baby won't drink in the day

[thegauntlet]

So; I have now been back at work for 3 weeks. I thought she would just get used to this and drink when she was thirsty.. But... DD ( 7months) has BF 630am, 5pm, 7pm and a million times in the night

So- She doesn't take anything from a bottle between 630am and 5pm. She will have about 10ml of water or expressed milk from a sippy cup when it is offered at mealtimes. She is eating sort of ok 3 meals a day finger food and babyrice with mushveg.

Should I be worried? We have had this problem always with the bottle, there was a time when she took 4oz from a nuk 2x a day, but it was never easy to get there... now she just cries if my mum or DH try to give her the bottle.

Her sleep has got much worse ( it was never very good- never more than 4 hr stretch) since I have been back. I guess she is catching up in the night; what can I do?

Can't offer any advice really thegauntlet but just wanted to offer some sympathy as my DS was exactly like this. He simply adopted the policy of "I'll just wait".

How old is your DD and tried a cup or juice spouts with the bottle instead of teats?

Just reread and realised you've already tried a cup, sorry.

DS2 is 8 months and is now FF and now only had one bottle in the day, and even then he only drinks around 4oz of it, so not as if you need her to take that much in the day anyway.

I've just cut out the 10.30am bottle, I think GF suggests dropping mid morning bottle around 7 months.

I guess 2 choices -

a) add lots of milk to her solids, eg

• ready brek/baby rice and milk
• fish poached in milk
• veggies in cheesy milk sauce
• add full fat cream cheese to veggies
• yoghurts for pudding or mixed into fruit.

b) cut back on solids for a few days so she is just so hungry she has to drink the bottle.

Personally at 7 months I'd prefer option a) but I guess it depends it depends how much you want her to drink from a bottle. I went back to work with DD at 6 months and went for option b). But it was different as we'd only just started weaning.

sorry also, reason I went for b) was that I wanted to stop breastfeeding.

Thanks very much for this advice. I really appreciate it. I am going to do the option of having lots of milk based food, ( although she is a little monkey and won't eat yoghurt or fromage frais!) as I want to breastfeed until she is at least 8 months.

At that point I have to travel for a couple of days with work so I think that could be the time when I say right.... enough of the night feeds now..and resort to full on formula/ cows milk.
Merry Christmas x

it's not unnormal and I wouldn't worry (apart from your sanity) .

This is what we're trying to get DD to do, but from 6.5months she's only had a 3oz bottle at lunchtime so not loads.

An open cup has worked well for getting her to take more water though.