Dropping the NF?

[Renatapogacnik]

My LD is 8months 1week and we bf before bed, at around 3 or 4am and in the morning, otherwise she eats solids, and for dinner i prepare cereals with formula, so i think she gets enough of milk for her needs. But i was thinking about dropping the NF, hoe do i know she is ready? How to do it, cold turkey? But the problem is she WU at 3 or 4 am and doesnt want to go back to sleep until i BF, she eats a lot, she is sucking actively for 7-9 min ( on other times only 5 min), than she turns away i put her in her crib and she sleps until morning. So i am afraid she is not ready yet. When did you wean your LO from NF?
Another thing is she doesnt like bottle so i cant put her on formula, but i go to work when she will be 11months, what can i give her in the morning, actually her father will feed her in the morning before kindergarten, and how and when to stop the BF before bed?

Thank you so much!

[*Ali*]

Milk is her main source of nutrition until 12mo so she should be having either breast milk or formula until her first birthday really.
I would say that the milk she is getting in the day right now is actually very little. Most BF LOs would be on 4 BFs in the day plus solids and many would be having a NF too. I actually wouldn't drop the NF unless you can add that feed back in during the day time. It sounds like she is genuinely hungry.

Is there any reason why she isn't having any milk feeds between her morning wake up and the formula she has at dinner? I know you said you are going back to work at 11mo but that is nearly 3 months away and her milk needs will have changed a lot by then. By then you could probably get away with 2 milk feeds, WU and BT. Have a look at this FAQ with suggested routines for milk feeds and solids Routines for Solids and Bottles/BF's 6-12months

Average breast milk intake for a baby this age is 19-30 ounces and formula fed babies should be on 20 ounces or more ideally so that is roughly what you are aiming for http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

Does she drink from a sippy or straw cup? Maybe you could give her formula in a cup during the day if you don't wish to add in a breast feed. I would definitely offer some sort of milk feed before or after lunch though. Do you think it might be worth persisting with offering the bottle?