Advice Needed-Weaning and formula feeding

[Cinderellanellabella]

Hi everyone,

My baby has just turned 8 months old. In addition to three meals a day, my son also has 4 bottles of formula a day, drinking between 6 to 7 ounces in each bottle. I have been told by the health visitor that this needs to be cut down and that I should be trying to only give three bottles a day! Does it seem like my baby is having too much formula? I tried yesterday to cut down to three bottles but my son became very unsettled and was clearly looking for milk and it just felt wrong to me to try and deny him it when he clearly feels he needs it.

Thank you in advance for any advice you have!

Just to add, there are no concerns that he is gaining too much weight.

Hey there! Health visitors are great, and so is their advice. However, it's generic advice. If you feel your baby needs it, do it. If the health visitor is insistent, maybe try and play a little with bottle sizes, maybe reduce one, and make the others an ounce or 2 more, until the reduced one is phased out? But don't worry, sounds like you're doing a great job to me. A happy, well fed and content baby is the aim of the game - not a happy and content health visitor 😄

Thank you for your advice!

Yeah I think you should be cutting down but do it gradually. Like when he seems unsettled and looking round for milk offer him food. If he refuses it no worries offer him the bottle. That way it will be at babies pace.

By 10 months he only needs 13.5 Floz a day so perhaps your HV is trying to encourage you to start cutting down with that in mind?

I'd reduce the amounts gradually in the bottle rather than completely cutting one out.

Thanks for taking the time to respond everyone 🙂