Milk

[Harper2002]

Hi
I have bottle fed my son from birth he is now 7 months old, he really fights taking his bottle and lately I am lucky if I get him to take 15oz a day. I was told by the Health Visitor he should be on at least 21oz a day until he is a year old. He is taking his other food well. Can anyone give me any advice?

Harper, really he should be getting most of his calories from the milk and at this age it doesn't really matter how much solids he eats so you could try giving him his bottles an hour before he eats solids, that way he may take more of the milk .

We have tried this, he just closes his mouth tight when we try to give him the bottle, I have tried using a cup which he drinks water out of quite happily but won't take the milk. Its the same milk we have always used, if anybody else feeds him they say they have never known a baby fight like he does, he is a very happy, healthy little boy and always sleeps through the night, but i know how important the milk is to his diet.

Have you tried a different formula?

I have not tried one yet, I thought about this but as they recommend sticking to the same one from birth, its always hard to know that you are doing the right thing!

Harper is he following the same growth line in his red book as he always has? Is he gaining some weight and otherwise well and happy?

I think unless there is a medical issue (e.g. he is unhappy when taking all his milk feeds/ he is vomiting / he is listless and dehydrated etc.) you should follow his lead and feed him when he is hungry. Is it always obvious to you when he is hungry? Have there been any feeding / weight gain issues in the past?

Obv. don't overfeed him with solids, but I really don't like this 'he should be taking at least X ounces' attitude, feeding isn't one size fits all. I don't eat the same amount as every other woman my age, DS1 doesn't eat the same amount as every other 4 year old boy...do you see what I'm getting at?

If you have concerns about his weight gain / feeding, take him to GP but don't beat yourself up trying to force him to drink more milk.

The companies want you to stick to one some you don't shop around! They do taste different though - and powder and cartons taste different too. I'd try a few and see if there is one he prefers. SMA has quite a fishy taste imo, whereas C&G is quite nice. The follow-on formulas tend to be sweeter than first milk too.

You can always give him milky sauces with his solids as well, so some milk is being ingested with porridge/other things, not only from bottles

A bit unconventional but had to with DD from 9 months was make milk shake just enough to colour the milk and the world was a much happier place

He always has had a good weight gain, he lets you know if he is hungry and he has a good routine. I have tried changing when I give them to him but if he doesn't want it he just won't take it, the only feed with no real fuss is his bedtime bottle but the last couple of nights he has not even really been that interested in those. I have never really worried too much as he has always gained weight and been very healthy, just others saying maybe I should check.

Thanks everyone there are a few ideas there that I will give a go, hopefully just to make the bottle time a little happier for everyone

I think you should just feed him when he is hungry tbh. Agree with making his porridge / sauces with his milk of course, but don't try to make him take any more milk if he is healthy, happy and gaining weight.

Try a real cup.. He may have just grown out of bottles

i worried myself to the point of being ill with ds1 and milk. he was just the same as you little one. i never did make the amount they said. he's now a healthy 3 year old. i just did the milky pudding and sauce's, he just wouldn't take much from a bottle. try not to worry too much, if he's happy and healthy.