Babies: 6 - 9 Months

How do I get my FF 6 month old to eat more during the day and less at night?

I switched from ebf to ff 2 weeks ago for a number of reasons and it's been tough. DD previously was feeding every 3 hours during the day and waking once a night anytime between 1-4am usually. Now we are on formula, she takes very little during the day, normally 2-3oz at a time but between 6-8oz at her bedtime feed and once or twice during the night (could be any time between 10pm and 5am, there's zero consistency!). She won't settle at night unless we give her milk and I don't want to reduce the amount we offer her at night unless I know she will get enough during the day. She started solids a couple of weeks before we started FF and takes a small amount twice a day. So she has formula at 7am, formula and solids at 10am, solids and water at 1pm, formula at 4pm and formula at 7pm as well as the 1-2 night feeds. I don't mind her waking once a night for a small feed if that's what she needs (although would prefer her to sleep through, of course!), but need to find a way to rebalance her FF so that she is eating more during the day. Any tips or suggestions?

Re: How do I get my FF 6 month old to eat more during the day and less at night?

  • So she goes 6 hours in between formula feeds during the day (10-4)? That’s a long time. I think I found your problem. Nix the water and give her a formula bottle at 1. She’s making up for what she’s missing during the day by eating at night. At this age, solids and water are just for fun and shouldn’t be considered an actual part of her diet. 
  • What PP said. Heck, I’d cut the water until the formula regulates itself. At 6 mos, water and food shouldn’t replace a meal, they should just be a fun small add. Our girl has 5 bottles a day, usually between 5:30/6am and 6:30/7pm. That’s a full bottle serving for her about every three hours. 
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  • My son was always to busy wanting to play during the day so he would never eat and then eat all night. A friend told me to pick one feeding time at night where he gets milk and the rest just give him water. He would take a couple gulps but would quickly just go back to sleep not interested in the water. Now a month later all his feedings are daytime feedings and he sleeps through the night. It’s something to try🤷‍♀️
  • Our five month old chugs her bottle when we do her dream feed, so sometimes if she's not doing well with her daytime bottles we'll wake her up from her next nap a little early to try to recreate the "half asleep" bottle feeding!
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