How to transition from breastfeeding to formula.
October 31, 2016 10:39 AM Subscribe
My baby is breastfeeding 7 times a day, plus a bottle of formula. How do we transition to just 4 or 5 feeds of formula a day?
I have a five month-old baby boy. He was exclusively breastfed the first three months and has been getting a bottle or two per day for three months due to reasons. Due to baby´s big brother and his own schedule, I have not been able to extend time between feeds (it ends up being easier to feed him more, but established times, than to wait and see when he'll be hungry). And so baby has 8 feeds in a 24 hour day (at 6.30am breast then 2 more hours of sleep, 9.30am short feed breast, 12.30pm short feed breast, 3.30pm 6oz. bottle, 6pm breast, 8pm breast, 10pm breast or bottle).
My sister, who has an exclusively formula fed baby who is only 10 days younger than mine, just feeds her 4 bottles in a day. So of course her day is a lot less hectic in that aspect.
I gave my baby a 7oz bottle last night at 8pm and wondered what would happen if I skipped the 10pm "dream feed". Well, baby slept through it and woke up 11 hours later. So I guess that means he doesn't need the dream feed anymore and I wonder what other feeds in the schedule are happening because I make them happen and not because he's hungry. So...I guess we're ready to go to exclusive formula (I only intended to breastfeed for 6 months and we're almost there). My question is...how do I transition from 8 feeds to just 4 or 5 a day? Be aware that during the day this baby naps for just 30 minutes at a time (2 or three naps a day).
I have a five month-old baby boy. He was exclusively breastfed the first three months and has been getting a bottle or two per day for three months due to reasons. Due to baby´s big brother and his own schedule, I have not been able to extend time between feeds (it ends up being easier to feed him more, but established times, than to wait and see when he'll be hungry). And so baby has 8 feeds in a 24 hour day (at 6.30am breast then 2 more hours of sleep, 9.30am short feed breast, 12.30pm short feed breast, 3.30pm 6oz. bottle, 6pm breast, 8pm breast, 10pm breast or bottle).
My sister, who has an exclusively formula fed baby who is only 10 days younger than mine, just feeds her 4 bottles in a day. So of course her day is a lot less hectic in that aspect.
I gave my baby a 7oz bottle last night at 8pm and wondered what would happen if I skipped the 10pm "dream feed". Well, baby slept through it and woke up 11 hours later. So I guess that means he doesn't need the dream feed anymore and I wonder what other feeds in the schedule are happening because I make them happen and not because he's hungry. So...I guess we're ready to go to exclusive formula (I only intended to breastfeed for 6 months and we're almost there). My question is...how do I transition from 8 feeds to just 4 or 5 a day? Be aware that during the day this baby naps for just 30 minutes at a time (2 or three naps a day).
If you can skip the 10pm and your baby sleeps 11 hours, then it looks like you can turn the 6:30am and the 9:30am into one feed when your baby wakes up. And I do remember my doctor saying that formula is more filling than breast milk (I mean keeps the baby from getting hungry again for a longer period) so keep that in mind when you are spacing out your feeds.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 11:09 AM on October 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 11:09 AM on October 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Is there any reason you aren't doing solid foods yet? I started my daughter at 5mo on solids when she was feeding like 8-10x a day. Yogurt is a good one to start with if you don't want to do cereals.
posted by frecklefaerie at 12:38 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by frecklefaerie at 12:38 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: He just turned 5 months so I'm thinking I'll start him on solids in about 2 weeks when I get back from a short trip. Don't want to leave my mom with any extra work while she's taking care of my kids.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 2:22 PM on October 31, 2016
posted by CrazyLemonade at 2:22 PM on October 31, 2016
(The APA, among others, does recommend waiting until 6 months to start solid foods for infants.)
posted by jillithd at 2:36 PM on October 31, 2016
posted by jillithd at 2:36 PM on October 31, 2016
Our pediatrician had a recommended amount of formula by age and IIRC it was about 32oz a day (but my dude is close to a year so... I'd check on the guidelines from your dr). The one thing that our doctor was firm on was no more than 6 oz at a time. We 4 six ounce bottles and 2 four once bottles through the day.
