Hello! I’m looking for some advice and guidance, my LB is 14 months (this month). He’s currently on 3x bottles of formula a day. Much of the reason I’ve still been offering formula is because his food intake wasn’t/isnt (although that’s improved) overly high and I was worried he’d be going hungry and wouldn’t be gaining adequate weight.
However, I’d like to try to come away from formula, and ideally, away from bottles.
I’ll offer our current schedule, I’d like to add I’m a FTM and am completely winging all of this.. with the best intentions for my boy, so please be kind.
6.30am 5oz bottle of formula.
8.30-9am - Breakfast
11.30-12pm - lunch
1pm 5oz bottle of formula (for nap) (although have been attempting to change this to cows milk but he’ll often refuse)
4.30/5pm - Dinner
6.30/7pm - 7oz bottle of formula for bed.
He had a valved straw cup for water throughout the day (valved to prevent spills as we are still very much in the tip it upside down, throw it around phase) but he will take water from a open cup also (if held by me). I’ve tried other sippy cups and he just doesn’t seem to grasp that he needs to hold his head back to drink or lift it to drink (he’s also never attempted to hold his own bottle).
The bedtime bottle I’m not overly concerned about for the time being, I know its apart of his routine and comfort, but I’d like to remove the morning feed and lunchtime feed if possible.
And possibly help him become a little more independent with drinking. I’d love to give him a bottle of cows milk in the morning that he could sit and drink independently, but I don’t know how to get there…. If I put it in his straw cup he has currently, he’d drink a sip or two and that’d be that.
any advice/tips or guidance appreciated. Also, I maybe over thinking all this, you read so much online and on social media I almost feel like I’m failing him by this still being a thing…