

Thank you so much! Glad its normal to feel like you're feeding all the time!

[*Kara*]

For sure there are a few months where you do nothing but feed the baby!  I remember it well!

I would stick with the 32 ozs a day... that is a lot of milk let alone if he has a night feed as well.