9 month old - having 19oz during night

[Jupitertomars]

DD goes down at 7.30pm and wakes for the day at 7.30am which is great as previously she was waking at 5-6am.

Ive recently stopped breastfeeding so just wondering if DD is having too much milk at night. Should I be trying to wean her?

She has roughly 5-6oz before bed.

7oz at 11pm

7oz at 3am

Then up for the day at 7.30am.

During the day shes not that keen on taking any milk. Shell have roughly 3-4oz mid morning then the same at mid afternoon.

At night she downs the bottle very quickly.

Is this too much or should I just go with it and wait for her to stop in her own time?

[Jupitertomars]

I should add that the doesnt fall asleep on the bottle so I dont think shes relying on it to fall asleep.

At bedtime she has her bottle first then bath then held and I play her favorite song then put her down in her cot very drowsy.

[BumWad]

How much does she eat during the day?

[Jupitertomars]

She has porridge or half a weetabix which she doesnt seem too interested in for breakfast.

Then a mid morning bottle - sometimes only 1 or 2oz sometimes 4 or 5oz but she doesnt down it like her night time bottles. I really need to encourage her.

Her appetite for solids seems to pick up about lunch time. She'll have a good amount of food (either a homemade frozen tub or a ella pouch). She will finish this and seem keen to eat.

Then offer another bottle but she has even less than her mid morning bottle and not that keen.

Dinner will be the same as lunch very keen to eat followed by yogurt.

Then a bedtime bottle of 5oz approx which she drinks but isnt downing it like the middle of night bottles.

Then two bottles during the night of 7oz which she drinks incredibly fast.

[Jupitertomars]

She has porridge or half a weetabix which she doesnt seem too interested in for breakfast.

Then a mid morning bottle - sometimes only 1 or 2oz sometimes 4 or 5oz but she doesnt down it like her night time bottles. I really need to encourage her.

Her appetite for solids seems to pick up about lunch time. She'll have a good amount of food (either a homemade frozen tub or a ella pouch). She will finish this and seem keen to eat.

Then offer another bottle but she has even less than her mid morning bottle and not that keen.

Dinner will be the same as lunch very keen to eat followed by yogurt.

Then a bedtime bottle of 5oz approx which she drinks but isnt downing it like the middle of night bottles.

Then two bottles during the night of 7oz which she drinks incredibly fast.

[silkpyjamasallday]

Remember the phrase 'food before one is just for fun' Until a year milk, whether breast of formula, is supposed to make up the majority of their diet as it is tailored to provide the most useful nutritional value, proper food doesn't provide the same nutrients. My book on weaning suggested that milk feeds should be offered an hour before any solids so that they aren't filling up on less valuable sources of nutrition. Also water should be offered to drink at mealtimes as babies can't differentiate between thirst and hunger very well at this stage. I started giving dd too much food in the day because she was so enthusiastic and has never rejected anything I've given her and I was so pleased but it ruined her nighttime sleeping because she was trying to make up for the lack of milk in the daytime when she usually slept well at night. I reduced the amount of food I give her (two meals a day with no snacks unless we are out for the day at 9 months) and she has gone back to only 1 or 2 wakings at night and usually just has a cuddle to go back to sleep. Also in this weather try offering cooked boiled water as it may be thirst due to the heat rather than hunger.

[keepitgoing]

My nearly 9mo is similar, not interested in solids until lunch, but eats that and dinner hungrily. Not interested in milk in the day except feeding to sleep for naps BF and I recently reduced him to one bf overnight, he's not interested at 6am though

I'd try settling him without a feed at least one of the night wakes

[FATEdestiny]

I would night wean, without any question.

Giving night feeds at 9 months when breastfed is a different matter - such feeds are likely to be more about comfort than calories. But when formula feeding, the night feeds simply are not needed, at all.

I would stop completely. Her daytime diet will soon adjust, weather that means more milk feeds in the daytime or bigger portions at meal time. But there is absolutely no need for her to be having so much formula at night now.

It's recommended a child under 2 years old has at least a pint of milk a day - that's 21oz. Your daughter is having nearly all that recommended amount at night. It's meant to be during the daytime.

Having milk at night is also not good for her teeth.

[Jupitertomars]

Ok thanks. Its nice to have some guidance as im a bit clueless. Weve just stopped breastfeeding so I just continued to offer milk as thats what I had done previously.

Not sure how well she will.settle without the milk. Should I prepare myself for a restless few nights? Were going on holiday next week and daunted by the prospect of no sleep.

[FATEdestiny]

Does she not have any other ways to comfort herself to sleep? Dummy, comforter you, blankie, that kind of thing?

[FATEdestiny]

Comforter toy*

[Jupitertomars]

Not really. If I rock her and play a song she might sleep without the bottle. A few times she'll wake then babble and put herself to sleep. Other times she cries and I offer a bottle and she drinks it like shes very hungry.

