When to reduce a day time bottle

[Willsmum79]

LO is 6 months and has been weaning now for a good 5 weeks. We have had a good feeding schedule with bottle and solids and no problems of any kind.

However, yesterday my LO refused his lunchtime bottle so he ended up having 5oz at breakfast, 6oz mid-afternoon and another 6oz at bedtime. He usually has an 8oz bottle between midnight and 2am and I was taking to my future childminder about when he will give this up. She suggested watering it down gradually. I didn't question her opinion as she is highly regarded in the LA and has 30 years experience. As it happened, during the night he woke twice and only took 4oz at the first wake and 1oz at the second.

I'm not sure if he is trying to 'tell' me that he wants to give up his lunchtime bottle and his night time bottle but I don't know whether to go ahead as 'normal' today or leave his lunchtime bottle altogether and 'water down' or give a reduced feed during the night.

He has always taken a little less milk than most babies but his health and weight gain is fine as he is just under 50th percentile at 16lbs 6oz, 10 days ago.

Wills I don't think you need to change anything at all just yet. Milk should be his main source of nutrition until he is one so there is no need to cut down on the amount he is having.

The current advice is 20oz in 24 hours for formula from 6 months to a year. He's had 22oz so he is only slightly over the recommended amount.

I'd just carry on as you are for the time being .

I found with dd that if offered she would drink a full 8oz in the middle of the night. However, I then worked out that just 2oz would satisfy her enough to go back to sleep. So she now has 8oz before bed and 8oz in the morning and if and when she wakes, gets 2-3oz to get her back to sleep. Id rather she has her milk daytime than night time

I would rather he feeds more in the day than at night! He isn't a newborn anymore!
I will try and give him just 5oz tonight. With a bit of luck he may then take more during the day!

Today he had: 5oz at breakfast, 3oz at lunchtime and 5oz mid-afternoon. My friend gave him a potato wedge after his mid-afternoon bottle so not giving him solids for tea - he's had it! It will be interesting to see how much milk he takes at 7pm.

How's his doing now Will?

Bloody hell! He's sleeping through the night and doing really, really well! Thank you for asking! He dropped the night time bottle himself last Thursday (28th). I didn't get any bloody sleep as kept checking on him from 3am onwards on the hour!!!

He has 4 bottles a day (7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm) and 3 meals a day. The 11am bottle is reducing. I am not taking it out completely because he still seems to need just that little bit.

Yesterday he had 27oz of milk but today only 20oz - it varies day to day. If he doesn't take much at 7am, I mix another 3oz with some baby muesli.

He absolutely loves baby rice, which I know some people can't stand and don't see the point! I mix it with puree fruit and he devours it. He has this at teatime as anything else (like bolognese) he won't have. He prefers a big lunch and small tea!