Author Topic: How many bottles in a day once started solids and also weaning off df -help!!  (Read 1801 times)

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Offline Asha G

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Hi there I'm getting myself really confused so hoping someone can help me!!
I'm just starting solids with my lo who is now 6 months and am currently feeding as follows:
Im both breast feeding and formula feeding so
7 ounces in the morning,
bf at 12pm (and now solids 15/20 mins later) ,
bf plus 4 ounces top up around 430/5 ,
bf at 630/7pm
 7 ounces dream feed around 10pm

So when Tracy says to Add an ounce to the first feed should I be giving her 8 ounces In The morn? It seems like quite a lot?
Then on day 4 I'm suposed to add another ounce to the 2nd feed But this is currently a bf so how do I add the additional ounce?
I am also thinking of graduLly stopping bf And maybe just keep the bedtime bf which would then help solve the problem of adding an ounce to the breast feed but then my question is how many formula bottle feeds should I be giving in a day and how much at each feed?
Also with weaning off the df Tracy says to bring the feed forward by half hour every few days so at the moment I'm giving 5 feeds a day (of bm or formula) including the dream feed... If I keep bringing it forward it will eventually coincide with the bedtime feed around 630/7pm so will essentially end up with 4 milk feeds per day- is that what is supposed to happen?
Is it too early to start weaning the dreamfeed? Just started solids 5 days ago and she doesn't take much yet...
Feeling quite overwhelmed with the weaning on solids and how that is now going to impact on her milk feeds and getting myself very confused so really appreciAte any advice!!!!

Offline Lolly

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I5t is confusing when they start solids!

The number of milk feeds you have looks fine to me, I would leave the DF for a few more weeks until you have the solids better established though, do one thing at a time! 8oz is a normal sized bottle for a formula fed baby at this age, babies with breast milk in bottles do seem to take a bit less.

I think the idea with bringing the DF forward as well as decreasing it is that there will come a point when it's closer to the bedtime feed so they actually won't take it because they aren't hungry enough so you drop it while there is still some rather than keeping going until it's decreased to 0oz. We didn't DF so we dropped my DD's nightfeed at about 8 months by decreasing the amount we gave by 1oz every 3 nights until she got down to about 2oz. She slept through the night she would have had 2oz so we just offered water after that if she woke. If you wait until your DD is well settled on solids, so around the 8 month mark, she won't really need the calories from that feed as she will be getting extra during the day.

With a bottle feed there should be some left in the bottle at the end so they can stop because they are full and not just because the bottle is empty. If she drains her 7oz bottles you should really add another oz or 2 anyway.

Between 6 months and 9/10 months most bottle fed babies have 4 daytime bottles, some still have a DF or night feed. At about 9/10 months they drop to 3 bottles, usually morning, after lunch (just before nap) and bedtime. Until she gets closer to 1 keep solids to about an hour after milk feeds so she gets the majority of her nutrition from milk, if milk feeds decrease too quickly scale the solids back a bit. Mine both had finger foods and puree from 6 months, so one "meal" was just finger foods.

HTH!

Laura


Offline Asha G

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Thank you so much laura!!
Yes I will definitely wait a few weeks before weaning the df then!
Oh I see I didn't realise you will still have an ounce or 2 left when you drop the dream feed altogether as Tracy said to add the same number of ounces to the day feeds as the dream feed when dropping it so I thought I hD to make sure I added all 7 ounces gradually to each of the feeds.. ? Also once I've added an ounce to each of her first 3 feeds do I then add another ounce to the first feed, (this would make 9 ounces in the morning ??) and  then another ounce to the 2nd feed and so on?
when do you stop the df altogether..? When it's reached an hour after bedtime feed? Or half an hour?

Sometimes she drains the 7 ounces in the morning and at her dreamfeed but other times she might leave half an Ounce so will try giving her 8 and see what happens.
I'm also thinking of only breastfeeding  at bedtime which means il need to give her a formula bottle around 12 and then again around 4 (I'm already giving her 4 ounce top up after this bf) ... How much formula should I give her at these 2 feeds?
I'm thinking it would be good to make the switch before I start weaning off the df... That way she is used to the formula feeds In place of the breast feeds and then I can also aDd the extra ounces as I reduce them from the dream feed ..
At the moment she is awake for about 2.5 hours altho somtimes this varies which is why I feed solids about 20 mins after her milk as otherwise she sometimes starts to get tired so didn't want to try and feed her when she is sleepy but I will try it the next few days to see how she goes..
When should I introduce a 2nd solids meal In the day?  I'm keen to try her with finger foods but she isn't quite there yet I don't think..


Offline Lolly

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I didn't increase the day time oz with my kids when we dropped the night feed, it wasn't necessary. If she is draining 7oz bottles then increase them, if there is enough in the bottle you know she is taking what she needs. Not all babies will increase their oz until the DF is totally gone anyway. When you stop the breastfeeds offer the same amount per bottle that you do for the first feed of the day. If you offer 3 8/9oz bottles plus the breastfeed that gives her plenty of milk in 24 hours so you won't need to worry about the loss of milk from the DF. From 6 months they need a minimum of 20oz a day to get their needs met and this includes the dairy in food, most babies take 24-32oz of formula when they are taking solids. With 3 8oz bottles she will be getting 24oz plus what she takes from the bedtime breast feed which could well only be a couple of oz less than the bottle amounts.

You can do the DF drop anyway that suits you really, although Tracy suggested moving the time and adding the oz to the day feeds it isn't always the best way to do it. You could leave it at the same time and just reduce the feed size by 1oz every three days or bring it forward as well. Following Tracy's method you end up with a bottle of a couple of oz at about 7.30, so after a day or 2 of that you just don't give it anymore.

 Cluster & Dreamfeeding FAQ's - Starting, how to do it, stopping & problems

Most people introduce the second meal a week or two after the first, or sooner if baby is taking to it well. With finger foods the best thing is to put it on her tray and see what she does - she will probably surprise you! We followed BLW principles and offered finger shaped chunks of veg, toast etc. Actually, DD's first go at finger food was a pizza crust she stole from Daddy's plate when we weren't looking when she was 5 months! She really wasn't happy when we took it off her (she did get to gum it for a bit ;)!

Switching to formula before weaning the DF is a good idea. Think of solids as part of A time too, so milk feed when she first wakes and then the solids as an activity.

Laura


Offline Asha G

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Laura thank you soooo much!!! I feel so much more co
Comfortable about what I need to do now !!!
I will go ahead with the 3 bottles in the day from tomorrow and see how she goes.. And then look to start dropping the df in June... I think I will add the extra ounces to the day feeds and see what she does and also start bringing it forward so she gets used to it being earlier and earlier and eventually not at all..
As for solids she isn't taking that much of the purée so I think I might do another week of just one meal a day and then increase to 2 meals... I eat with her so she sees me eating but hasn't tried to take my food just yet..!