Worried mum - a baby who hates milk!?

[peaky297]

My DD is 6 months old and I'm fairly convinced that she just does not like the taste of milk!
After initially being a milk monster, from around 10 weeks old she became very fussy with her milk. She was put on colief and gaviscon for silent reflux, which helped a little but her appetite for milk never really came back. As such, we were advised to.wean her a bit early at 5 months. DD smashes down the food and I'm yet to find anything that she wont eat! The milk situation is even worse though! She will sometimes take as little as 2oz, refuse any more and then 10 minutes later will be smashing down food like she is starving! Come to the conclusion that she just doesn't like milk 🤦‍♀️ Now she is down to around 10oz a day (and that's with me trying to sneak some into her food!). I've also introduced a baby vitamin to make up for that side of things, but I'd rather she just had a bit more milk!
Anyone else experienced this? Any tips!?
Thanks in advance x

[SnowdropFox]

I know a couple of adults who dont like milk so it's not really a surprise some babies dont. Keep with the vitamins and get calcium into her through yogurt and cheese etc Make sure she's drinking enough water if thats all she is drinking .

[Yorkiee]

@peaky297 im in the same boat. And she isnt a bigger solid eater too so 🤷‍♀️ Im just giving what she wants. Its been a struggle feeding her formula since birth. She just hates it.

[Yorkiee]

@SnowdropFox i agree. I give a little water in between feeds so he isnt dehydrating.

[Ihaveoflate]

I have a similar issue with my older baby. She’s never been interested in milk (reflux and lactose intolerant) but will still have a few ounces in a bottle first thing and bedtime. However, in a couple of weeks she turns 1 and no more bottles. We’ve been experimenting with cups and beakers, but she will not even take a sip. She is happy to drink water.

Like pp said, supplement with vitamin drops and offer cheese, yogurts and milk by stealth ( in cooking). I would be more worried if she refused water.

[Gumbo]

Apparently I was like this as a baby and refused to drink milk; rather alarmingly my DM was told to replace it with carrot juice as it had the same nutritional value

In fairness, this was 50 years ago, but still...

So no advice, but yes, this absolutely does happen. (I still hate drinking milk...)

[redwoodmazza]

I was intolerant to milk when I was a baby - over 60 years ago!!! I used to scream and curl up in a ball etc etc...
In desperation my mother wrote to a baby 'agony aunt' in a magazine and was advised to try me on diluted evaporated milk. I was like a different baby then, apparently.
I still dislike ordinary milk to this day - but love sterilised and evaporated!!!
However, these days I don't think evaporated is recommended for babies.
Good luck OP.

[EggsRoyale]

My now 10yr old was like this and we ended up giving up on milk totally around 7months and just giving her water and bit drops. We did have slightly better results with cold milk than warm milk for a while so maybe try it at a different temperature? She was weaned early (around 18weeks) at HV advice due to lack of milk intake and we replaced it with yogurt, fromage frais and cheese and added milk to ready brek, pasta cheese sauce, mash potato/veg etc. She still hates milk but eats lots of cheese and yogurt.

[bluemoon2468]

Apparently I loved breast milk as a baby but as soon as I was moved into formula at about 4 months I started rejecting it. My mum weaned me early and stopped offering milk completely at some point. I still HATE milk so much.

[HypatiaCade]

Yes, my DS turned out to be lactose intolerant. I worked it out with the help of Dr Google when he refused to go onto the breast anymore at 12 weeks old and was told by an irate GP that it was only temporary and would go when his system matured (GP seemed offended that I had managed to work it out and hadn't taken his word on it that it was simply colic and nothing to be concerned about - arse). We thought that was the case and that he just didn't like milk on its own.

At 11 years old, after years of other problems and even being under the care of a pediatrician I finally worked out that he was still lactose intolerant but instead of the typical diarrhea reaction he instead suffered from constipation, which is not a common symptom so no one ever put two and two together. He still can't stand the taste of plain milk, and I genuinely think it was a protective response to it being painful for him to drink as a child.

[Hartleyhare1206]

Mine was similar from about 8 months...much preferred filling up on food to milk. Used to mix formula in to porridge and weetabix (weetabix soaks it up brilliantly and could get about 5oz In that way!) also custard, mash etc. Made sure she had plenty of cheese and milk. Weirdly she is now 3.5 and a total milk monster. Sometimes having 3 big cups per day, plus on cereal etc, and also loves Hot chocolate/Babycinios/milkshakes etc.
It’s stressful at the time I know, but looking back I worried a lot about it when I probably didn’t need to. If you’d have told me Then that she would be Such a milk lover now though I’d have never believed it! Xxx