Increasing water:formula ratio for night feeds.

[Chocolocolate]

Hello,

I have been advised by HV (and my nan) to do the above, gradually increasing the ratio each night until it's just water, to encourage my DD to stop waking for night feeds.

Has anyone done this?

Did it work?

Did your baby get upset?

no, you mustn't. the formula is her food and drink and needs to be made up as directed
how old is your baby?

I can't believe a HV advised this. I thought it was one of the fundamental no no's of formula feeding.

Oh dear - maybe not then.

Why is it a fundamental no-no? I can see the danger with increasing the formula:water ratio, but surely just diluting it can't be bad? It's only adding extra water isn't it?

Baby is 6mo Lulu

Eek can't believe HV still say out of date shite like this!

Could you not just offer water separately? I don't know about adding water to formula. I just thought you make it up as per instructions on tin and that's that!

I don't think I would. You could try offering just plain cool boiled water OR properly made-up formula but I don't think I'd muck about with anything in the middle.

6mo seems a bit young to be tapering off night feeds to me! DS had a dreamfeed at 11pm until he was around 10mo and then he just stopped asking for it. I'd be a bit worried that she was properly hungry TBH.

Even though she's 6months formula will be her main source of nutrition for a good few months yet. If you fill her up with water she won't get as much formula.

If she is 6 months and waking for feeds at night she is probably genuinely hungry so feed her.

What are you defining as night feeds, exactly?

We knew that if we didn't give DS a dreamfeed at 11pm, he'd wake up in a furious state at 1/2/3 am and howl the house down. So I would hoick him out of his cot (still pretty much asleep) and stick a bottle in his mouth before I went to bed. He usually guzzled it (still seemingly asleep!!) and wouldn't wake up again until 5am or so.

If you haven't tried a dreamfeed, I recommend it :)

Agree with HRH. - 6 months is too young to assume babies don't need that night feed imo.

I meant agree with itsallgoingtobefine !

from 6 months I started reducing the amount of milk in the nightfeed by an ounce every week or so. DS gave up the night feed at 8 months

definitely do not alter the ratio in the formula. I would do a dream feed perhaps with hungry baby formula, then gradually cut the size of the night feed whilst making sure baby gets enough in the day. Once the night feed is down to 1 oz if baby wakes for a feed I would give cooled boiled water.

6 months is definitely too young to start cutting out night feeds.. if your baby is still waking and taking a good milk feed then they need it ! Also, offering watered down milk or just water apart from not giving them the right nutrients etc... if they are genuinely hungry,then a watered down feed or just water will not satisfy for long, leading to more waking and a more unsettled and upset baby !

just give the milk as usual and ignore the HVs clearly ridiculous and outdated advice

At around tha time I only offered plain water to my babies.

They soon stopped waking in the night!

If they are a good weight and feed well during the day, maybe a last bottle of milk around 10 should be fine, then water!