[mimiholls]

I agree definitely cut out the milk, she doesn't need it at night and it will be why she's not interested in breakfast etc. If you go cold turkey she is going to be genuinely hungry at first though as she wont have yet made up for it during the day. I wouldn't be happy about that. I would cut each night feed down by an ounce a day which will give her time to compensate by eating more during the day.

[Jupitertomars]

Ok thanks. Good tip.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Mine were both nocturnal milk guzzlers, sometimes 2 or 3 bottles! It did seem to be around that age as well, and usually came in phases of a few weeks, then would go back to normal. To be honest it wasn't the milk that bothered me, but the night waking. I think you should still feed on demand when baby is under 1 (exactly as you would if breastfeeding) so if you can stand the night feeds I'd go with it. We began offering water first after the first wake up once they turned 1, and that seems to gaff stopped the multiple wakings. Ds2 is now 20 months and wakes 1 or 2 nights a week still.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

And daily amounts are exactly that- daily ie in a 24 hr period. And the amounts are largely rubbish because all babies are different. Babies don't know if they're breastfed or formula fed, they're just fed. She wakes like any baby for food/comfort/ mummy in the night.

[FATEdestiny]

Not really. If I rock her and play a song she might sleep without the bottle

Ah, then it may be more difficult. Sounds like the milk is the comfort, rather than her being hungry. You could do with replacing that comfort for something she can access independantly - a special toy or blanket for example.

You can't just leave her without comfort. So if it was me I'd start using a comforter immediately and with every feed or cuddle day and night. Get an association so the comforter object is associated with all comforting feelings. But wouldn't immediately cut all night feeds, if there is no alternate comfort.

[Jupitertomars]

Thanks ive introduced a teddy that she likes at bottle feeds and cuddles. Ive never been that successful at introducing a comforter to be honest even with my son. I stick with it for a couple of days then end up forgetting about it. Must try harder.

Anyway today at lunch I followed her lead and stopped feeding as soon as she lots interest. Usually I might preserver to make sure shes getting enough food but I followed the advice PP suggested about cutting food and it may have worked.

She took 7oz afternoon bottle then 7oz before bed. She had 3oz from her mid morning bottle so all in shes had 17oz today (plus 7oz at 3am).

Wonder if it will have any impact on her night waking.

I would reaaallly love a solid sleep.

[Jupitertomars]

So she woke up at 10pm. I resettled her with her song. Then she woke at 11pm and wouldn't resettle so she drank 7oz then another 7oz at 4am.

So in 24 hrs she had
7oz at 3am (yesterday morning)
3oz mid morning
7oz mid afternoon

So 31oz.

Definitely need to try cut it down I think.
7oz bedtime
7oz 11pm.

[Nan0second]

I would night wean here too.
Cut the bottle down by an oz at a time each night (I would start with the 4am one) and once it's gone, offer water instead.
Yes food is for fun before 1 but if she's not hungry in the morning for milk either then her whole clock has gone wrong! Not filling up with milk overnight will stimulate her appetite too.

[Figgygal]

I have an 8mo 91st centile boy he has 4 bottles in 24 hours now and 3 meals a day he has one night feed, small mid morning feed which sometimes he skips depending night feed if he wakes at 1am he usually wants a mid morning feed but if he goes until 4/5 he doesn't. He also has mid afternoon and bedtime bottles in total 21-25oz.

If she's drinking that much over night I'm not surprised she's uninterested in breakfast have you tried water at any of those night feeds?

I'm also looking to night wean over the summer as back to work In September so interested in the advice.

[bringonthesunn]

My daughter was like this, I started watering the night feeds down so I did 4oz milk in 6oz water. It's taken a while but over the last few weeks she's either sleeping through or waking once for a feed. She doesn't have any bottles during the day, just 7oz at bedtime and the watered down night feed if she wakes and won't settle. I put milk in her porridge and she had yoghurt and cheese etc too x

[bringonthesunn]

Oh and she's 11 months now x

[dementedpixie]

I would try to cut the 3am one. I did it by gradually reducing the amount offered in the bottle. Start with 1oz less and then every few days/week cut it again

[KezMurphy]

I have a 9 mother little boy, he was sleeping 620pm too 630 am, right up to Septemer ironically the min I went back to work, he drinks bottle after bottle all night, 4 5oz bottles, and isn't fussed about breakfast, has lunch snacks, tea and puddings, but then cries at 6 for bed, I increased day time naps put him up in his cot as he was only having 2 half hour sleeps now he has 1.5 hours am, 1 hour pm... he wakes.. hes worse at night now than when he was newborn.. I don't know what to do, ive just read how his milk os most important till he's 1... So he has milk at say 7am, a yoghurt, or maybe breaksticks at 1030, then nap, then lunch so lumpy spag bol for example, he was having a pudding but just keeps spitting it all out now hardly eats anything.... he was great... I dont know if so stop wasting my money on jars and just put him lots of finger foods as he keeps.snatchjng the spoon..

[KezMurphy]

Oh im sorry this was meant to be a new question bot tagged on..