11-12 months feeding issues

The girls will be 1 year old in 2 weeks on the 30th (yay!). For the last month I've noticed they dont eat much of their 4:00pm Sippy. I think it's time to say bye bye & knock them down to 4 feedings per day but I'm not sure how. How did you make the change from eating every 3hrs to every 4hr or so? The girls are on a pretty strict schedule b/c it's the only way we manage through the day. Here is what it looks like now:

10:00am wake/ 5-6oz bottle
(3hrs between feedings)
1:00pm eat/ Soilds

1:30pm-4:00pm nap

(3hrs)
4:00pm eat/ 6-7oz Sippy (here is the issue & it doesnt matter if it's a sippy or bottle they wont eat much)
(3hrs)
7:00pm eat/ Solids
(3hrs)
10:00pm eat/ 7oz bottle
(12hrs)

They get 18-20oz of formula/milk a day. I really think eating every 3hrs is to much for 1 year olds but I'm not sure how to cut back without messing everything up. The only idea I have is this with shifting their nap back half an hour:

10:00am wake/ 5-6oz bottle
(3.5hrs between feedings)
1:30pm eat/ Soilds

2:00pm-4:30pm nap

(3.5hrs)
5:30pm eat/ 6-7oz Sippy
(4.5hrs I'm not sure if this will be to long without eating)
10:00pm eat/ 7oz bottle
(12hrs)

The problem with this is in order to get enough formula/milk I would have to cut a soild feeding out. The girls wont eat more then 5-7oz bottles. I'm lost! What do I do?? Help!

 

I tried to rework your schedule, but I cant figure it out, so I'll post mine. Our twins are the same age pretty much. My guys will be 1 on Dec 4th.

7:30am - 8oz bottles
8:00 - 1/2 cups of cereal each with 1/2 jar of fruit each
11:00 - 6 oz of milk (William gets a bottle, Nathaniel gets a yoguart drink in his sippy. He wont take a bottle at lunch, and wont drink milk from a sippy)
11:30- Solids
Noon - 3pm Nap
3 - A yoguart for snack
4:45-8 oz bottles
5:15- Solids
6:45 - Nathaniel goes to bed
7:15 - William goes to bed

 

Can you mix formula/milk with cereal rather than giving it to them in a sippy? Our boys get about 4 oz. a day of their formula that way.

Our pedi said they need 16-24 oz. up to a year, then 16-20 oz. after that, so you could cut them back just a bit if they don't seem interested. But I know what you mean about not eating more than a certain amount - our DS#2 will NOT eat more than 7 oz. at a time, and even that is a struggle (I think DS#1 would take 9-10 oz. at a time if I would let him, though!! That boy is seriously always starving....)

 

Well I've re-worked their schedule a million times & this is the best I can think of...

Wake-10:00am- 5oz bottle
(3hrs)
Eat- 1:00pm- Soilds + 3oz Sippy

Nap- 1:30pm-4:30pm

(4hrs)
Eat- 5:00pm- Soilds + 3oz Sippy
(2hrs)
Snack- 7:00pm- Finger foods (dinner)
(3hrs)
Bed- 10:00pm- 7oz bottle + cereal

They would still get about 18oz of formula/milk & still get solids 3x's a day but since they really don't eat very much when self feeding I know dinner is usually more like a snack for them. I'm going to try this out today & see how it works. Thanks for the replys 7 if anyone else has 12 month old schedules please feel free to post! It will give me a better idea of what to do

This was so much easier with DD#1. We just fed on demand with her & I never had a routine to follow but I can't survive without one with the twins. With 3 kids 3 & under I'd go crazy without set times....that & I'd probably forget when to feed them lol.

 

Why dodn't they get breakfast. I always nursed then sippy when they woke up then dressed/changed and made breakfast and they ate a ton. I would add in solids soon after they wake. Kids tend to eat a great breakfast, good lunch, and not much dinner. I would also feed them a big snack before their nap and then milk after naps. Seemed to make longer better naps. I was also a aschedule freak. I understand. I will soon have 4 under 4 so I think we will live on a schdule again.

 

My girls are horrible eaters in the AM. They will only eat a 5oz bottle & if I'm lucky a few cheerios but thats it. Usually they eat the most at the 1pm lunch feeding & then sleep 2-3hrs. Then they wont eat anything from wake up until about 5pm. They eat sort of good at dinner & usually finish a 6-7oz bottle before bed. They are not breakfast kids just like big sister & daddy lol. They eat the most before & later after naptime.

 

I'm just shocked that your kiddos stay up so late! At that age, mine melted down by 7:30!!! When ours turned 1, we stopped offering bottles/sippies separate from meals. Our schedule was:
8 AM: nurse
9 AM: breakfast and milk
11:30 AM: snack and milk
12-3 nap
3:30: lunch and milk
6 PM: dinner and milk
7:30 PM: nurse, then bed

We just keep sippies in the fridge, let them drink however much they want to, and put them back in the fridge when they are done. In the course of the day they probably drink 16-20 oz, but the amount they take at each meal varies upon the day.

 

They stay up that late b/c they wake up that late lol. They are up about 13-15hrs a day same as any 1 year old. It's just our day is shifted later. My hubby works 12hrs shifts & doesn't get home until 7pm most nights. If I put them down at 8pm he would never see them. So my kids have always been later sleepers since birth. DD#1 goes to afternoon pre pre-school & next year she will do afternoons as well. We have about another year before we have to start shifting the kids to a normal routine of 8am-8pm but I'm hoping Dh finds a new job by then

As for their schedule I tried the last one out yesterday & it went really well. They ate a ton at 5pm & even ate well the rest of the night. I'm going to have to work things out a little better but here is what I have so far that seems to work:

Breakfast-10:00am- 3oz bottle + 2oz yogurt + fruit
(2.5hrs)
Lunch- 1:30pm- Solids + 3oz Sippy

Nap- 1:30pm-4:30pm

(3.5hrs)
Snack- 5:00pm- Finger foods + 3oz Sippy
(1.5hrs)
Dinner- 6:30pm- Solids + 3oz Sippy
(3.5hrs)
Bed- 10:00pm- 7oz bottle + cereal

I reduced the morning bottle to get them to eat some yogurt & fruit. It seems to be working. They will get about 18-20oz of formula/milk a day still.

 

Sounds good! As I said, some meals mine take 2 oz and other meals they take 6. It all evens out in the end.

I'm envious that you were able to get your kids to shift their schedule like that. I used to work until 7 some nights and I literally got home, fed them and put them to bed. I tried putting them to bed later but they have some sort of crazy internal clock and they used to melt down if kept up past 7 or 7:30. I ended up getting a new job so I could spend more time with them!