Ok to dillute feeds/give water at 14 weeks?

[clarapist]

I believe my LO is getting plenty of food during the day (30-32 oz and he probably weighs 14-15 lbs).
He'll wake up b/n 3-4am and it SEEMS like he's hungry (eating his hands) and gets REALLY ticked off if I try to give him the paci.  Then when I try to feed him, he only takes 2-3oz. 
Is it too early to try to dilute the formula/give him water? I am afraid that he is getting into the habit of needing the bottle overnight to get to sleep.
At nap and bedtimes, he is a self soother- I can put him down awake and walk away about 90% of the time (unless he's battled 45 min naps all day, and is overtired for the last nap).

So, is 30-32 oz enough for him??  Last night, my DH gave him 4 oz at 5am b/c he seemed to want more (this made for a total of 34 oz) and then he wasn't very interested in taking a full feed at his first feeding.

THANKS

[LŠuren]

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=67933.0

clarapist,
There's no single answer -- it depends on your baby's age, weight, and other factors. Here is the link to the guideline formula.

My gut feeling is 14 weeks is too young, and your LO is probably hungry - however you are the best judge of this.  Has your Lo experience the 4 month growth spurt yet?


Please bear in mind that these are rough guidelines, and your health visitor will be able to advise you on the right amount of formula for your baby as he grows. Also, these guidelines don't apply to premature babies or babies with a low birth weight -- again, ask your health visitor for advice if your baby falls into one of these two groups.

[SallyDom]

I can't remember how old my little boy was, propbably about 16 weeks, but I started to dilute the bottles down if he woke after about 4.30am cos it affected his daytime eating. If he had a 'proper' bottle he would sometimes go until 9 or 10am before he wanted to eat. He was drinking a full bottle though so I was putting maybe 4oz of milk into 8oz water. I suppose there's an argument that if he could drink 8oz at this time he needed it but it meant he hardly drank the next day and put his EASY out so I thought it was worth it (plus my mother in law scared me and said my husband had a night feed until he was 2 cos he got used to having those night time calories).
Ae you dreamfeeding? I did it from about 8 weeks until about 16 weeks and he never really drank much, he was always too sleepy so I stopped. I recently started it again (24 weeks) and he would drink pretty much 8oz and started sleeping through from then.
I'm not sure if I did the right thing diluting but it worked for us,
Sal
x

[jacksmomns]

lo drinks plenty during the day 10 weeks- when night waking not sure if hungry and don't want a habit to emerge--when do you start offering less or dilute at night?  I know lo at this age may need night feedings still-but last night he didn't wake for it, so if he did it once.....wondering how you know when its time to wean night feedings and how to go about it  any thoughts? thanks!

[SallyDom]

Jacksmomns, congrats, was that his 1st sleep through? I always think if they can do it once they can do it again!

I think the general rule is if they are waking but aren't really drinking much (as in only 1-2oz) they aren't really hungry. Or, if they wake at the same time every night then it is habitual waking, but I aren't sure if a 10 week old could do habitual waking, at that age I think it maybe that they still need the milk.

Good luck tonight, let us know how he sleeps
Sal
x

[jacksmomns]

thanks for responding and for the encouragement! It was his 1rst sleep through-actually did wake but put himself back-yay! Hoping for the best tonight--anyone know if at 10 wks the can habit wake?   HIlary

[clarapist]

I am just not sure what to do. My LO wakes at 4:00 and I watch him on the monitor. He's wide awake, I wait 1/2 hour and I have to admit I don't think I ever let me get to a big cry- he just kinda yells.  I gave him 3 oz last night (2 oz formula and 1 oz water) and he went right back to sleep.  I feel like I am creating his habit. Should I try stopping cold turkey, turn off the monitor and just see if he wakes me by crying???

