Author Topic: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?  (Read 1854 times)

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Offline LizPNI

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8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« on: April 14, 2014, 03:10:16 am »
I have been over the night wakings board trying to get my 8.5 month old's night wakings under control (not every hour). Things are a lot better. He is oscillating between two night wakings and one. In the night with two night wakings he takes a small bottle (4oz formula) between 11-2am and then wakes at 4am and takes a while to go back to sleep. They have suggested the he is hungry. On night when he wakes once it's around 3am and he's starving taking about 7oz, which results in a dirty diaper and him getting all worked and it takes about 1.5 hours to go back to sleep. He already gets 28oz a day during the day and 2 solid meals usually consisting of protein and veg or fruit. He is a short and fat baby and very energetic. By 6pm at night he is often starting to give hunger cues even though he doesn't get him last bottle of the day till 7. I was hoping by now he wouldn't be eating so much in the middle of the night. Would adding dinner in now be appropriate? I really need to get him sleeping through the night and both of us work full time and the sleep issues are pretty desperate.

Offline Erin M

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2014, 03:13:07 am »
You could definitely add dinner at this stage of the game.  I'd just be careful to make sure that it doesn't take away from his milk intake -- but as long as he still takes his full bed time bottle, I don't see how it could hurt. 

Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2014, 03:49:38 am »
The recommendation here is to be on 3 meals by 8/9 months old (depending on other development) so he is right on track for that. We are actually doing a supper meal, but have not added lunch yet because her nap is over lunch!
Heidi




Offline Bababoo

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2014, 14:20:27 pm »
My DD started dinner @ 7 months (had her on solids from 5.5 months)...slightly different situation to yours in that over a few nights she stopped waking for the 11pm feed (and I was never a fan of waking her up for it) so I decided that she needed dinner to make up the loss.
She generally now sleep through the night - does have occasional night wakes but I don't give her a bottle as I'm happy it's not hunger related as it only happens every few weeks.

DD always had a bit appetite, and always took slightly more in her bottle than her age guide...but once on 3 meals I started to reduce the bottle amount (with a view to having formula gone by her first birthday). She now has 7oz first thing in the morning...breakfast a couple of hours later...5oz few hours later (am cutting it down gradually from 7oz), then lunch - have cut the afternoon bottle entirely (gradually reduced the amount over a month while making lunch a little bigger), dinner @5pm and 7oz bottle @ 6pm.

Hope this helps a bit!

Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2014, 14:43:39 pm »
Here the rec is formula or breastmilk as the main nutrition until one year old, so I would suggest as pp said to keep and eye out that solids does not cut into that. I think 24 oz in. 24 hr period is the minimum amount (though I may be out to lunch there!).
Heidi




Offline Bababoo

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2014, 16:34:58 pm »
I think 24 oz in. 24 hr period is the minimum amount (though I may be out to lunch there!)

My baby food bible (written by three Irish paediatric dietitians) recommends 17-20oz for 9-12 month olds when established on 3 meals a day....which I know is less than other guides...my DD has a good varied diet and is good for drinking water with her meals and seems happy on 19oz...it does depend on baba's appetite and parental desire re introduction of solids...

Offline LizPNI

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2014, 04:54:25 am »
Thanks for all the help.. the last few nights he has  been drinking an additional 8oz at night putting him up to 36oz plus two solid meals. That just seems like a lot and I was really hoping he would not be eating in the middle of the night anymore.   I'm going to add in an early dinner, but make sure his overall formula intake doesn't decrease. Also I've been giving him what ever formula he doesn't finish in a bottle in a sippy cup with his solids. This has helped keep his formula intake up as he is a spirited little boy and often is too distracted to finish his bottle.




Offline Erin M

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Re: 8.5 month old, time to add dinner?
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2014, 02:08:21 am »
Good idea with the sippy cup!  Hope he does a better night for you!