Running out of ways to get my 8mth old to drink formula; is it worth trying him on some cows milk?

[Derlei]

DS has never been a great milk drinker from day 1 although around 4/5 months I did manage to get him to drink about 30oz a day.

He then got his first tooth and it's been a struggle ever since. He'll have a bit and then just pull the bottle out. I have tried switching formula, bottles and offered it in a beaker, to no avail. I reduced the food completely on HVs advice to make him hungry for milk, didn't work!

He's been fully weaned on solids since 6 months so I have been making sure he just about gets the 18-20oz recommended by usually the following methods:

• dreamfeeding before naps (3 times a day now dropped to 2)
• mixing into weetabix, into his lunch and into his dinner.

It's been a real struggle and in particular to the weaning process, as it has restricted DS to experiment properly with BLW and a majority finger food diet, as I have had to mix the milk into his food at every single meal and thus spoon feed him.

In the last week he's started to twig that he's being dreamfed so will have no more than 2oz, so now the most he's drinking before his 2 naps and "bedtime" is 6oz.

He will have about 4oz in his weetabix, so that's 10oz

That leaves me with 8-10 oz to somehow mix in to his foods. This is just too much without making him meals that he could literally swim in they're that runny. Plus it's stopping him from experiencing new tastes.

I want to stop mixing the milk into his food (apart from the weetabix). A few people have also recommended that I try him on cows milk as he may just not like the acquired taste of formula. I am tempted to try him on a couple of ounces. Would anybody do the same in my situation?

When I have asked the HV she just keeps saying not to introduce it as a drink until 1 year, but surely supplementing his 10 or so ounces of formula per day plus 3 balanced meals with 5-7 ounces of cows milk should be safe?

You could try mixing milk with the formula? I.e. In the same bottle, not 1 feed formula/1 feed milk

Personally I'd be cautious about moving completely to milk, but then ds didn't switch until about 14 months.

What are your instincts telling you to do? And how is his weight?

Thanks ohfour- yes that's a good idea and will probably help with the digestion of it.

His weight is ok I think, he's 19lbs2oz (8.7 at birth) - at his weigh-in this week he'd climbed up above his percentile which the HV seemed happy with

My instincts are saying to stop pushing the milk when he clearly doesn't like it, but I'm just trying to do what's best for him. I feel incredible guilt that he's not going to get the nutrients he needs at this age regardless of what I decide to do

The trouble is that no matter what you do, you're going to feel guilty

Ds is only 23 months and from what I can gather the things you feel guilty about won't go away

Trust your gut. HVs can be great, but no one knows your baby like you do. At the end of the day, is it going to do any harm to give it a go?

Is it really essential for him to have milk if he is eating a well balanced diet and drinking other fluids (water)? Can he get calcium from cheese/full fat yogurts etc? Having to drink milk when you don't like it is pretty unpleasant at any age.

Rag that's a really good point actually.

If you're concerned about sugar etc you could try full fat plain yogurt with your own fruit purée?

Yes he does have yoghurts, custard, cheeses etc, they don't amount to huge amounts over the course of the day but I guess it's something.

I do offer water sometimes but not regularly throughout the day as my HV told me not to as he'd be getting enough water from his formula.

I'd be nervous about getting rid of the formula completely but then again, that's only because of what is drilled into you! If only a professional would just put their head above the parapet and say "it doesn't matter"!! Sigh

My ds started refusing milk around the same age. Tried him on cows milk and he was ok for about a month then started refusing that too so I stopped giving it to him and supplemented with other calcium sources. He's now a strapping 12 year old (who still won't drink milk!)

I would, if he will eat dairy and high calorue. Look into it you can maybe get vitamin drops for him.

Thank you Tart, that's really reassuring

Comelucky - I do have some Healthy Start drops that I mix into his food if he's having a particularly bad day formula-wise so I could carry on with that.

I'll also increase the amount of iron rich food in his diet