We'd do:
Wake up - 6 oz
Nap 1 - 6 oz
Wake up - 4 oz
Nap 2 - 6 oz
Wake up - 4 oz
Bedtime - 6 oz.
That's more feeds than you're targeting. I'm a little surprised about your nephew having only 4 bottles a day. Do you know how many ounces those are?
If you're starting solids, the key thing our doctor said was that it's only practice for the first few months and that formula (or breast milk) is the main source of their nutrition. You'd need to keep the same amount of formula until they're older (my guy dropped to 28oz in the last few months but we did that based on him consistently being too full to finish his bottle for a few weeks).
posted by toomanycurls at 2:50 PM on October 31, 2016
We'd do:
Wake up - 6 oz
Nap 1 - 6 oz
Wake up - 4 oz
Nap 2 - 6 oz
Wake up - 4 oz
Bedtime - 6 oz.
That's more feeds than you're targeting. I'm a little surprised about your nephew having only 4 bottles a day. Do you know how many ounces those are?
If you're starting solids, the key thing our doctor said was that it's only practice for the first few months and that formula (or breast milk) is the main source of their nutrition. You'd need to keep the same amount of formula until they're older (my guy dropped to 28oz in the last few months but we did that based on him consistently being too full to finish his bottle for a few weeks).
posted by toomanycurls at 2:50 PM on October 31, 2016
I think snickerdoodle's schedule is almost exactly what both my kids followed.
posted by areaperson at 7:08 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by areaperson at 7:08 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
To be honest, it really depends on the kid. My formula fed niece was down to four bottles a day at five months and my formula fed son is still taking five or six bottles at eight months (around 28oz). Solid food helps, but even that is dependent on the baby, some eat consistently earlier than others: my son eats more food at 8 months than his sister did at a year old, for example, and she never drank fewer than six bottles of formula a day until she transitioned to cow's milk in a sippy cup.
Feed when hungry! That said, my instinct would suggest you drop that 10pm feed asap, he doesn't need it at this point.
posted by lydhre at 7:13 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Feed when hungry! That said, my instinct would suggest you drop that 10pm feed asap, he doesn't need it at this point.
posted by lydhre at 7:13 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Our schedule - roughly! - for comparison:
6:30am - wake up and 6oz
9:30am - 6oz and nap
12:00pm - solid food lunch
1:30pm - 6oz and nap
5:00pm - 4ish oz to keep him happy
6:30 - solid food dinner
7:30 - 7oz and bedtime
Works out great! He has an extra nap in the afternoon if he's tired, but he'a got it down pat otherwise.
posted by lydhre at 7:17 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
6:30am - wake up and 6oz
9:30am - 6oz and nap
12:00pm - solid food lunch
1:30pm - 6oz and nap
5:00pm - 4ish oz to keep him happy
6:30 - solid food dinner
7:30 - 7oz and bedtime
Works out great! He has an extra nap in the afternoon if he's tired, but he'a got it down pat otherwise.
posted by lydhre at 7:17 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I agree that 5mo is too early for solids -- but I do have a soft spot for starting baby-led weaning early-ish. If the kid is old enough to pick up a stalk of steamed broccoli and successfully gnaw on it... At any rate, I wouldn't try hard to reduce feeds, but if you want to mix them up, do look in to "baby-led weaning" (where 'weaning' means 'starting to wean on to solids,' and not weaning from milk via breast/bottle).
I would also try to not schedule -- strict scheduling is associated with failure to thrive -- follow your baby's cues, hunger-wise.
posted by kmennie at 8:20 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I would also try to not schedule -- strict scheduling is associated with failure to thrive -- follow your baby's cues, hunger-wise.
posted by kmennie at 8:20 PM on October 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers. Just like with everything else related to parenting, the baby ends up having the final word, but it's good to have at least a vague idea of whats what.
