drop to 3 bottle?

[sa]

just wondering, when do you drop to 3 bottle a day?

DS is having 4 bottles a day(7am, 11am, 4pm, 7pm) and having 3 solid meal.

i have seen most mothers dropping the 11am bottle. so just drop the 11am bottle and no milk feed until 4pm? or need to move up the 4pm feed to earlier?

and do you give snack at 11am?

[NKmommy]

So glad you posted this!  I also give ds bottles around 7, 11, 4, and 7, and am wondering when and which bottle to drop.  I have seen some drop the 11, but others drop the 4 and offer a snack in it's place.  Anxious to here what advice people have!

[momofnewbaby]

I'd love an answr to that question. too. Giving my lo bottles at exactly the same time, and would love to hear how and when to drop one bottle.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sumita

[Mum to Ella Rose]

I don't know if this will work for you but... we dropped the 11 feed. So her schedule is roughly like this:

7:30 wake and 8oz bottle

8 breakfast

9:45 - 10:30 nap

11:30 lunch with sips of water

1:30 8oz bottle

2 - 3:30 nap

5:30 supper

7 bath, 8oz bottle

7:30 bed

Hope that helps... she's eating about 7-9 tblsp of cereal and 1 or 2 "cubes" of food at her solid meals plus cheerios, cheese, grated apple, etc or some kind of finger food with meals. There is the odd day we've offered a snack after her naps but so far she's not interested in them. I myself am wondering if it's time to move her bottles closer to her solids and introduce a regular "snack time."

Sharon

[Mum to Ella Rose]

oh and I should have put she has water from a cup with breakfast and supper as well as lunch. 

Sharon

[lisa82]

i'm glad i'm not the only one, this seems like a common problem.
kieran is 8 1/2months old he bfds at 7 11 4 7, but lately is loosing interest in his 11am feed.

i thought about droping the 11 and 4 feed and moving to 1.30ish as well. worried this will be a bit to much for him as he's had weight probs till now.

also thought of feeding at 1.30 then moving tea time feed back a little and still trying to feed before bed.
so confused does anyone think changing from a 4 hourly plan to a 6hourly plan will have too much of an affect on his weight?. if so how do you fit a 5hour milk plan into them having solids as well?
i know i prob sound neurotic first time mother but peds can worry you so much while being no help

[mezzogirl]

i was totally wondering this too. my dd is 6.5 mths old. she is extending so her schedule is as follows:

7am solids (cereal and rice) then 6-8 ounces (we make 8 but use a bit to make cereal, sometimes she drinks all bottle, but never leaves more than one ounce)

11used to be lunch, but now she goes anywhere from 11:30 to noon...so....she has another round of solids (veggies, and fruit) and a bottle 6-8 ounces....this girl can eat, she has gone thru one bottle of veggies and half a jar of fruit and all the bottle several times

4-5pm dinner extending again....solids (cereal and veggies) and 6-8 ounces bottle

7pm (if she makes it that long, with dropping late afternoon catnap she has been totally ready for bed at 6:30, goes thru a fussy period from 5 or 5:30pm til 6:15pm but jsut won't settle for nap)

she sleeps til 6:30 or 7am (unless her dear brother who is 2 wakes her up earlier).

i guess she is just extending and will drop the feed on her own.

[momofgrace]

Hi! This is my first time posting, but I've been following for months.  Grace is now 8 mo old and is showing little to no interest in the 11 feed (right now we're bf on a 4 1/2 hour schedule 6:30,11,3:30,7 with solids about a half hour later).  I called her ped. but she said we shouldn't drop the feed yet which is so frustrating b/c Grace is only feeding on one side for about 3 minutes at 11. But we're feeding her plenty of yogurt and cheese along with her cereal and fruit and veggies so  I don't see why it would be a problem now.  What do you think?  Thanks for any advice.
Amy

[Portia]

I'm wondering the same thing, but much later in the game (feel so naive w/ 1st baby)...DS will be 11 mos. on Monday & still bf'g 4x per day...He feeds well upon wake up, but other 3 bfs are 5m or less...

Our day today went something like Sharon's posted schedule, DS refused 11:30 bf so we skipped & had lunch @ 12:00 & bf 5m @ 1:30...Still did the 4:00 bf for only 5m, so I'm thinking it s/b dropped (consolidated w/ 1:30 bf)...

My question is, where do the "tide over" snacks come in...?
Before or after nap #1...?
Does the 1:30 bf count as a snack until it's eventually replaced w/ one...?

Trying to avoid formula & planning on gradual weaning to whole milk @ 1 year, a little worried about bm supply being affected by current eating pattern...Wonder if I should cut back on solids to improve DS's liquid intake...

