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Infant feeding

What's the minimum amount of milk a 9mo needs?

14 replies

PollyParanoia · 29/08/2007 18:11

hello, I'm desperate to give up breastfeeding and my dd now 9 months doesn't seem to want to allow me to. She takes a bottle or cup but only ever has a maximum of 2oz, often less. Once she's had enough she makes it very clear she doesn't want any more.
I've given up all but the evening and night breastfeeds but I'm scared to give those up in case she's starving at night and I'll be left battling with a bottle and a baby who sticks her tongue out or spits out milk.
She eats loads of solids. If I only manage to get, say, 10oz of milk down her does it matter? Can I just give her loads of yoghurt, cereal with milk, white sauces etc instead? Or should I just carry on breastfeeding (please god no, you know how you just know it's the right time for you to give up, whether it's at 6 weeks or 16 months).
Any tips on how to get more down her welcome...

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Seona1973 · 29/08/2007 20:04

the minimum recommended is 20oz up to 1 year which includes milk with cereal, in foods, dairy products, etc so yes you could make up the shortfall through her solids. Have you tried different cups to see if she gets on better with an alternative one? My ds takes his milk feeds from an avent magic cup or his special cow cup (which I got from Morrisons and replaced from Boots as he bit a chunk off the spout with his new front teeth!!)

Cow Cup

Alternatively have you tried different formulas to see if she likes one better than the other? - you could buy small cartons to save splashing out on a full tub that might go to waste.

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PollyParanoia · 29/08/2007 21:04

Ooo cute cow cup.
Gosh 20oz is a huge amount. I'd read somewhere that 12 was enough. I'd have to get milk in via intravenous drip to get that much.
Have tried a couple of different formulas and loads of cups/teats/bottles etc

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Seona1973 · 29/08/2007 22:18

12oz is the recommended minimum from 1 year but that is also inclusive of all other forms of milk. Your lo is going to be eating a lot of cheese sauce and custard then

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SleeplessInTheStaceym11House · 29/08/2007 22:22

polly my ds is the same, i bulk him out with 2 yoghurts a day, milk on cereal in the morning (weetabix which take a lot of milk to make edible), cheese sauces, cheese in rolls etc etc etc.

he takes around 10-12 oz a day forced with one morning feed and one bedtime, i wish he'd have more, but my 2.10yo wont drink milk and i hate the stuff so probably a family thing!

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sarahgg · 29/08/2007 22:27

my dd2 gave up breast at 10 months. never took a bottle and hated formula. i put her on full fat milk in a beaker. She hardly drank any. but 'cos she was eating good balanced diet was not too worried - nor was HV. I always offered her same in morning and bedtime. Eventually she took half a beaker. Even now she is 2 yrs old she drinks very little milk, but I still offer it in morning and evening, sometimes she drinks some times not. She is healthy and alert, just had 2 yr check and is doing really well. Some just don't like milk. On the other hand my 6 yr old still loves her milk twice a day. the aim of weaning is to get them off milk and on to a balanced diet, if Yours enjoys dairy products its not a problem.

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fruitymum · 29/08/2007 22:29

My DD weaned herself off BF at 9 months, I had hoped to continue until she was a year.
We use avent magic cup also sometimes with the wee valve removed - making it freeflow( had tried all different types of bottle and teat combinations to no avail) Yoghurts also make up the milk allowance - which was a relief to me as DD is not a big drinker - even at 15 months but loves milky puds. The more solids she takes the less milk she will want. Good luck and don't stress!

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PollyParanoia · 30/08/2007 13:35

Thanks for all this, makes me feel better. I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and give up that evening feed and see how it goes. The aim is, of course, to get her sleeping through the night and if she doesn't take any milk in that evening bottle she'll be starving.
I made that classic mistake of assuming it would be as easy as it had been with my ds who was glugging a cup down him no problem at this age.
And now I shall be off to whip up another fish/chicken white sauce combo...
PP
ps call me stupid, but does 12oz inclusive of milk used elsewhere mean a total of 12oz or 12oz plus the yoghurts etc?

