No reduction in Formula intake - what now?

[thatstoast]

DS is 11m old and eats 3 meals a day. His weight, growth, everything is all fine. No health concerns. 50th percentile for weight.

For the last couple of months he's been drinking 4x7oz bottles a day. All the advice seems to be carry on weaning and wait for milk consumption to reduce naturally but this is not happening.

NHS advice is to switch from formula to whole cow's milk at 1 year and if he was drinking less then I'd be happier with that but I'm worried that he'll be too hungry if I do this?

What should I do?

you could replace one of the daytime bottles with a snack and drink of water and then look to do the same with the other daytime bottle which would leave the am and pm ones.

He's only really having one bottle too many at the moment, so I would either drop one entirely and replace with a snack, or put the two day time bottles into cups of about 3.5oz.

I also found with mine that after a year the easiest thing to do was to dump the morning bottle entirely and go straight to breakfast.

I'd reduce the morning bottle and offer milk in a cup alongside solids. Then give lunch, a half bottle at 3ish, solids for tea and a full bottle before bed.

Thanks. At the moment I offer water with solids and he doesn't seem interested, just a couple of sips.

I've just re-read the NHS advice and it actually says that FF babies should start taking formula in a cup from 6 months and no bottles at all after a year. I didn't realise this, and it seems contrary to what other people I know have done with their children.

He has bottles at around 7.30, 10.30, 2 and 6. I'm thinking I could change it so the morning and evening remains the same but offer a snack at 10 and maybe give him the 2pm bottle a little earlier.

I'll try tomorrow and report back.

Id do breakfast first thing with a small feed after (or a cup.of.milk served with).

Try and pacify him.past the 10.30 feed and serve lunch at 11.30. Half hour playtimw after it then a full bottle before his nap (if he takes it).

Cup of milk and a biscuit an hour before dinner, then a bottle before bed.

By 1yo I was swapping the bedtime bottle to a bowl.of porridge with milk.

I always took it as 'introduce a cup at 6 months i.e. with water, alongside meals, with a view to phasing out bottles around 1 year'

I did that with both of mine - dd was 15 months when she stopped having milk from a bottle and took it from a cup instead. DS was around 11 months when he switched to getting milk from a cup.

So my day ended up like this:

7oz bottle @ 8
Porridge @ 9
Snack & cow's milk in cup @ 10
Lunch @ 11.30
7oz bottle @ 12

Super clingy baby who wouldn't nap and eventually passed out on me at 2pm and woke up at 4. Wouldn't be put in his cot at all which is really unlike him.

Dinner @ 4.30 and he did seem to eat more than usual.
7oz bottle @ 6 and bed at 7.

He usually sleeps through so hoping he won't decide he's hungry in the night.

I'm not sure whether the grumpiness is due to lack of formula, change of routine or teething so we'll see how it goes.

I had a similar issue with DD and in the end just went cold turkey and ditched the 10am bottle. I replaced it with water in a cup and a small snack and made sure we were out and about to distract her. I think she was a bit grumpy for 3 days then got over it completely.

He's woken up screaming but Dh has managed to get him to resettle. Fingers crossed.

Hi op, with my first I found milk consumption stayed the same with food for ages and then abruptly dropped. I'd give it till they're 12 months before doing anything. Hth

Thanks, He's actually been ok and does seem to be eating more solids so I think i'll stick with it as he'll be 12m in 3 weeks anyway.

I've had to consult the BLW book for snack ideas. They have a recipe for cheese twists which i'll probably just eat myself.