Thanks for the hints already posted & any more advice that may help...!

All the best,     Portia

[lisa82]

although your little one that bit older you have the same worries as me.
will all this fussing around affect milk supply.

i too thought about cutting back on solid intake to increase milk intake but eventually thought,  guess it goes against eventual aim for them to be solid dependent. so still confused.

some days he will take the feed and others he won't. if i give in and feed after lunch seems to feed well cos hes tired but then won't have nap.
then he won't feed at 4 or 5 and leaves me full and uncomfortable.

[lawnseed]

I recently had the same problem with my DD being very much less than enthusiastic about her 1100 feed. So I dropped it and she wasn't at all bothered, just increased her afternoon feed which I fit in somewhere between 2 and 3. She was taking so little at the morning feed there wasn't much point! I now give her some water and a snack in place of the feed - that's if she's awake:) I think as long as she's getting dairy and protein in her food, she'll be fine.

[Portia]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, helps put things into perspective for me 

Haven't been feeling uncomfortably full, but maybe due to me letting 5m bfs go for too long & he's munching i/o getting a good feed in...Am I worried about nothing, could 5m be a good feed...?

I'm going to consult w/ DS's ped, but think we'll end up having lunch/solids after nap #1 & trying for the bf an hour or so after that (but at least 1/2 hour b/4 nap #2)...I'll post back if ped brings anything new to light that may help anyone...

It's difficult to gauge between feeding/sleeping issues, been posting all over the place (DH is too)...!

Have a great day,    Portia

[sa]

i have got Annabel Karmel's book (First year Planner).
she suggests for 7-12 months to offer 3 x milk feed - morning, mid afternoon, bedtime.

i supposed she suggests to drop the 11am feed. (as for 4-6 months, she suggest milk feed before lunchtime).

for 7-9 months routine, she suggest 2nd nap at 12.30-2.30pm, then milk feed at 2.30pm. but this doesn't work for me as DS' 2nd nap from 2-4pm. may be if i drop 11am feed, i should try milk feed at 4pm?? but will the gap be too long? no milk feed from 7am to 4pm?

very confused here ...  :?

[mezzogirl]

This makes me wish i would have kept some 'notes' from when ds was little.  dd was a surprise...so you would think since it was so soon after ds i could remember but i cna't.

i just remember at 6.5 mths he ate at 7am 12pm, 5pm and 7pm bedtime bottle.

at 10 mths he ws on a sippy cup for day formula (these awesome ones from Walmart, actually the walmart brand, they have super soft nozzle almostl ike a nipple). Shortly after that we dropped bedtime bottle, but i can't exactly remember when.....i think it was before 1st bday....and then i would give him a snack at 9am before a.m. nap and also when he woke up from afternoon  nap.

with dd....she has sort of guided me more than me guiding her....i guess it is me being more relaxed and knowing the cues to read...

she goes 5 hours b/t feeds for her daddy...go figure.

[Portia]

The NP @ DS's ped office gave me some reassurance in terms of dropping the 11:00am feed (esp. since he's dropped interest in it)...Also said it wasn't necessary to back up on solids, just to make sure (as we all know) to offer calcium/protein rich foods & plenty of liquids...More reassurance can be found in WET diapers...!

I'm working on a schedule like Sharon's above post as our "goal"...

Today I didn't offer bf when DS woke from nap #1, instead gave lunch/solids @ 11:40, however he fussed to get out of highchair 1/2 way through meal & ended up bf'ing pretty well @ 12:15pm...I had originally planned to offer bf @ 1:00/1:30pm (wanted it to be late enough to tide him over until dinner, but still not right b/4 nap #2)...So I ended up offering finger food snack (cheerios, carrot, peas & melon) @ 1:15 to help tide him over so he wouldn't need to bf @ 4:00...This seemed to work, he ate dinner well & bf'd well b/4 bedtime...Since he bf'd well 3x today, I'm a little less worried about the milk supply issue...This is all so new, so I'm going to try & stick with my original plan & follow DS's cues for tweaking it...

Good luck to all, I'm going to keep watching this thread & will post any progress we make...Would love to see how it's working out for the rest of you as well...

Best,     Portia

[NKmommy]

All the posts helped me so much!  I am thinking of either two schedules in order to cut from 4 to 3 bottles.  Sorry, just thinking out loud...

