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The baby is almost 12 months old. She has 2 naps a day (sometimes 3), can usually sleep through the night and her evening schedule is approximately:

  • 04:00 PM wake up from nap, and have fruit or baby cereal as snack
  • 05:30 PM 120 ml (4 oz) of formula
  • 06:30 PM dinner, then play time
  • 07:30 PM Bath then 120 ml (4 oz) of formula
  • 08:00 PM put in crib awake, usually fall into sleep in 15-30 minutes after playing her toys, rolling around, standing up etc.
  • 10:30 PM 120 ml (4 oz) of formula, dream feed (she doesn't wake up or only wakes up very briefly)
  • 07:00 AM baby wake up and play in crib

I am thinking to get rid of the 10:30 PM feed, as her teeth finally emerge recently and I am worried about tooth decay. However if I skip the 10:30 PM feed, then she will eventually wake up between 12 to 3 AM and must be fed. Trying to sooth her back to sleep will only result in another awakening in 30 minutes to an hour. If she is being fed at 10:30 PM then she usually sleeps through the night, and even if she wakes up, a gentle pat/hug is usually enough to put her back to sleep.

So I guess she doesn't eat enough at dinner time. However ever since started solid we have progressively feed her more and more. We usually stop when she finished her portion, or she starts to push the spoon away and/or over her face with hands.

She is never on pacifier, but she suck her thumb/Sophie/teething toy when tired to comfort herself. She does not drink more than 120 ml at a time.

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This may be culturally specific (I'm French), but I am really surprised that a one-year-old child eats so frequently, almost every hour. I would not be surprised if the feeding pattern prevents her to learn when she is hungry, or eating enough at each meal time.

After a quick check of doctors recommendations in my country, a 4 meals pattern is considered standard as soon as the child eats solid. So breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. But the number of feeding is expected to be progressively reduced from on demand (babies usually average 7-8 at 2 months) to 4 around 8 months old, so the transition must be smooth.

EDIT: Here are the government recommendations (in French): http://inpes.santepubliquefrance.fr/CFESBases/catalogue/pdf/890.pdf

Here are translations of relevant information:

p23: [At 6 months] Very progressively, suppress part of a nursing, then an entire feeding. Wait one or two weeks to suppress a second feeding. This way, you should feed your baby around 8 months 4 meals a day, including two solid food meal (not more) and two nursing/bottles.

p28: example of a daily menu for at least 6 months old, there are 4 meals, everything is included.

I won't translate everything, but there is a huge insistence on a 4 meals, no snacking pattern in the whole document (at least once a page from p30 to 35). For what is worth, the social perception of deviating fr

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  • Regarding the edit not appearing, edits need to be reviewed and approved by at least two regular contributors before they become visible (to everyone). On a site like Parenting.SE, that review process can take a day or so. Aug 26, 2018 at 11:00

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