Formula feeding help needed

[hollie84]

I could do with knowing roughly what a typical feeding schedule looks like for a formula fed 6 month old?

I need to switch my mostly breastfed 5 month old onto mostly formula feeds in the next 3-4 weeks and am not sure I am doing it right at all.

Currently he has 2 formula feeds - one 4oz one in the morning (sometime between 8 and 11am) and one 5oz one at 11pm.

He doesn't seem to be able to go more than 2.5 hours between feeds regardless of whether it is breast or bottle, except at night where he manages a couple of 4 hours stints.

I'm not really sure what I should be doing in terms of amounts or frequency. He is also having small amounts of solids at breakfast and lunchtime. I am cautious about overfeeding him as he has moved above the centile line he was following since I introduced formula.

[ilovepowerhoop]

at 6 months mine had milk at 7, 11, 3, 7 and a night feed (probably 6/7oz in each)
solids were at 8, 12 and 5

[hollie84]

Thanks, so maybe 4/5oz isn't enough to last more than 2.5 hours?

[Xmasbaby11]

My 6 month old has 6oz at approx 7, 10, 1, 4, 7. No night feeds. She is a bit erratic and sometimes just has half a feed. She is also quite sicky. She is offered meals at breakfast and tea but isn't really eating yet.

[hollie84]

How do her naps fit in around that Xmas?

[madamweasel]

It should say on the side of the formula milk tub how much to make up and how often per day to give bottles. Obviously, it differs by child but the guidelines are there to help.

Aptamil suggest www.aptaclub.co.uk/bottlefeeding/article/how-much-and-how-often

[drspouse]

I remember that DS was getting up to 8 or even occasionally 9 oz bottles just before starting solids. The HV said "ooh, he'll be ready for food early given his size" which is thankfully the only silly thing she said to us.

The guidelines on the tub weren't right for him or any of my friends who FF though.

[hollie84]

The milk tub suggests something like 4 8oz bottles a day at this age, but that's not something I can see working for us.

[ilovepowerhoop]

if your lo is finishing what is in the bottle then add another ounce to each bottle.

A general rule of thumb is 2.5oz per lb of body weight e.g. a 15lb baby may need 37.5oz (15 x 37.5) per 24 hrs, split into however many bottles they want. Of course they may also want more or less than that amount

[ilovepowerhoop]

should say 15x2.5 = 37.5

[hollie84]

I think he's about 17lb. He's still going to have 2 maybe 3 breastfeeds and I guess 3 bottles too (2 in the day one at night). Difficult to work out amounts though he'll be taking less volume in breastmilk that a fully formula fed baby would.