Since kmennie mentioned baby-led weaning: I actually took an online course in BLW from a pediatrician and really liked it. I don't think I'll do everything she said, but I like the main idea of letting babies learn to eat their way... with my first kid I had the wrong idea and made a lot of mistakes.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 10:27 PM on October 31, 2016
Since kmennie mentioned baby-led weaning: I actually took an online course in BLW from a pediatrician and really liked it. I don't think I'll do everything she said, but I like the main idea of letting babies learn to eat their way... with my first kid I had the wrong idea and made a lot of mistakes.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 10:27 PM on October 31, 2016
The thing with BLW (in my view) is that it doesn't matter too much if you start it "too early" - the kid will play with food, might nibble a bit but if they are not ready they won't eat.
I realise this doesn't directly address the boob/formula issue, but starting BLW now to see if the kid might be ready to add a tiny bit of solids to the mix wouldn't hurt.
posted by altolinguistic at 2:35 AM on November 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I realise this doesn't directly address the boob/formula issue, but starting BLW now to see if the kid might be ready to add a tiny bit of solids to the mix wouldn't hurt.
posted by altolinguistic at 2:35 AM on November 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
There are all sorts of views on the solid thing. I started my otherwise exclusively breastfed baby with BLW at 5 months (but she didn't eat any appreciable amounts until over a year) because I heard it was optimal for the introduction of certain allergens.
So...I guess we're ready to go to exclusive formula (I only intended to breastfeed for 6 months and we're almost there). My question is...how do I transition from 8 feeds to just 4 or 5 a day? Be aware that during the day this baby naps for just 30 minutes at a time (2 or three naps a day).
The problem with comparing your kiddo's eating patterns with a formula fed baby is that breastfed babies, in my experience, feed way more often--the amount they can eat is limited by the amount your boobs can hold. They also are likely to sleep shorter durations. The pay-off for this is that frequency of feeding keeps your milk supply up--the number of letdowns is what keeps supply robust.
For comparison, in case you think you're doing something wrong, I've breastfed my kid completely on demand until . . . well, we're still doing it and she's nearly 3. Her frequencies were:
~12-20 times a day through 6 months
~10-12 times a day through age 2
~4-6 times a day until now
So! In your position, since you want to wean, I'd simply start replacing the daytime breastfeeds with larger bottle feeds. Give a bottle feed at 9:30, see if he's hungry for the next feed, give one at 6, likewise.
I'd probably leave the 6:30 feeding as the last to go, but I'm a sucker for 2 more hours of sleep.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:22 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
So...I guess we're ready to go to exclusive formula (I only intended to breastfeed for 6 months and we're almost there). My question is...how do I transition from 8 feeds to just 4 or 5 a day? Be aware that during the day this baby naps for just 30 minutes at a time (2 or three naps a day).
The problem with comparing your kiddo's eating patterns with a formula fed baby is that breastfed babies, in my experience, feed way more often--the amount they can eat is limited by the amount your boobs can hold. They also are likely to sleep shorter durations. The pay-off for this is that frequency of feeding keeps your milk supply up--the number of letdowns is what keeps supply robust.
For comparison, in case you think you're doing something wrong, I've breastfed my kid completely on demand until . . . well, we're still doing it and she's nearly 3. Her frequencies were:
~12-20 times a day through 6 months
~10-12 times a day through age 2
~4-6 times a day until now
So! In your position, since you want to wean, I'd simply start replacing the daytime breastfeeds with larger bottle feeds. Give a bottle feed at 9:30, see if he's hungry for the next feed, give one at 6, likewise.
I'd probably leave the 6:30 feeding as the last to go, but I'm a sucker for 2 more hours of sleep.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:22 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Which is to say: your babs is very unlikely not eating 7 oz at any single breastfeeding session now. So replacing those feeds with larger bottle feeds should nudge your kid in the right direction.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:40 AM on November 1, 2016
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:40 AM on November 1, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I want to mark every answer as a best answer cause I really appreciate the help. I never really like to discuss things like this with our pediatrician, I'd rather hear what other moms have to say to get ideas and then do our own thing.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 11:56 AM on November 1, 2016
posted by CrazyLemonade at 11:56 AM on November 1, 2016
« Older Do you speak Donald Duck-ese? | Where can I find these discontinued glasses frames... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 10:47 AM on October 31, 2016