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Seona1973 · 30/08/2007 14:07

it means the 12oz includes the yoghurt e.g. if your lo had 10oz of milk and 2oz of yoghurt then they had 12oz altogether and met the 'target'.

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florencemum · 30/08/2007 14:21

my dd1 refused any bottle or formula at 9 months. i gave her to my mother at feeding times for a week and disappeared until she had to drink her formula. she's 2.5 and still drinks a bottle in the morning.....

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HenriettaHippo · 30/08/2007 14:30

Polly, remember you don't know how much DD is actually drinking when she bf morning and night. She might only be taking in 2 oz then anyway...

My DS2 is 1 on Sunday, and from about 8 months has refused all milk offered during the day (I still offer him some after he's had a nap - some days he'll drink an ounce if I'm lucky). I give him 5 oz first thing in a beaker, but he often refuses that too. Most mornings he drinks maybe 3 oz. At bedtime, he'll drink anything between 5 oz and 10 oz (?!). However, his daily intake of straight milk is on average, I would say, about 10 oz max.

So I offer him yoghurt every day and milk on cereal. But he won't let me near him with a spoon, so sometimes half a yoghurt goes in, and he eats mini shredded wheats with his hands, so maybe another ounce there. He eats like a horse though - all by himself (another messy story).

Frankly, I've given up worrying about it, I can't force him to drink more milk, and I offer calcium rich foods at other times. He's growing, is alert and smiley, so I figure he's fine. Remember there veg that are high in calcium as well - brocolli??

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Albsmum · 30/08/2007 14:42

My little one is 11 months old now - and since about 8 months his liking and dependency on milk has decreased substantially. Since 8 months, he will take 9 oz a day exactly ! Doesn't matter how I try to vary it, he will take 2oz in the morning (around 10am) and 7oz at bed time. He does have some milk on his weetabix or rice crispies in the morning, and atleast one yoghurt a day. Checked with the HV and no concerns at all. As long as they are eating everything else - then I don't think we should get too worked up about volume ! Also, I offer him water everyday - and up until last month, he would take the beaker / cup off me, chew the top and not drink anything ! Then, I discovered, if I take the top off and offer him the actual cup and help him drink from it, he will take a good 4oz twice a day ! This is really handy when it's warm - since I don't have to worry about dehydration. Hope this helps.

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Gemmitygem · 30/08/2007 14:53

this is interesting, cos mine is also 11 months (nearly), and want to start winding down on breastfeeding. At one year old, do they actually need to drink cow's milk as a drink? Or can they just have lots of general protein like meat, fish, including dairy products, cheese, milk sauces, yoghurt etc. I have just started trying DS on warm cow's milk and he's not keen, but loves yoghurt and cheese.

My question is, once you've stopped breastfeeding, (I'm now bf just morning and evening), do you replace those feeds with warm cow's milk, or do you just slightly increase the baby's general food? and do they go off to bed happily without the comfort of the breastfeed? any advice much appreciated!

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PollyParanoia · 30/08/2007 18:23

Gem - I think you try to give them a bottle/cup of formula/cow's milk in the morning and evening. That's what people typically do though of course often they later have a terrible battle to wean their 3-year-olds who are chugging away on a bottle night and day. My friend's ds was a shocker, sucked on a bottle like a chain smoker and she had terrible battles to get rid of it.
Thanks HHippo and Albsmum - I feel so much more confident about giving up the bf now. (don't know about everyone else but last time round my libido came back as soon as I gave up bf. It was like a light being switched on).

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Seona1973 · 30/08/2007 22:16

Gem, my 11 month old currently has a beaker of formula at breakfast and at bedtime. When he gets to 1 year he will get cows milk in them instead. I dont intend to warm it though - he has had the odd drink of cows milk straight from the fridge before and always has his formula at room temperature so i dont intend to start warming his milk now!!

He was bottle feeding up to a few weeks ago but took to his milk in his beaker (after a few attempts) so well that I just switched both his bottles to the beaker.

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