How to cut dream feed for a 8month old?

[dingsmama]

My 8 month old baby is currently have 5 feeds a day:
7:30am 7ounces bottle
11:30am Solids
3:30pm 7 ounces bottle
7:30pm 7 ounces bottle
11:30pm 7 ounces bottle

As I'm planning to cut the dream feed at 11:30pm, as I read from the book I should add ounces during the day while cutting the same amount at night and also move the dream feed by half hour early in each increment.  I'm clear until Day 9, which should be:
7:30am 8 ounces
11:30am solids
3:30pm 8 ounces
7:30pm 8 ounces
10:00pm 4 ounces

But have no clue on how to go further, as I don't think my baby can take another ounce more in one feed.  Please help!

[dingsmama]

Need to add that he has been refusing to drink the 11:30pm dream feed in the past couple of days, taking in 40-50ml sometimes.

[*Kara*]

Is he only having solids once per day?  If so, there is very little chance that you could drop the DF...

at this age, most babies have solids 2-3 times each day including all the food groups over the course of a day.

[dingsmama]

We tried adding 1 more meal of solids, but then he got a flu and so we stopped.  Should I re-introduce the second solids during this process of cutting the DF, perhaps on Day 10?  And how should the schedule looks like?  Thanks for your reply in advance!

[Lolly]

I think if you shift the day around a bit you could drop the dream feed (especially if he has been refusing it lately) and not really have to worry about making up the oz as such. You have a very big gap between the first and second bottle, I know you have solids in between but ideally you should still be having 4 bottle feeds in the day time and solids a bit after the bottle feed not instead of.

You could do something like

7.30 8oz bottle
8.30 solids
11.30  8oz bottle
12.30 solids
3.30  8oz bottle
7.30 8oz bottle

That gives you 2 solid "meals" a day and then add another one in after the 3.30 bottle in a week or so after he has got used to having the 2 meals.

For now, just offer the DF at 10pm and reduce it by 1oz every third night so he gets used to less. If he refuses it just leave him, don't push him to take it.

What do you think?

Laura

[*Kara*]

Our day was much like Laura posted above, but our bottles were 6 ozs each for the first 3 or she would refuse solids as she would be too full... then her bedtime bottle was 8 ozs

[dingsmama]

Thanks Laura for your advice. I think it makes much sense and will try out tomorrow!

Kara, I'll just try with 200ml first (his current in take), if he can take in , that's fine, if not, will reduce later.

[Lolly]

Good luck! Let us know how you go!

Just another thought, most bottle fed babies drop to 3 bottles around 10 months so don't worry too much if you can't fit in 4 full bottles with solids once you get to 3 meals. You just need to make sure he doesn't drop below about 24oz a day!

Laura