dropping dream feed once solids are introduced

[Wannabeam]

Hi Ladies

My LO is 6months old and my pediatrician has told me she only needs two milk feeds a day and three to five small meals of solids a day. We started weaning at 4months and she now eats three small meals a day. I have actually been sticking to 500ml of formula a day which has turned out to be 3-5 bottles a day (my LO only drink 4-5 ounces at a time never 7 or 8). But I want to drop the dream feed now as she happily sleeps through from 7pm to 7am. Should I increase the day feeds if I drop the dream feed? Problem is, if I offer more formula during the day she won't eat her food. And formula only satisfies her for short periods of time, she gets hungry.

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[skunkpixie]

Heya.

As far as I am aware the current guidline we have here in the UK is that babies still need 500-600ml of formula or breast milk a day until they turn 1 AS WELL AS meals and snacks. Milk still needs to play a big part in your baby's diet. xxx

 

[mommy0629]

Heya.

As far as I am aware the current guidline we have here in the UK is that babies still need 500-600ml of formula or breast milk a day until they turn 1 AS WELL AS meals and snacks. Milk still needs to play a big part in your baby's diet. xxx

It's the same in the US, solid food should be in addition to their bm or formula, not substituting it. 2 bottles a day? Idk, I'd don't think that's enough for a 6 month old you really shouldn't be cutting down on the amount of formula and replacing it with food until really close to 1 year. As they grow and their appetite gets bigger, you keep adding in more solids but the amount of bm or formula should stay the same.

Anyway, to answer your question about the dream feed - how far into her sleep does she have it? Does she already have a bottle right before bed? If not can you give it then instead? If she's too full from solids to take the formula, cut back on her meal portions so she can follow them up with a bottle.

 

[Lou+Bubs]

I dropped my little girls dreamfeed when she stopped been interested in her first morning bottle.This was her way of telling me she didnt need it any more!

 

[Wannabeam]

thanks ladies. I'll continue as I am then as i have managed to give three meals a day and 500ml of formula for the last two months. I knew i was right to do what I thought was best despite the doctors advice. Now that u ladies agree with me I'll have no problem following my gut from now on. keeping dreamfeed for now as she has a cold so isn't eating enough to begin with, O the joys of winter lol!

 

[dizz]

We were taking above the recommended levels of formula (hungry baby catching up with her full-term peers) so I dropped it down gradually to being pretty much bang on the recommendations - which included losing the dream feed to do this - which we just did by reducing it very very gradually by an oz or so a week until eventually going without it completely... but we'd pretty much realised it was a "well... since you're offering it would be rude not to..." type situation!

 

[Wannabeam]

We were taking above the recommended levels of formula (hungry baby catching up with her full-term peers) so I dropped it down gradually to being pretty much bang on the recommendations - which included losing the dream feed to do this - which we just did by reducing it very very gradually by an oz or so a week until eventually going without it completely... but we'd pretty much realised it was a "well... since you're offering it would be rude not to..." type situation!

wow ,that's great do be able to drop formula. I've always had the opposite struggle with trying to get LO to take enough formula. Luckily once 4months came around and we started weaning and she was 'off' her formula and wasn't interested which meant that it didn't matter that she was only down to 700ml of formula because she was more than ready for solids! Then by 6months she had dropped down to 550ml of formula, and now that we are off the comfort formula she finds it harder to drink as much at a time so we are down to 500ml of formula, hoping we will shoot back up to 550mlor 600ml soon when her tummy gets used to the thinner 6month+ formula. We changed the teet size backto 0-6months which helped stop the fast flow, and I am mixing formula in her food. Guess some babies are beter with a mix of formula and solids