Formula fed weaning baby increasing bottles at almost 8 months

[SW2025]

My DS is almost 8 months and is formula fed. We have been weaning him for 2 months and it’s been really challenging. We’ve worked up to 2 meals a day but it’s drama every mealtime. We tried increasing to 3 but that’s just not happening. We thought having more meals a day would mean he’s dropping a bottle. However in the last couple of weeks we found he’s increased his bottles. He used to have about x5 7oz bottles and now he’s having x6 or sometimes x7 bottles a day. He’s having two bottles at night time, which contributes to the increase feed. I understand that they still need to get their main nutrition from milk. However, I’m just concerned whether we are overfeeding him and especially at night are we too quick to resort to giving him a bottle.

To add he’s been gaining weight nicely. Weighed him last week at the clinic and he’s gone from just under 25th percentile to 50th percentile and the health visitors aren’t at all concerned.

Any advice would be appreciated ☺️

How long has he been having the extra bottles? I only ask because maybe he's having a growth spurt so needs the extra calories

It’s been going on 2 weeks now. Usually if it’s a growth spurt, it’ll be a couple of days. I just have no idea 😬

Bump

Honestly they are decent sized bottles so if he's drinking them and you are pace feeding them I would assume he's hungry and needs them. He's growing great as you say so no need to worry. If he's still drinking this much formula by 11-12 months then you can start to think about gentle reducing it to make way for more solids but not at this age. My youngest is a similar age, he is mostly breastfed and he roughly feeds about 10 times a day still including around ,3-4 times a night.

What Im picking up on from your post more though is the talk of "drama" at mealtimes? I can't understand why that would be the case for a baby so young? With weaning, if you're offering meals which you are, then that's all you need to do. If baby is not interested or just has a tiny bit that's totally fine and when they're fed up in their high chair then get them out asap so as not to build negative associations. Lots of 8 month olds hardly eat any solid food, it's totally normal. My eldest hardly ate anything at this age and she was formula fed and drank loads of big bottles too. It was fine. My youngest eats more solids but not as much as my middle who loved solids from 7 month. They're all different but it all works out ok in the end.

Your baby us not yet a year old. Why are you trying to wean off formula? DC should still be getting regular bottles + solids. You switch after a year old to milk and water for liquids.

Milk (formula or breast) is the main nutrition for a baby until they are at least 1 so this is completely normal - your baby is programmed to know what he needs so go with it. Weaning at this stage is about teaching the child how to eat.

Are you offering water? It's really hot here, maybe DC is thirsty.

I suggest you offer solids 3 meals per day and treat the bottles as meal top-up/snacks. Offer solids 20 mins before you would give the bottle.

Could he just be thirsty in this heat? Does he drink water with his food and have you tried offering some water dense foods such as watermelon, broccoli, jelly, soup, cauliflower and strawberries?

I’m not weaning him off formula. The advice of the nurses at the health clinic and websites I’ve seen is that they naturally start dropping a feed as they take it more solids. But he seems to be drinking more milk than before he was weaning. I know about switching to cow’s milk and water when he’s a year old

When I say drama, he usually takes the spoon removes the food with his hand and turns it around to chews it 😅. Then moans when we take the food away even though he seems to be interested in the spoon 😅

Yeah all kids seem to be different but other mum friends with babies a similar age seem to eating loads and dropping feeds already, so naturally assumed I was doing something wrong or something was up.

Yeah we’ve been offering water, more at the moment due to the weather. We tried giving water when he wakes up at night but it’s not enough and we just end up giving the bottle.

@SW2025 have just read your updates. My now 3y/o was mostly ff and took 5-6 150ml bottles p/d. I did not give and other liquid other than any bm I could produce (v little most days). I offered solids throughout the day and it was eaten, picked at, or played with. It can be worrying when you expect them to eat/drink and they don't. Your dc sounds normal. I would ignore the dropping feeds bit because every child is different.
I have an 18m as well that still bf at least 5x a day, was introduced to solids by blw, drinks water, but rejects cow's milk. 🤷‍♀️
When they're hungry they will eat. Keep offering heathy food and the bottles. It sounds line you are doing fine.

That’s reassuring thank you! I realise I just got into my head and trying to compare with other mum friends who claim their child is blw and eating loads and are able to drop a feed before 8 months. Plus as he’s starting nursery in 2 months I want to make sure he’s was at a good stage with weaning as from what I heard nursery staff can make you paranoid about how they’re eating 😬

From what I've read in multiple threads here they can make you paranoid about a lot, esp potty training. 😵‍💫
The easiest way to know if your baby is thriving is their demeanour. I always have naan, croissant, sprouted grain bread, brioche with peanut putter, hummus or mashed avocado and cut up fruit and yoghurt, rotisserie chicken and hard boiled eggs for snacks. There were days when my older one drank a litre plus of milk and that worried me because water was rejected but was otherwise eating well. In hindsight it was growth spurts. I always offer bedtime snacks and milk. They have a high need for carbs which is why I have various breads available (also pasta and rice I mix evoo and a bit butter into). You can offer all those food to yours now to eat with hands and make sure you've gone through the allergen foods. You've got this. 💛

Sounds like he's not very hungry for solids as he's getting all his nutrients from milk.
The balance of nutrition swings from 100% milk at 6 months to 50/50 milk and food at 12 months.

Personally I was looking to cut night feeds from about 9 months.

Have you tried doing meals first and then offering bottles about an hour after?

At nursery he will be having 3 meals and 2 snacks a day so there will naturally be less room for bottles.

it depends on the child. Some children don't start eating properly until you drop the milk feeds but its not good to this until they one.

That’s pretty old advice. The current advice is 400ml a day between 10 and 13 months. I know that the LO in question isn’t at that age yet but not dropping any bottles umtil 1 isn’t good advice. I think they changed the recommendations as some people we’re taking the “food is for fun unti they’re one” a bit too literally.

If he’s only 8 months please don’t panic , they honestly do it in their own time. Is it that he will choose bottle over food ? If so then let him. All of mine were different some eating 2 meals eventually at 11 months one eating nothing at all until he was 1 and my oldest was eating all 3 meals at 9months.

Thank you clearing this up. I thought it was one.

Thank you for all your comments, I’m a bit more reassured. TBH listening to other mum friends with LOs the same age bragging that their child is getting steak and eating loads and needing less milk definitely got to me. But I think just remembering his main nutrients are from milk at the moment and food is for fun at the moment ☺️

Think of food as an adventure and a supplement with the ratios changing as each month goes by. My dc's Paediatricians said: Your job is to provide nutritious food. Baby's job is to decide what to eat.