Jo
Sorry for the delay, so I have come on mega early this morning to reply. Usual routine was:
Wake 6-7am
7am - 6oz bottle & cereal (was 4 tablesp - upped to 5 as of yesterday) leaves 1-2 oz milk
9am sleep
11am feed (wondering if this should be a bit later now) 4cubes (1oz cubes) veg then 2 oz fruit/ baby yoghurt
What make you think that the 11am feed should be moved later? Usually, this is a classic sign that your LO wants to move to 3 bottles per day. However, I see you still have a DF in place so you
would'nt start cutting out any day time bottles until you have weaned the DF.
The df should be stopped around 7months, as this is the time that your LO is on 3 meals per day. All the DF does at this is age is take away your LO's hunger the following day during the core day hours. i.e. wake 'til bedtime.
At this age it isn't so much the solids that is her main nurishment, but her milk. From the routine you posted she doesn't take that much during the day (unless I am reading it wrong).
How much do you offer at the DF? Here is the info on dropping the DF;
How to stop the dream feed…from Tracy’s Book “The Baby Whisperer Solves All of Your Problems”.
The process of cutting out the dream feed – usually around 7 months – is to be done in 3-day increments, to insure that your baby makes up during the day what you’re taking away at night.
Day 1: Add one ounce to the first feed of the day, and take away 1 ounce from the dream feed that night. If you’re breastfeeding, go back to clustering so that you get more calories in. Give the dream feed (now 1 ounce less) half an hour earlier, at 10:30 instead of 11.
Day 4: Add one ounce to the first feed, one to the second, and take away two ounces from the dream feed. Give the dream feed (two ounces less) at 10.
Day 7: Add once ounce to the first feed, once to the second, one to the third, take away three ounces from the dream feed, and give it at 9:30.
Days 10 (dream feed at 9pm), 14 ( 8 :30) 17 (8:00 ) and 20 (7:30): By continuing every 3 days to add ounces during the day and take away the same amount from the dream feed, you will end up doing a feed at 7:30 with only a few ounces.
Note: If your little one doesn’t take that extra ounce(s) that is offered during the day, that is ok….they might not take to drinking more right away during the day, but it is there if they want it.
I suggest cutting out the dream feed at around seven months, as your baby starts to get solid food in him. If you continue to give it, you’re working against the introduction of solid food, because for every 25 5Th/Ounce of extra liquid your baby takes, he won’t be hungry for 25 gram/an ounce of solid food. However, as the box indicates, when you cut out the dream feed, you have to add the same number of ml or grams or ounces to the day feed. If you don’t, your baby will wake up at night.
Also...the above is taken from Tracy's book "SAYP - p123". Every baby is different though so there may be variations of the above "how to" that work - including dropping it cold turkey.
Jo, I am going to shift this post to bottlefeeding.
Lauren