[SallyDom]

My little boy has just been through a stage of waking and shouting (not crying just shouting) but not really being hungry. He's just got another tooth and had an ear infection though so think it was that.
I nearly always left him until he started to properly cry on the off chance that he went back to sleep but for a while he didn't go back to sleep and it resulted in one of us having to go in and resettle him. I've felt more tired in the last few weeks then ever before so I know how you must feel laid there listening to him yell when he should be fast asleep.
We've actually started putting the monitor in the hallway so we can hear him if he cries but before it was next to my husbands head so we heard ever sound...extremely annoying at 5am!   
I haven't been much help but wanted to let you know I was thinking of you, one thought I have had is that if he was properly hungry would he wake up and play, I would have thought he'd be more likely to wake and cry for food immediately (I don't want to tell you not to feed your baby though, am just letting you know my thoughts!). On the other hand if it means you can feed him a couple of oz and he quickly goes back to sleep it's tempting, saves you having to listen to him play for ages and then get up anyway.
Sal
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Sal
x

[clarapist]

ARRRGHHH! Just when I think I understandwhat he's doing- he goes and changes the game!
Yesterday, he got fed every 3 hours, including a dream feed at 10:45.  He wakes around 2:15!  I let him go till 3 when he got mad. He only ate 2.5 oz (I still diluted 2oz formula +1 oz H20) and went back to sleep, HOWEVER, woke up EARLY today (usual is 7:30-7:40- today was about 6:15. I let him doze till 6:45 and he was eating his hands, and seemingly hungry. So, I started the day earlier today. He took a full (almost) bottle of 5.25.  Could this be the growth spurt? He was pretty crabby yesterday? I'm going to post a poll on 3 month growth spurt.

[jacksmomns]

does he always wake around the 215 mark--wondering about the habit as he doesnt eat mauch before going back to sleep. It could be the growth spurt-i am approaching this soon also-try adding another ounce to day bottles is one idea i've heard. my lo eats his hands even when self-soothing, so sometimes its hard to know!  was he upset at that point?  Hilary

[clarapist]

That's just it- for the past week, he has been waking around 4:00 and I thought for sure that it was habit, but last night it was 2:15 and that was only 3 hours after the dream feed. ARRRGH!
I let him go about 30 minutes and by that point he was realllyyy upset.  At first, I just picked him up, and he seemed to go back to sleep, but then he woke right up and was crying.  Again, he only drank 2.5 oz, so is that hunger and he needed a top off?  I wish he'd just tell me!

[jacksmomns]

gosh-i dont think i know the answer-others might say that since he only drank a little bit that he may not be really hungry-but when they are so upset we resort to the food-i'd do the same thing.  Its so frustrating-especially in the night!  Why can't it be easier?

[shimzy]

My daughter does the same thing. The way I see it is, she doesnt take a consistent amount during the day.. ranges from 2.5 oz to 6oz (depending on how hungry she is, we are on 3 hour EASY).

So when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she takes .5oz to 2oz.. once she took 3 oz..But I know that she isnt taking enough during the day (should be having 27+oz and is taking MAYBE 22 on average) So I do feed her despite her only taking those small amounts. Until she can show me that she can eat her calories for the day I will not cut out her night time feedings.

Edited to Add: She is on the largest teat size for her bottle etc so we are working on getting more oz into her, but if your lo is anything like mine, when they slam those gums shut, there is nothing going in 

Just my two cents.... 

[LŠuren]

Shimzy - are you on a 3hr EASY? At your Lo's age Calum was on a 3.5hr EASY, because he was NOT hungry at the 3hr mark at all. We ended up going to 4hr EASY at about 15weeks.

[shimzy]

calums mom - The only problem with moving her to a longer easy (IE: 3 hour to 3.5 hour).. is her awake times. She has enough trouble staying awake for 1.25 hours..for the A.

Mind you - we are just fixing that right now. You see I wasnt keeping her up long enough becuase she was yawning at like 45 mins... (she's 10wks now) so I would put her down. She would only nap 45-1 hour.. and sometimes skip feeds all together.

So at the moment I am extending her A time to 1.25 hours (so far so good today) and I put her back in a full swaddle and her naps have been great all day. She has also eaten at each feed but not as much as Id like to see her eat...

When I get that A time worked out I'll try to work on extending the actual EASY and see how things go. I still feed her on the 3 hour mark...

On a 3.5 EASY is she up for 1.5 hours? soooo like this

6am eat
8am sleep
9:30 eat
11 sleep

??