Feeding FAQ: 6-9 months – Formula Feeding

My 7.5 mth son takes an hour to feed at 6pm and is not always finishing it

It takes around one hour to feed my son before bedtime at 7pm. I start feeding him his bottle at 18:00, as he was too tired at 18:30 – kept falling asleep before his bottle is finished. He takes small amounts of his milk (around 2.5 ozs) and is then distracted. He plays around the room – he does not want to lie still and take his milk (this could be due to the fact that he is a very busy baby). He would cry uncontrollably and wouldn’t want to be cuddled. I am unable to calm him down and get him to take his milk. Even though I have him in a dark room and play soft music, it’s almost impossible to get him to be still. This repeats itself up to around 7pm, after which he falls asleep (exhausted) and does not even always finish his milk.I have to then wake him at 10pm to finish it. He is happy to be left playing in his room (I put him in his cot as he is pulling himself up against everything and is a danger to himself) until bedtime comes. He is normally a very pleasant baby – sleeps perfectly, eats well and is just a contented little baby. What could be the problem? He started teething today – could this be the cause of the problems the past 2.5 weeks?
He was weaned at 4mths and now has three meals a day. At 7am he takes 160mls formula follwed by porridge mixed with 90 mls. One tub of yoghurt and 5tsp fruit puree. 10am a tub of fruit given as a snack. At 11.45am he takes a full protien meal of about 6 tablespoons such as lentil savoury/ chicken gratin/ beef hotpot and has 3ozs of diluted juice. 4pm 2ozs diluted juice, 4.45pm vegetarian tea;6 tablespoons of corn chowder/ vegetable bake/ leek and courgette soup, with 1oz diluted juice. 6pm offered 240mls formula, not always finished.
My son naps from 9-10am and from 12.30-2.30 pm.

The most likely reason for your son cutting back on his bedtime bottle is having too much tea at 4.45pm. He is showing that by wanting to play at 6pm he is just not hungry. It can be difficult to get the balance right, especially if he enjoys his meals. He is also drinking juice with his tea both of which could also be knocking the edge off his appetite for the still important milk at the end of the day. Cut back on the amount of solids you offer him at tea time, and see if he will accept water rather than juice at this time.

If you are able to let him have some free playtime after his bath whilst you are with him he may be happier to begin having his milk around 6.20pm. Letting him have a last burst of activity before offering him his bottle may help his natural abundance of energy.

As he is now 7.5 mths he still needs a minimum of 500-600mls milk a day, including that used on cereals, in sauces, cheese and yoghurts. It would seem if your son is probably getting that with the solid food he is eating.

If your son has not been waking in the night through hunger, even when not finishing his milk, don’t wake him at 10pm. The knock-on effect of this could be he begins to reduce the amount he takes at 7am. Work towards cutting back on his tea and getting him to have a better feed at 6/6.30pm

It would also be worth trying to get your son to have a short nap in the afternoon, even though he is waking at 2.30pm from his lunchtime sleep. He is becoming more active in the day and may need an extra catnap in the afternoon to recharge for bath and bedtime. He may only need 15 mins whilst out for a walk in his buggy but this would allow you to delay giving him his milk until 6.30pm, knowing he would be hungrier and more able to stay awake to take at least 180mls.