question about bfeeding, introducing formula and dream feeds for 8 month old

[rasberryjam]

Hi... I have been reading lots of interesting posts about sleep and feeding patterns of 8 month old babies but still confused as to how to go about encouraging my ds to sleep better at night! Any help or anecdotes about similar routines and experiences would be really helpful!!!....

My ds's routine seems pretty similar to many others out there:

6/6.30 wake and breast feed
7.30 breakfast cereal and fruit
8.30/9 nap (until 9.30/10)
11.30/12 lunch puree and fruit or yoghurt, water
12.10/1 sleep (until 2/2.30)
2.30/3 breastfeed
4.30/5 dinner puree and fruit or yoghurt, water
6.15/30 bath and feed
massage and bed asleep by 6.45/7 pm

He self settles for all sleeps no problem

Night time: wakes for feed 10.30/11 and then 2/3.

So what I would love is for him to drop the 2/3 feed so I finally get a proper night's sleep (apologies to those who babies are waking more frequently!)

He has had the odd bottle and loves it so we are going to introduce a regular bottle of formula (given by dh) as also I have to go back to work in sep. Any advice as to wether make this this the 6.30 or the dream feed? Also has anyone introduced formula and found it has helped with night sleeping?

Occasionally he sleeps through the 10.30 feed only waking at 2/3. What do others think about waking babies for dream feeds? Im not sure whether to do this or not. If I persist with the dream feed can I hope this will encourage dropping the am feed?

Any ideas will be really appreciated!!!

[RitaMorgan]

So he only has 3 breastfeeds in the day? I'd try adding an extra one in.

I did a formula dreamfeed - made no difference to sleep but it did mean DP could do it and I could go to bed early. Also made that quite an easy feed to drop as I just gradually decreased the quantity.

I would try pushing the 3am feed back a bit. Decide you won't feed him til 4am for example, and have your DH go and resettle him without milk if he wakes before that. Then once he's sleeping til 4, push it back to 5, then 6. Once you have him sleeping through from the dreamfeed you can start to drop that too.

[makemineadairymilk]

Hi
Is ds waking hungry or can you leave him to settle himself again. He also may just have a wet nappy. My dd wakes about 5am- 6am, a quick nappy change in in the cot and sometimes full change as it's leaked and she will go back off again til 7.30-8am. My ds stopped his dream feed about 9months but if it works for your ds then keep it up for a while longer. They do sleep through eventually!!

[rasberryjam]

RitaMorgan thanks- actually he does have four feeds! i forgot to include the morning one after his first nap (foggy brain!) that makes the sense pushing feed back, think i will give it a go. Did this work for you? makemineadairymilk ( love the name!) he rarely gets a full nappy in the night so dont think that is an issue. Im presuming he is hungry but he doesn't feed for very long, especially at 2/3 am which makes me think he is just waking out of habit... hopefully he will drop it eventually!

[rasberryjam]

thank you both for your help

[rasberryjam]

anybody else with helpful stories please let me know!

[RitaMorgan]

At about 6 months we started pushing the 3am feed back til it got to about 6am, so he was going from a bottle at 11pm to a breastfeed at 6am (then he came into bed with me for a feed/snuggle til 7ish). At about 7.5 months I started reducing the bottle feed and bringing it earlier - it was a dreamfeed so he didn't wake for it. Once he was only having about 3oz at 9.30pm I dropped it. From 8 months he had a breastfeed at 7.30 and then only water if he woke in the night until the 6am feed - though actually if he woke after 5am he came into bed with me for a feed, before 5am DP resettled him in his cot.