Baby dropped from 98th to 15th percentile. PLEASE HELP

[GiveMeVegemite]

Hi, my 7 month old has been dropping weight dramatically. I'm so worried.

He has a milk protein allergy so has never had much milk, but since starting solids would usually drink about 500ml a day of soy milk and have 3 meals. 2 weeks ago he started teething, his first tooth has come through now, but he is only drinking about 200ml of milk now! I probably get 100ml of water in too.

I called the doctor and he said it was nothing to worry about and to give paracetamol and as long as he isn't dehydrated then just keep persevering.

But he has dropped about .6 of a kilo in a week and about 1 kilo total over 2.5 weeks.

Is this something I should be really worried about?

I would say yes on the one hand that is a dramatic weight drop, but on the other hand it is very common for babies to struggle with eating when teething or ill and weight tends to fluctuate when starting solids. How much solids is he having per meal? Has he always been on 98th centile? He should really be having more milk than that but if he doesn't want it, then as long as he is taking other fluids. Give it a few more days for teething to move on... But do keep offering him variety of food, and things you know he will like.

Tbh i was far more relaxed with ds2. I noticed he dropped weight at times when ill but I kept offering him plenty of food and milk options and he regulated himself. I very rarely weighed him!

I didnt think soya milk was the first milk of choice for babies with cows milk protein allergy, especially boys. Could your GP prescribe a milk that is more suitable? Are you offering milk at a different time to solids? e.g. milk at 7, 11, 3, 7 and food at 8, 12, 5 (just an example). Mix as much milk as possible into food e.g. with cereal, in other foods.

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-I-give-my-baby-soya-based-infant-formula.aspx?CategoryID=62&SubCategoryID=63

Deffo he shpuld not be having soy milk or soy formula as a main drink. Lots of kids who are CMPI are also soy intolerant, and soy has oestrogenic effects. I would ask for aptamil pepti on prescription and see if that helps things.

Thanks for your replies. He has been prescribed neocate, aptamil pepti, nutrimigen etc but wont drink them! It's so frustrating. My paediatrician suggested I try soy, but I feel like it doesn't have as many calories.

Ok so, I will stop the soy. Reintroduce the neocate! It's bit like he could really drink less than he is now so will persevere with that for a while.

5am Bottle
6.30am /7 He has porridge (with milk) for breakfast.
10am bottle
11.30 meat and veges for lunch
12pm fruit
3pm bottle
4.30 meat and pasta and veges or something like that
5.30 fruit with a bit of porridge to help with his silent reflux before bed
7pm bottle
Bed
11pm bottle

He only takes about 50 - 80ml per bottle though! Hence why I have to try and give him lots.
He doesn't eat a huge amount either. Probably the equivalent of 1 Ella's kitchen 7 month pouch per meal plus porridge.

Stressed !

He has always been between 75th - 98th. So nowhere near where he is now :(

I understand how stressful this is as my DS had a similar weight drop around 9 months old (although over a couple of months rather than weeks). In our case there was no milk allergy but he was eventually diagnosed as a coeliac. That might be something worth exploring with your paediatrician (at least to rule it out).

Sounds like a good routine. I would reduce meat to just one meal. Hard to digest and they don't need much protein at this age. My kids didn't like pouches or jars (except fruit ones)! Got more down by homemade purees, sweet potato and butternut always good fillers.

Ok will do, less meat. I do make a lot of his food. I was just trying to give an example of how much he eats. I only give him the Ella's kitchen stuff when I'm in a hurry really.

So far I have got a bit more milk into him today which I'm relieved about (not soy milk). So fingers crossed he starts gaining again soon.

But meat is far more calorific than veg. If there are weight issues surely he should be having high-cal foods? Pouches and jars are not very calorie dense generally.

Protein often makes you feel fuller though, have you tried foods like avocados?

He likes avocados so I will try them for sure.

How is his length?
Is he just starting to crawl or get more active.
Is he actually losinh weight or just not gaining as much?

I had a very tiny baby who was a 26 week premmie.

Avocado is brilliant.

Blend it with an orange for something a bit like orange mouse. It sounds disgusting but really the orange flavour and the creaminess of the avocado comes through t really doesn;t taste very avocado'y

DS used to love it - he now an above average 8 year old

DS has cows milk and soy allergies and had weight gain problems once we started weaning.

Around 40-50% of babies that are allergic to dairy have problems with soy too. Soy is in a lot of food, most bread for example. Once I got completely on top of eliminating them, his weight gain picked up. I think the allergens made his appetite decrease.

There is a facebook page called CMPA support for weaning, you could try seeking advice from there.
This is main web page with links: cowsmilkproteinallergysupport.webs.com/

I would add healthy fats to every meal - coconut oil or light olive oil.

Mashed banana and avocado (yuk) went down v well with my teething 7mo. Lots of yoghurts, puréed chicken with butternut squash and chopped apple/drop of orange juice is nice and sweet too.
If he is feeling poorly you may need to go back a stage in textures if he's already on lumpy foods. In the same way you only want chicken soup and buttered toast when you have a sore throat.
Little and often is good. My DD was also on soy formula at that age but mix fed boob and bottle from birth. She refused all bottle feeds at 7mo when she got 4xtop teeth at once. I had to wean as back to work and overseas frequently. STRESSFUL. We just put milk and dairy in everything. Really runny yoghurt (add formula), Weetabix was more like broth. All purees had milk added. Etc etc. Constipation was a big problem - if your son is having normal bowel movements then he's fine really. His appetite will be back in a week or so in all likelihood.
At 18 months she just started drinking it again.

Best of luck, I remember those days

Thanks so much everyone.
He is quite long so about the 90th percentile for length. He was around the 95th.
I have switched back to neocate and am just giving textured foods.
Good news is that after a few days he has gained a little more weight. Back up to the 40th percentile. Such a relief. Although I am up at 11pm, 2am, 5.30am giving him milk to make sure he is getting enough. It's worse than when he was a newborn.
Please tell me it gets better?
Did you ladies to dream feeds? I feed him in his sleep at 11pm, but he only takes about 60ml and then wakes up at 2am anyway! I'm thinking if dropping the dream feed so at least I can go to bed earlier

I dropped the dream feed from 7.5 months on without any trouble if that helps at all. I'd wait a few weeks and see if he stabilises his weight first though when the dratted tooth comes through.

I'd also try the allergies boards for some nice fattening dairy free recipes.

Hi! Can I ask what other symptoms your son had? I’m in the exact same position and pushing for coeliac test!