Confused about feeding times....

[Chocoholism]

5 and a bit month old currently has feeds every 3 hrs of about 5-6 oz and has 6 bottles a day. Done this since always although the amount has increased.
Should I be aiming for 4 hourly feeds? How does that work In the sense that she will only then have 4 bottles a day, 5 if I do a dream feed, so she would have less milk if only has 5-6 oz still or would she start to take more at each feed? I think she may go 4 hourly possibly as she doesn't necessarily cry for feeds I just stuck to what we did and she mostly takes it too, sometimes she only takes 4oz in morning which baffles me as she hasn't had milk since the previous nights Dreamfeed.
I'm so confused about it and unfortunately my HV isn't that helpful and to be honest last time i went she was so distracted that I felt she didn't listen to me. Any help/ advice be appreciated

[Littlef00t]

Yes, I think you would increase the amount of milk per feed. If not taking much in the morning might be ready to drop the dream feed?

[katemyn]

Plead don't worry about sticking to these 'rules' about how often you should feed/nap etc. your baby will let you know when they need food and will set there own routines. If your baby starts crying for milk after 3 hours you can't withhold it for an hour to ensure they stick to a schedule that your trying to impose! As long as he's getting a decent amount of milk and is putting on weight the way they should, Just go with what your baby tells you and you'll both be happy and less stressed! X

[Chocoholism]

Thank you, she never cried for milk really so that's why I wonder should I wait longer, I feel like I'm keeping her that way as I'm not giving a chance to change but I'm scared to change (that's weird of me isn't it)

[katemyn]

Maybe just wait a bit longer then and see if she does cry when she wants it. As long as she's getting enough milk and the routine your in suits you I really wouldn't worry about it. They change there routines so often in the first few months, it's best just to go with the flow rather than trying to impose strict routines tho x

[Doingeverythingican]

My DS is nearly 9 months and he never made it to 4 hourly feeds until he started on solids. I am a little and often kind of eater and DS is no different he still can't manage more than 6 oz milk at a time.
Your DC will let you know when she is ready for longer stretches!

[Jaffakake]

I'd let them feed as often as they want & as much as they want. Bf babies do that, so why not ff? I'd just always ensure they leave some in the bottle. If they're draining it, they're still hungry.

My ds ended up in a 4 hourly feeding pattern, but in the winter as the nights drew in, he'd reduce the gap in between, seemingly so he'd get enough by bedtime! They know what they're doing to a large extent.