He's gone off his milk at 7 months

[sayitwithme]

It seems that since weaning, I've been struggling to get much milk (bottle fed since 6 weeks) into DS during the day. We were waking him to do a dream feed up until about a week ago but we stopped as he was still waking at 4am for another bottle (I figured if I tried to decrease it at night, he might take more in the day). At both of these feeds, he would take a good amount (5-7oz).

In the last day or so, he's refused the bedtime bottle altogether. The 4am feed is the only one he's doing now, unless he wakes and asks for his dream feed too.

He's having three meals a day, and I try to include protein and carbs every day at some point. I have upped his yoghurts, put cheese in some of his food and I make his ready brek with formula. I have done this because his milk intake has decreased and not the other way around.

I was thinking about asking the HV for advice at the next baby clinic but I'm not all that convinced it'll be worth it. Should I be concerned as I understand that milk is supposed to be the primary source of nutrition in the first year?

Hi sayitwithme. I have a 10 month old and when I weaned her at 6 months she went through exactly the same thing. Refused to take much milk. My mum told me that some kids just prefer food to milk and once you start them on it they rather eat that. I told the HV about it and all they said to me was that as long as the child is gaining weight, is eating solids and pooing well there is nothing to get worried about. You are doing all the right things by giving cheese and yogurt to get the calcium into baby. That is exactly what I did and mine loves yogurt so I just gave her that.

I think the recommended milk once they are weaned is circa 500ml a day. Mine dropped well below that when I first weaned her. The only bottle she would have properly was her early morning one. The rest of the day was a bit of a white wash. Over the past few months she has become better and has around 500ml.

So don't worry..I hear you and I think it is normal :-)

My DS hated formula milk. He was breastfed til 4 months, went right off formula at about 7 months and then didn't drink much milk again until he was 11 months and started drinking cows milk. He guzzled that down.

I just don't think he really liked formula.

lovingbeingmum and 2cats2many, thanks for your posts - they have reassured me greatly. DS is a big boy (always been on the 91st centile and is showing no signs of dropping) and is still having good wet and pooey nappies so sounds like he's OK.

I'll get him weighed again on Wednesday so may just run it by the HV anyway as I'm there.

Thanks again.