Schedule 1
     7 - bottle
     8 - breakfast
     10 - nap
     11:30 - lunch
     12:30 - bottle
     2:30 - nap
     4 - snack
     5:30 - dinner
     7:00 - bath, bottle, bed

Schedule 2
     7 - bottle and breakfast
     9 - snack
     10 - nap
     11:30 - bottle and lunch
     1:30 - snack
     2:30 - nap
     5:30 - dinner
     7:00 - bath, bottle, bed

For those of you giving both bottle and meal together, aren't they too full to eat enough of both?

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi Sheila, I'm wondering the same thing. We, as I posted do basically the first schedule but I'd like to do the second especially since they will be shortly moving to solids before milk, no? But I can't see dd eating (and drinking) that much together. Especially with reflux... I'd love to hear some others thoughts on this too.

Sharon

[Noelle]

I haven't read through this post....but we recently dropped a bottle..

At 11:00, instead of a bottle I give her lunch - solids and milk in a sippy. Then before her next nap I give her some more milk just from the sippy (usually only takes an ounce or two) in case she's hungry as she's not that into solids yet. 

So she gets a bottle at 7, 3 and 6:30.

 

[annb]

Hi...my DS is 9months old and I dropped his 11am feed about a month ago as he just wasnt interested in it....so our schedule is
7am - 200ml bottle
8am - cereal
10.30am - maybe a snack
12pm - solids lunch - usually give him something with protein in it and try for a bit of water usually without success
2.30pm - 200ml bottle tho sometimes i give 250ml as he doesnt like water
4pm - might give him a snack...cracker or bread or banana or similar
5pm - dinner solids
7pm - breastfeed

my understanding is that if you drop a feed your body will work it out and your supply wont be affected you just wont 'fill up' for 11am...i pumped for 4 days at 11am, slowly decreasing pumping from 15mins to 5mins so no pain or anything (as per Traceys advice)

I still do one breastfeed a day and there must be a supply sufficient there as DS sleeps till 7am and doesnt need another feed during the night

[949nikkirn]

SIMILAR PROBLEM----Ds is 6.5 months and is taking a bottle 7,11,4,7.  He seems to now only take 2-3 oz at the 11 feed. Is he too young to drop the 11 bottle?  If I wait a little bit longer like 12 then he might eat more, but then he wont be on EASY and he has been thriving on it since birth. Here is our sample schedule.

7am - 8 oz bottle
8am - 2-3 tblsp cereal, 1 #2 jar fruit
          play
9-11 - nap

11am - ONLY takes 2-3 oz of 8 oz bottle
            play
1:30-3ish - nap

3:30ish - 8 oz bottle
             play
5pm - 2-3 tblsp cereal, 1 #2 jar veggie
          play
7pm - 6-8 oz bottle
          play
7:30 - bed til morning

So, what is most important- the bottle or solids? Should I just drop the 11am bottle and feed lunch or give the 11 bottle a little bit later where he might take more?

[Portia]

Here we are 10 days later & things have been going well with 3 "milk" feeds per day...DS BFs consistently better than before...!  We tried putting solid meals together w/ BFing, found that DS wouldn't eat/nurse as much, and decided to keep them spaced apart a little for now...Our sample schedule is something like this:

6:30-7:00 wake up & BF
7:30-8:00 breakfast (1/4c oatmeal, 2oz. yogurt & 1/4c fruit puree &/or chunks)
9:00 maybe snack (fruit chunks & cheerios)
9:30-10:00 nap (usually 1 1/2 hours)
11:30 lunch (1/4-1/2c veggie puree &/or chunks, pasta or cheerios & fruit chunks)
1:30-2:00 BF & maybe snack (cheese chunks & cheerios)
2:30-3:00 nap (usually up to 1 hour, sometimes refuses)
4:30-5:00 dinner (2T chicken, 1/4-1/2c veggie puree &/or chunks, pasta & fruit chunks)
6:30 BF
7:00 bed

Anyone else having any luck...?

  Portia

[bheemeryck]

Hi Portia- I have had the exact same problems over the last month, what a relief to hear someone with the same questions! My ds LOVES food, he would way rather down a bowl of cereal- or his new favorite, meat- than BF. He feeds really well at 7, and it's a struggle most days to get him to BF at the other 3 feeds. I recently read the newest 'Baby Whisperer' book, and used the feeding schedules there, more of a bootle or BF after waking and then solids an hour or so later- not sure why but he's increased his liquid intake as a result. We recently started giving him a bottle of formula & breastmilk at his bedtime feed- that was a tough decision because like you I really wanted to be an 'exclusively breastfeeding mother' until 1 year... but I am much less stressed out knowing he's getting a full feeding at the end of the day. I'm not surre how it will affect my supply, so far it hasn't decreased but I'm hopeful we'll be able to continue most feeds for a couple more months.

