Refusal of dreamfeed!

[Debi - James' Mama]

Can anyone offer any advice?

I have a 27 week old DS (who weighs 19lb 2oz) and he has tonight refused his DF!

He usually takes a full 8oz bottle but would not entertain the idea of any tonight.  Up until now he has been having "solids" at only one or two meals (from 4 months old) but i have given him them at all three today.  Could this be the reason he has refused his DF?  Our routine looked something like this today:

6am - wake
7am - 7oz formula
8am - banana cereal with formula (about 1oz)

11am - solids (chicken and veg)  probably the eqivalent of 2oz of milk then banana for dessert (only half!)
12pm - 6-7oz formula

3pm - solids as lunch (without banana)
4pm - 6-7oz formula

NO CAT NAP BUT WALK IN BUGGIE AND SHOPPING

7pm - 5-6oz formula

7.45pm bed.

This is our usual routine but with less solids.  He has been taking i suppose about 2oz of solids at each meal.

Is this refusal of DF normal?  Am just waiting now for him to wake in the middle of the night for a bottle, if he does - should i give him one or should i just ride it out and try and wait until the morning.

We're not really used to him waking in the night as he's slept through from 9 weeks old (i know we are blessed with an angel baby!!!!!).  Should we cut out the DF all together if he goes through tonight OK?

Hope someone has a little advise for us.

[Holly n Harvie]

At that age and weight they should be able to sustain them through the night. I stopped Harvie's DF at 4 months and haven't looked back. Just stop doing it and see what happens. As long as they are getting enough food during the day they will be fine. Harvie is 9kg (almost 20lbs) and he goes down at 7:30 PM and doesn't move all night long and wakes at 6:30 but today he didn't wake till 7:20 (gave mummy a sleep in  ) Gotta love him.

[Deb_in_oz]

i would say the extra solids could be the reason.  olivia has always varied her amounts for the DF - see how tonight goes and then it is your call.

since you have only just increased to 3 meals i woudl say give it a week and see if he continues to take more solids and less Df and see what the result is.


basically the advice for BW is to keep the DF until solids are firmly established and enough calories have been added in the day to make up for the loss of Df (for most people who start solids at 6 mo this is 7-8 mo, but since everyone starts at different times and all babies are different it is up to you who knows your lo to decide when to drop it).

  an 8 oz DF is quite a lot of calories to make up so although he refused Df i think that if he wakes later he could be hungry so would offer at least a  4 oz bottle IMO.  if he does wake up in the night b/c of no DF i think that tells you to keep it up until he is more firmly on 3 full meals (not just 2 oz per meal)


what time have you been giving the Df previously? if it was 10-10:30 and he refuses you could try 11pm.  if he does take Df it is likely you will start seeing the amount decrease and that is what we would want in the long run as you will eventiually wean him off of it.

[Debi - James' Mama]

Thanks for the advice!

He woke up in the night but managed to get him back to sleep without feed (didn't think he was too hungry) and he woke at 7am!

Will see how we go tonight with the df and hopefully he will start taking more solids during the day and we can wean him of it altogther!.

Thanks again - will ket you know how it goes.