Dropping bottles

[Sarah O]

Hey guys,

Anyone else's babes drop the early morning feed before any others?  This seems odd to me because everything I've read seems to say that waking and bedtime bottles stick around longer than the others but my 8 mo DD no longer seems to want her morning bottle (she's on 3 meals/day)...and what's weirder is that my 8mo DS doesn't seem to want it either but he's not even well established with solids yet.  Anyone know if dropping bottles is an age thing or is it directly related to how many solids are being eaten?  Surely they can't start dropping calories until they're making up for them in solids?? And if that's true what's my DS up to, LOL?!?!

I am still DFing them at around 10pm because they were both ill and since then have been hungrier than normal but maybe DF'ing affects their interest in their morning bottle?  They dont' seem ready to be weaned from that though because they are usually waking for the feed lately so obviously they're hungry.

Thanks!

Sarah

[LŠuren]

Sarah
How old are both of your LO's

I think that the dreamfeed should be stopped around 7months, this may be your problem.  I believe from reading other posts its usually the lunch time bottle that go first so it looks more like 3 bottles at 7am/1 or 2pm /6 or 7pm.

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54662.0

HTh's

[Sarah O]

Hi, thanks for replying.  My babies are 8 months old.  I understand about the 7 month DF dropping but what I'm asking is, what do you do if your babies wake for a feed at that time because they're actually hungry (as opposed to just accepting the DF out of habit)?  I really don't "get" how to add ounces to daytime bottles when my two are already eating until they're full.  And do you have any info about why babies drop bottles - is it because they're making up for calories already thru solids or is it just age related or....?

Thanks!

Sarah

[LŠuren]

I think its more that they get it through solids.

How many oz's of milk do they get in a day?
What solids do they eat and how often?

Just so we can see if there is anywhere more can be slipped in.

[tylersmommy]

The DF is almost definitely affecting their interest in the morning bottle. If you gradually cut back on the amount you give in the DF, then they'll usually adjust on their own during the day. It can take a couple of weeks to get things sorted, but that usually does the trick.

[Sarah O]

Thanks for your help guys!  But I'm going to be a pain the rear here and ask...what would you do if your babies DF's ranged in amount from 3 oz to 8 oz?  How do you gradually reduce the amount when it goes up and down so much from day to day?  I feel like maybe I'm the only mother in the world with such inconsistent feeders!

Calums_Mum, to answer your questions...

DD
Formula consumption: Anywhere from 35 oz down to 14 oz daily (on a really bad day), with an average of about 30 oz.
Soldis consumption: Peaked at three HUGE meals (3 cubes fruit/veg plus 3T cereal or tofu or yogurt) plus a snack and has since gone down to two smaller meals per day (I think she had a huge 'spurt' when she recovered from her illness..much weight to gain back)

DS
Formula consumption: 28 oz to 36 oz...usually about 32 oz daily
Solids consumption: It's been a real problem....only in the last 4 days has he started to eat solids, and it's probably about the same amount as his sister now, though he doesn't eat protein yet cuz I'm trying to introduce all the foods slowly to him despite his late start.

Sarah

[tylersmommy]

Sarah-

If they're inconsistent feeders, you could go one of 2 ways. One is cold turkey, treat it like a night waking. Since they're waking for the feed and they're obviously hungry, I don't know if that's the best route. The other way is, like I said, reducing the amount in the bottle gradually. I kind of think it's a coin toss what amount you choose as your starting point, whether it's 3 oz or 8 oz. You could also pick an amount in between. Your best bet for the least amount of unhappiness is to start with 8 oz. Cut back to 7 oz for a few nights, then cut back to 6 for a few, etc. If it happens to be a night where one of them takes less than that, oh well. If one of them takes less than that for a couple nights in a row, you might have a new starting point, KWIM?

[JoC]

Sarah,
I'm no expert, but my ds is nearly 7 months and having DF. I started it as he was not sleeping through, and now is, till well past 7 most mornings! Anyway, I read on these pages that you can put more water in the bottle than formula and cut back that way, so you are not going cold turkey. We are down to 2/3 oz formula in 4/5 oz water at the moment, this depends on how much of the 7pm bottle he drank. I want to now cut it out, SCARED he will wake at night!!! My friend says just keep it for now as he has only been sleeping through for 3 weeks. They may go crazy the first night, which he did, but after that he slept through (AMAZINGLY). This way they MAY be more hungry in the morning as they have only has 2/3 ounces of formula.
Hope this helps.