I was very concerned about the amount of food he was taking in, but like you- I see the end goal as being switching to solid food, so I figure as long as he's gaining weight, has rolls of fat and seems happy, I guess we're doing something right!!

[kathrync]

I'm in the same situaton with regards three feeds. My son is 5 months old, and I have been bfeeding him. He went on solids at 15 weeks, which in itself distressed me, because when I was pregnant I was adamant that I would bfeed him until he was 6 months without introducing solids. That of course was until he started to want a feed every two hours, and began waking up in the middle of the night. I thought enough is enough.....bring on the baby rice!!
He is now on three meals a day, VERY healthy appetite, and has as much water as he wants (which isn't a whole lot, maybe 5/6 ozs a day) and only yesterday did I drop his bfeed with his tea. So as of yesterday he is on 3 milk feeds a day.
He is a big baby, has been since he was born (birth weight 9lbs 15ozs, 4.5kg), so now he has 3 solid feeds and 3 milk feeds a day, with as much water as I can coax into him. 
Am I correct in saying that as long as he as at least 1 pint of milk a day he'll be fine? Worst part will be weaning him onto the bottle, not looking forward to that!!
Thanks for letting me vent   

[sa]

total confused here  :?

last week, DS was ok-ish for the 1st bottle since he hasn't been eating whole night for 12 hours. then, the other 3 bottle only half or less finished.

so this week, i have tried dropped the 11am bottle. then move it to 1pm (1.5 hour after his solid lunch). he is not interested ... will only take half bottle.

problem is DS afternoon nap is 2pm to 4pm. so i tried give him a bottle at 4pm ... then he is not interested in his dinner at 5.30pm. when moved dinner time to 6pm, he wouldn't take any milk at bedtime around 7.30pm.

this is totally confusing ..... will it get better if i just keep trying with 3 bottles? or may be i will just have to live with 4 smaller amount bottles?

help ..........  :roll:

[momofgrace]

Well, I'm going to drop down to 3 breastfeeds tomorrow with Grace.  Today at the 11 she nursed for 2 minutes and then bit me!!! and then wouldn't take the other side.  I'm just hesitating between dropping the 11 o'clock feed (so the 3 feeds would be at 7, 3, 7 with solids at 8, 12,5)or combining the 11:00 and the 3:30 into one feed at 1:30 right before her second nap.
Any suggestions??
I'll let you know how it goes!
Amy

[NKmommy]

Hi Amy.  I am thinking of dropping to 3 bottles, and I will probably use your second plan.   I think I will give bottle at 7, breakfast at 8.  Then, when he wakes from morning nap, I will give lunch, and bottle before afternoon nap.  I will then give a snack, dinner around 5 ish, and bottle before bed. 


I think I am going to spread out the bottles this way so that DS is getting a bottle with each waking period.  I hope it works, and good luck to you!

[momofgrace]

Well today didn't end up going all that well.  I don't know if it was the change with feedings, but can't think of anything else.
I bf at 6:45 and then did solids at 7:30
She napped from 9:30-11:00
At 11, I offered her water in a sippy cup and she took about an ounce. I even sat her in my lap to see if she would show signs she wanted to nurse, but she didn't.
At 11:30, I gave her solids with a sippy cup of ebm and she drank an ounce or so.
At 1:30 (the new time), I gave her the sippy again and she downed 5oz, but when I put her down for her nap at 2:00, she never fell asleep.
She fussed and fussed, never really screaming, but never drifting off. Finally at 3:15, I offered her the breast and she seemed to take a full feeding.  She seemed very soothed but wouldn't full asleep.
What went wrong?  She's always been easy to get to go down for sleep.  Was the 1:30 too close to her nap? Should I just go back to the old routine or try again tomorrow.  I don't want to force dd into something she's not ready for.
Amy

[bheemeryck]

I'd give it one more day... she may have been a little off today, everyday is different!!

[Portia]

Hi everyone,

Sorry this post isn't a very timely response, we've had a crazy few days...

Anyhow, things are continuing to go well w/ 3 "milk" feeds per day.  I'm still spacing solids & BF apart as per my last posted schedule.  Sometimes DS even beats me to the BF cue between lunch & afternoon nap!  He BFs well for all 3 feeds, so I'm not as concerned about my milk supply anymore & haven't had to offer formula.  Solids are going well too, most meals are about 50% spoon feeding, 50% finger foods (plus water from a sippy).

DS does have an "off" day every now & then, but mostly seems to be thriving with our new arrangement.  I have to keep reminding myself that he's going through so many changes right now (TEETHING, learning to walk & talk).

