Night Feedings: Growth spurt or AP? 8.5 mos

[afranklin]

Not sure if this is more of a bottle or solids question... it's all rolled together.

Ever since I've started solids in earnest, 3 meals/day, I've not been sure how many oz of formula my LO needs. I can never tell how much solids he's actually getting, b/c it goes everywhere. Used to be I knew how many oz he needed in a day, so then if he woke up at night I'd know: hungry or not hungry. Now when he wakes up at night I've no idea if he's hungry, so if he doesn't go right back down, we feed him just in case. I'm just worried about him eating too much, or making a habit of it. We are afraid to offer him a full feed at night b/c it might ruin the day feeds, so we usu offer 4oz, and he's always taken the whole thing and made it fine till morning, eating full feeds the next day.

He's been refusing the dream feed, or taking only a very small amount lately, so I think it's time to drop it (past time, perhaps). So does that mean he's really had enough food, and I shouldn't feed him at all at night? But since he doesn't take the DF, it makes me worry that he really is hungry later on. (We haven't been tapering it down at all)

He had been STTN for a while, this trouble has started in earnest since I've been trying to incorporate more solids. He's waking at random times, which Tracey says is hunger, and he's 8.5 mos.. so it could be the growth spurt. I just wish I could know... it's been 2 nights in a row of this, plus a random scattering of night feedings in the past ten days. I suppose I can give him 2 more nights, and then what...? If he keeps waking, I'm not comfortable doing PU/PD at that time. I'd rather taper or water the feed down. But so far he's not a really needy, habit-forming sort of baby at night. He wants to sleep. Usu. his wakeups are from hunger, OT or UT, not just for comfort.

Here's my EASY from yesterday... I think he's getting a lot of food... maybe too much, I don't know. I *don't* want to overfeed him.

Total oz from day before (including small DF): 30 (plus solids)

E: 3:55 am 5oz (it's what we had leftover in the fridge from the dream feed)
E: 7 am: oats (no idea how much-- not more than an oz), 7oz bottle
E: 11 am: sweet potatoes, white potatoes with rice ("a lot" Maybe 3 cubes), 8.5 oz bottle
E: 3pm: Peas, egg yolk, 7 oz bottle
E: 7pm: 8.5 oz bottle
E: 10pm DF refused
Total bottle oz: 36

E: 4:35am this morning: 4oz


The other thing I'm doing that might be really wrong? Is I'm getting as much food into him as I can during the day to try to avoid hunger NW. So, after solids or even if it's just a bottle feed, he'll only take 3-4 oz at a time. About ten to fifteen minutes later I'll try again and I can get him to take more. I've *tried* just assuming he's just full after that small bottle after solids, but he gets hungry 2-3 hours later, and then it feels like we're eating all day and it's you know, not a structured routine.

I just have the niggling feeling that I'm feeding him too much, and I really really don't want to do that of course. But I don't know... I guess with the addition of solids, it seems harder now to read his cues. I go to the doctor for his 9mo appt soon, so I'll know where he's at for weight very soon. (He's always been up there... 70-85% in height and weight)

I saw somewhere on here that the range of bottle oz with solids is up to 32. So does that mean if he reaches 32 in a day (plus solids), that I should assume he's not hungry at night? (When he was at 1 small meal a day, he was taking 36-37oz/day).

Okay.. that's a lot.
Thanks for any help.
Thanks a bajillion.
Amanda

[Lolly]

I don't think you need to worry about his milk intake - he's getting plenty Between 6 months to 1 year they need a minimum of 20oz a day and that includes the  milk in foods, most babies take 24-32oz in 24 hours. You can increase his solids intake, let him eat until he refuses really, if his milk drops by a few oz that's not a problem.

At 8.5 months we weaned my DD's nightfeed, she didn't have a dreamfeed, but she was having 3 good bottles during the day and 3 meals so she was getting plenty. She was a big baby - 91st centile for weight, 75th for height and she was getting about 24oz of milk in 24 hours plus food.

The nightwakings could be from teeth too, it's not always OT/UT/hunger!

From about 9/10 months most formula fed babies drop to 3 bottles, one at wake up, one after lunch just before the afternoon nap and one at bedtime. Really at this stage you need to be offering the bottle first and then solids about 1 hour later as part of the A time. So, if he wakes at 7am it would be bottle then his breakfast oats at around 8am. A bottle at 11am is fine, but then do solids lunch around 12/12.30. At 3pm I would do a bottle and then a solids tea at around 4.30 then the bedtime bottle and sleep. You can also offer more protein at meals which fills them up better than just fruits and veg. Are you giving finger foods too?

The other thing to mention is that you aren't supposed to keep bottles for more than an hour after a baby has started drinking from them. Bacteria washes from their mouths back into the bottle when they drink and milk is a great place for breeding, even in the fridge.

I would stop the DF if he is refusing it, you need to wean it now anyway. If you are offering a NF then drop it by reducing it by 1oz every 3 nights and then when you get to 1oz just offer water if he wakes and resettle.

What do you think?

Laura

[afranklin]

Thank you! Yes... I feel a little more normal now. I've had a hard time getting solids into after a bottle, but I need to try the suggested schedule again.

Yeah... I know it's bad to save formula, I'm going to stop doing that.
Amanda

[Lolly]

Yeah... I know it's bad to save formula, I'm going to stop doing that.

That's ok - just needed to mention it for others reading this thread! If I counted the cost of the formula that went down my sink I would probably cry

I would offer 6 or 7oz bottles in the daytime so that he doesn't overfill on formula and should be a bit hungrier for solids and then offer a slightly bigger bottle at bedtime.

Laura