My son of three months, who weighs 16lbs 4ozs, will take 4-5ozs quickly at each feed, but them struggles to finish the last 2ozs. He sleeps from 7pm to 7am, yet even after this twelve-hour sleep, it can take up to 45 minutes to persuade him to take the last 2 oz.
I also have an 18-month-old and I need to find a way to speed up my young baby’s feeding. I don’t really want to do split feeds, although my baby often seems hungry at 5pm, as I need to be able to concentrate on my toddler at this demanding time of day.
By three months of age most babies will happily drink a full feed in fifteen to twenty minutes. But there are some babies who, regardless of whatever endeavours their parents make, will simply refuse to take a full feed in one go. Feeding can then become very stressful for both the parents and the baby.
Despite your reluctance to give split feeds, we would recommend that your son take his milk in two amounts until he is willing to take his feed more quickly. Once your baby has taken 4-5ozs of a feed, let him have a complete break of 30 minutes kicking on his playmat or sitting in his chair watching your elder child at play. It is important not to offer him the bottle during this break. After 30 minutes he should be more willing to finish his feed. As long as he takes his feed within the hour, you will not need to worry about reheating the milk. However, if he fusses and refuses the milk, you may find that you have to split the feed into two small bottles, so that the second part of the feed can be given freshly heated.
Although this method of split feeding can be frustrating, the actual time you will spend feeding and washing extra bottles should prove to be much less stressful and time-consuming than spending an hour trying to force him to feed.Also, the thirty-minute gap in the middle of the feed will allow you to turn your attention to your toddler, giving them some one-to-one time.At 5pm it will help if you can prepare your toddler’s tea and have them sitting down at the table before giving your baby the first part of his split feed.
Meeting the needs of both baby and toddler can be challenging. Have a look at the routine Gina has written for Babies and Toddlers on the website, which may help you to co-ordinate the feeding structures for your baby with your toddler’s routines.