8 month old not interested in day time milk

[TheRedSalamander]

Not sure if this should be in sleep or here in feeding but here goes.

I really really really need to improve sleep for our whole family. Dh has a long motorway commute and I'm scared for him driving when his sleep has been disturbed so often (although I get up to see to our 2 boys he still wakes too and last night it was midnight, 12:30 1:30 2am 2:45 then the baby woke for the day at 5:45 ), plus ds1 has his sleep disturbed and has circles under his eyes that no 4yo should have to bear. And of course me. I'm just about existing, surviving on coffee and biscuits to keep my energy going until bedtime is done.

DS2 is nearly 8 months old, and has gradually lost interest in milk feeds during the day. (He's exclusively bf)

The only feed I can guarantee he'll have is his bed time one, at about 18:30. He'll wake for another at around 10:30 - if he sleeps through that (I don't wake him to dream feed if he doesn't wake) he'll then wake at about midnight. Either way, it makes no difference to his night time wakings and he feeds at least twice more during the night. One will only be a small one and I guess he's just feeding for comfort at that one. Maybe not though.

When he wakes for the day, he's not interested in feeding, eats breakfast well but I just cannot get him to feed from me. Same goes for mid morning and lunch time. Sometimes I can get him to have some just before or just after his afternoon nap but only if he's so sleepy he's not really noticing my boob in his face!

I guess one of the reasons he wakes in the night so often still is that he needs milk but won't have it in the day. Is there anything I can do to encourage him to drink milk in the day? He's not fussed about water either, so must be thirsty too. I've tried the quiet darkened room thing, but he just wriggles, turns away and grizzles.

Sorry I've gone on loads, there are so many things going on with sleep/feeding etc I'm not sure what is relevant and what isn't. If I'm honest I'm not even sure of my own name sometimes

Can anyone help me unpick what's going on here and help point me in the right direction?

More protein? Milk is obviously essential, but I found with my DS at this age he really slept better if he'd had a meal with some kind of protein in for tea.

Maybe try him with milk in a sippy cup during the day if you're worried about getting more milk in. I know it means expressing more. But IME they have so much going on during the day the last thing they want to do is take themselves away from teh action for a feed!
Maybe you should cut back on the caffeine yourself as that might be affecting him a bit? Not an expert someone will be along in a minute I'm sure.

how is he first thing in the morning? can you get some down him then - I give dd some milk about half an hour/to a hour before lunch as that seems to get her to drink more (She is also 8 months) but have no such joy at any other time of day

I'd not considered protein, I'll give that a go. I don't know a lot about nutrition- is protein more satisfying for them super?

First thing in the morning is a tricky one too poppy, as I'm not sure when this is! Sometimes this is 4.30 am ish when he's woken for a poo and then once I've changed him, tried to settle him unsuccessfully and resorted to trying feeding him to sleep, decides that he's not going to go back to sleep until 6 after all. And then when he wakes for the day at about 6.30 (wow! a whole 30 mins extra sleep! Lucky me ) he refuses my breast again.

Ok this is my DD routine and it hasn't changed a lot since 7-8 months

Wake 6.30am 250ml milk (stopped bf at 4 months)
Breakfast 8am, weetabix with milk
Drink water
Mid morning 40 mls milk in a cup
Sleep for an hour or less
Lunch 12.00pm Pasta and veg/bean sauce something like that then yogurt or fruit
Drink water
Nap for 2 hours
Tea 4.30pm Chicken stew or cauliflower cheese or beef stew something like that with rice or pasta or cous cous
Bed 6pm with milk

At 8 months we were still doing a dream feed of 200mls or less milk at about 10 or 11pm

Does that help? Maybe if he's dropping BF try dropping the yogurts and cheese. I definately think boys need protein, certainly my DS now nearly 4 eats at lot more meat than me!
Examine your own diet if you're concerned about the breast milk. Go back to basics and see if that helps. I personally wouldn't worry about the breast feeds/milk feeds if he is eating well, just maybe move him onto more shepherds pies, spag bols etc
Does that help?

thanks sgb. It's just worrying because all the professional advice always goes along the lines of "milk should be a significant source of nutrition until at least 12 months" and I've been trying to get as much into him during the day as I can for sleep reasons too!

Tough innit?! Go with your gut, you're giving him a brilliant start. Start expressing like a demon if it helps and cook with it!!
It sounds to me as if you are nearly there to be honest, but you can't force these little people to do what they don't want to do. My DD will happily eat family food (hates jars so that's another inconvenience for me at times) but would I think be quite happy to do without milk drinks if she could. Tonight was a good example, she had a (very mild) veggie chilli, full of pulses with rice for tea followed by fruit compote and custard made with formula milk, and only took 100 mls of milk at bedtime. But I know she won't wake.
Go with him and let him lead the way, you'll relax more and it will make life much easier for you and your family.
A friend of mine has a different issue at 14 month old only really happy with frequent breast feeds supplimented with yogurt and fruit pots. So your LO is getting a good balance. From 6 months the recommendation is 500ml of milk a day so he's prob getting plenty.

Yep you're right, just wish he could get a good balance during the day and not the sodding night

He will! Seriously protein...it's miracle stuff! Nighty night

Kez is still very much a booby girl despite being on 3 meals a day. Have you tried offering breast before food?

The recomendation I think is about a pint BUT that includes yogert, cheese and the milk on cereal as a cooking liquid in sauces.... Fluid wise if you are getting good wet nappies and they are putting on weight, happy, and well then they are getting enough.

Hey Kaz

I'm not so much worried about the amount he drinks as the timing of it! Wish he'd take milk in the day instead of at night. But even then I'm betting he'd still wake loads as per our current norm

(ps L has started to try and pull himself up to stand too now like Kez in your vid- so so cute!)