Feeding FAQ: 8-12 weeks – Formula Feeding

My hungry 11.5-week-old son seems unable to wait longer for feeds

My problem is in dropping 5pm feed and moving 10am and 2pm feeds on by half an hour. I have a very hungry baby although he has certainly calmed down over the past 4/5 weeks. I am trying to move on in the routines but he screams for milk at original times and the most I can delay 10am feed by is 10/15 mins and the 2pm by say 5 mins. He has almost a full 7oz feed at 5pm and 6.30pm. I do try to reduce the 5pm feed by as much as possible but he seems so hungry. He won’t go down to sleep either at 7pm unless full up. He has occasionally puked up some of 6.30pm feed (sometimes projectile) but happily feeds again after!
I also have a bit of a problem regarding the lunchtime nap as he gets very sleepy at 11am and often falls asleep then, despite all attempts to keep him awake. He will then sleep for about an hour and wake. I have tried staying in the nursery on and off with him till 2pm trying to get him back to sleep which he may eventually do around 1.15pm. Also I tried leaving him to cry but perhaps not often enough. I have tried going out in the car to get him back to sleep from 1-2pm which has worked. I’m not sure what I should persist with. He has his morning and afternoon naps in his pram (proper carry cot) as I am out walking each morning from 8.30 to 10am and he will usually nap well up to 1 hr. He loves the fresh air and is very calm in his pram. He goes down well in his cot too and falls asleep unassisted (as long as full up!).
At present my son takes 200mls at 7am, 10am and 2pm. He takes 100-150mls at 5pm and 100-200mls at 6.30pm. At 11pm 120-150mls. He is now able to sleep through to 6/7am. On the times he has woken at 3am he will settle back with 10-20 ml water/ dummy. He weighs 14+lbs.
My son naps at 9-10am, 11-12am 1.30-2pm and 3.30-4pm.

Some babies are less able to move on in the routines according to their age as their individual needs are different. Your son obviously is a hungry boy who takes his feeds well. Although his intake is not excessive for his weight there are things you can do to help be able to begin to space out the feeds a little. It is unfair to keep a hungry baby waiting for his feed but by offering it to him as a split feed you may help him to begin to space his feeds out a little.
When he wakes at 10am allow him to have 100-120 mls as soon as he shows signs that he is ready. Then have a break of 30-45 mins. Encourage him to have a good kick on his mat. If he begins to cry and fuss offer him a pacifier whilst he sits in his chair. Sucking time is an important part of feeding and babies who are hungry are inclined to drink their feeds quite quickly. They miss out on the time they need to suck and using a pacifier mid feed can help them fulfil this need. At 10.45/11am offer your son the remaining part of his feed. Keep trying to push on with getting him going for a nap later. Let him have some time kicking. Keep changing the scene with him so he has plenty of visual stimulation.
Until the lunchtime nap is more settled offer your son 30-60mls before he goes down. Be consistent in the way you try to help him sleep for this nap. If you decide to walk with him in his pram, then do this every day until he is more able to stay asleep for the full two hours. It may take well over a week for him to adjust his body clock to this. Take him out at the beginning of the nap time so he can learn to sleep for the full 2 hours in one stretch. Look at Gina’s article about the lunchtime nap and how to achieve the full two hours in his cot.
Once your son is sleeping better at lunchtime he may be waking nearer to 2.30pm. However, until he is able to do this, split his feed into two halves and give him a 20-30 min break so he is finishing the feed by 3pm. Some babies older than 8 weeks continue to have a split feed between 5 and 6.30pm. This feed is slightly bigger than all the rest which helps your son be able to settle well at 7am and sleep in the night. If it results in a happier baby at bath time, then keep the feed in two parts for as long as you like. Use the routines as a guide but also take your own son’s needs into account.