advice on dropping DF w/ 7 mo

[nona]

I hope this is the right section to ask about dropping the DF. We've DF forever but the last month I've been inconsistent trying to see if I can just go cold turkey. I would like to drop it b/c my LO wakes when I pick him up for it and sometimes he lets out a little cry (prob b/c i scare him or disrupt his sleep). He is also very heavy. I've recently lowered the mattress and there is no way he will sleep through w/ me lowering the railing to pick up for the feed.

BUT, he is not sleeping through the night. I had a couple of weeks around 5.5 months but then he switched from 3 to 2 naps and he has not slept through much since. His naps are usually decent about 1.5-2 hours. So, if I don't do the DF he wakes about two times. The longest stretch is about 5 hours in the first half of the night.    With the DF, he usually only wakes once. I never in my wildest dreams thought he would still be waking up now! I didn't get that memo when i got pregnant...

He has been on solids for about 6 weeks. I am offering approx 3 oz for breakfast and lunch. He is a big baby > 22 lbs 29 in   - do you think I should increase solids and/or add dinner? He can easily eat 4 oz but I stop after 3oz. (Otherwise, he won't stop eating so it is hard to know when to stop.) I doubt it'll help but I can hope....

sorry for the random info just curious what to do about this darn dreamfeed!

[Sharondp]

Hi Heather
Would you believe it's 3.50am and here I am BW'ing!  For some strange reason, the sleep fairy just doesn't want to visit me tonight - I have a really bad cold so I just can't sleep!

Anyway - back to your post!

Leo dropped the dream feed himself, but it was when we started 3 solid meals a day, and I mean meals i.e breakfast is cereal & yoghurt, lunch is something like chicken or fish with veg, followed by fruit, a similar meal at dinner, then a bottle around 7pm before bed.

When we first went without his DF, Leo hadn't taken a lot of his usual 6pm bottle so I fed him again at 8pm, and he went through the night, probably because his tummy was full.

You may want to give him more solids at dinner, then put his usual bedtime feed back a bit and see how you go from there. Does he wake if you don't wake him?

ANother suggestion I've heard is to bring the DF earlier each night until it eventually coincides with the bedtime feed.

I know what you mean about him being heavy - we've also lowered the mattress base and Leo is a big boy too - it will be easier when they can pull to standing, but I'm sure that will create a whole new load of problems! 

HTH
Sharon
x

[*Mona*]

hi

I would up the amount of solids during the day AND start offering him less and less milk at DF every few days.

BUT can youpost your routine? including the amounts of food he's having?
thanks

\monika

[nona]

thanks for the response. last night, i did not do DF. i nursed him before bed and then we heard him laughing about 5 minutes later and he was trying to reach for the monitor....so to make a long story short, we had to move the monitor and so cade went to sleep about an hour later than normal. i didn't want to disrupt his sleep so i just didn't do it. the good news is that he only woke once @ 12:45am and then slept through until 7ish...so that is great!!!! I"m sure it is a fluke!

re: doing DF earlier & earlier OR giving less each time means i still have to pick him up and wake him to do the DF KWIM? do you think that is better than just going cold turkey? there doesn't seem to be a pattern if i do the DF or not w/ regards to number of NWs.

Re: solids - i do not measure, just eyeball it.

here is our ideal routine:

E 7 wake/BF
A 8 solids - 2 oz cereal w/ fruit mixed in; usually offer a cup of water (approx 15 ml) sometimes i add a little pear or prune juice - he does not drink all of it
(9 am - he frequently wants to nurse again here??? don't understand why?)
S 10 (1.5-2 hr)
E 12 BF
A 1p solids - 2 oz veggie + 1 oz fruit; offer cup of water
S 3 (1.5-2)
E 5 BF
A take a walk or run errand, bath, jammies
E 7:15 ish BF
S 7:30 ish

This morning I gave him 2 oz oatmeal mixed w/ prune juice and then added about 1 oz mixed fruit. He acted like he wanted more so I gave him about 1 oz of pear/blueberries (4 oz total). Yesterday for lunch, I gave him 2 oz peas w/ brown rice and 2 oz pear/blueberry.

So you think I should add dinner AND increase the amount at breakfast & lunch?

Thanks!