As for those who've had questions regarding dropping the 11:00 "milk" feed, I found that it's more like consolidating the 11:00 feed with the 3:00/4:00 feed & sort of averaging them to find the right time.  My sense of logic guided me to (more or less) evenly space "milk" feeds (6:30am, 12:30pm & 6:30pm), this keeps them far enough from solid meal & nap times so all best interests are met.

I'm no expert, but I hope my shared experiences help!  Thanks for sharing yours as well, so good to know we're not alone in all of this!

Very best to you all,

  Portia

[momofgrace]

Thanks for the advice.  After yesterday with no PM nap, I need the encouragement to try again.  I think that yesterday maybe I bf too close to the afternoon nap and she is so used to EASY that it through her off!  So I'll try to stick closer to Portia's schedule for another try!
Thanks!
Amy

[sa]

not much sucess here actually.
for the past 3 days, DS wouldn't take a sip of the bedtime bottle.

7am and 11am bottle are both ok (ok-ish). so i thought may be i can try drop the 4pm one and see if he will take a full bottle at bedtime? no, he wouldn't. he has dinner 5pm and last bottle 7pm. is this too close?

today, he only has 2 bottle of about 8oz. very worrying.

should i just go with what DS telling me and drop the bedtime bottle?

[momofgrace]

Well, after giving it a few days things seem to be going better!  She is sleeping great and taking much longer feeds.  She now bf at 7, 1:30, 7 with solids at 8,11:30, and 5 and a snack of cheerios and water when she wakes up from her PM nap.  I also give her a sippy cup of bm at her lunch meal and she takes an oz. or two and I add bm to her rice cereal, so I know she's getting another 6 oz that way.
Are things going any better for you?

[sa]

finally we are on 3 bottles.
i dropped the 4pm bottle as i think 4pm bottle, 5-ish dinner and 7pm bottle again is too closed.

so, we have bottle 7am, 11am, and 7pm bedtime bottle.
solid at 8am, 12.30pm and 5pm.
nap: 9.30-11am and 2pm-4pm.

i also changed to SMA follow-up formula which the company said it's less milk in the formula which make room for solid food. many mothers said follow-up formula constipate baby so be careful if you really want to change. in our case i think it helps a great deal, as now sam has 3 full bottles plus 3 solid meals.

[mommy2two]

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:46 pm    Post subject:   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

so, we have bottle 7am, 11am, and 7pm bedtime bottle.
solid at 8am, 12.30pm and 5pm.
nap: 9.30-11am and 2pm-4pm.

Can you please post the quanity of formula/solids you feel your child.
Thank You!

[sa]

still doing 3 bottles a day: 7am, 11am, 7pm.
DS will only drink about 6oz max 7oz for each feed.

solid, i just give whatever DS wants. i cook his meal every day, i don't use ice cubes as many mothers do so i am not too sure of the quantities. i would say it's something like a stage 2 baby food jar.

hth

[Avery's mum]

My lo is 12 months old and I am still giving her four 8 oz. bottles a day of whole cow's milk.  She does well with a sippy cup but she was such a tiny wee thing for the longest time I am worried if I drop any of the bottles she will not be getting enough.  She eats table food as well as a bit of jarred baby food when she does not like what we are eating.  She eats 3 meals a day as well as a snack in the afternoon most days.  Am I safe to drop a bottle or two as long as she is offered a sippy at meals?

Thanks, Lyndsay

[Mia Louise's Mom]

Hi

I am also wondering about feeding solids. Mia is nearly 8 mths old and is on this schedule at the moment :

7 am  8oz bottle
9 am  breakfast
11.30 6 oz bottle followed by lunch
3.00  6 oz bottle
5.00  dinner
7.00  8 oz bottle

My problem/ question is that I don't really know how much in the way of solids is correct at each meal for her age. Mia just telds to eat what I give her and never leaves any or cries for food ! Any help please ?

[micah'smom]

i'm also having a hard time with 3 milk feeds. can any mamas with success help me?

ds is almost 6.5mo and has 4 bottles a day but for his 11 and 3:00 takes only 3 oz each. he also does one bottle in the middle of the night. he is also on solids 3 times a day but not much - about 2-3 oz. each sitting.

i am trying to use a sample schedule on here to combine the 11 and 3 bottle... but here's the thing - sometimes we still have 45 minute naps, and on top of that our ped recommended no protein until 9 months, no dairy until 12 months. so i can't give a "calcium/protein rich" snack. also what constitutes a "snack"? is he too young for cheerios or other finger foods?

agh! please help!