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Original poster

how do I get milk into my dd if she won't drink it?!

20 replies

julietbat · 19/09/2008 13:35

My dd (6 months) is breastfed and refuses to take milk from anything but my boob! she'll drink water from a beaker but not milk (breast or formula). she is now going to nursery/grandparents a few days a week and because she's not getting milk during the day I need to be able to supplement her diet with milk-rich foods. She loves her fromage frais but I don't want her having more than one a day!

any suggestions please???

OP posts:

BecauseImWorthIt · 19/09/2008 13:39

Do you really mean milk-rich or do you mean calcium rich?

What's the problem with fromage frais - why can't she have more than one a day?

Lots of calcium in cheese, or in dark green veg and some fish

see here

Miyazaki · 19/09/2008 13:40

Have you tried milk from a bottle?

my dd refused all bottles but the playtex one with the hideously lifelike latex nipple

Original poster

julietbat · 19/09/2008 19:04

I don't have a problem with fromage frais but she had 3 today (at nanny's) and threw up! So I'd like to have other options. And I have tried pretty much every single bottle on the market but she is a stubborn little thing!
I don't know if I mean calcium or milk - they're supposed to have a pint of milk a day, aren't they? That's what I'm concerned she's not getting on the three days she's not with me.

OP posts:

Miyazaki · 19/09/2008 19:19

Have you tried the playtex one? It was the one that got her to take her a bottle and I know lots of other babies who have also moved from breast to bottle with this one. Once they have got used to one - you can move them onto a more usual bottle quite quickly.

Doesn't she go bonkers in the day with not having a bfeed/bottle? she is v little.

LynetteScavo · 19/09/2008 19:21

DS2 wouldn't drink milk, but was happy to consume gallons of natural yougurt. I also gave him sugar free custard, and semolina.

Miyazaki · 19/09/2008 19:30

sorry, have read my message back - i'm not suggesting you stop bf'ing! - Playtex is a good bottle to use if you are bf'ing as the teat is very sim to a nipple.

cali · 19/09/2008 19:39

If she has 2 fromage frais during the day, then that will count as 1 of the 3 calcium portions for the day.

Are you able to feed her in the morning and the evening?

From 6 months, you can use full fat cows milk in her diet, just as long as it is not her main drink.
It is amazing how much milk weetabix can take!

My dd's were the same, dd1 would not drink any liquid unless I breastfed her. This lasted until she was 20 months and I found myself adding milk into all of her foods that I could,

Dd2 will drink water and very dilute juice very well but refuses to drink milk from a cup/bottle. She's only 1 so don't mind carrying B'feeding at the moment but.....

lucysmam · 19/09/2008 21:16

if she likes fromage frais . . . maybe a milkshake? Just a suggestion before anyone says it's totally not a good thing to give a 6mo!! Just you did say 'any' suggestions & my lo won't drink milk but will guzzle milkshakes til they come out of her ears. Or horlicks, or some other kind of milky drink?

Sorry if no use, just thought I'd offer my idea

Original poster

julietbat · 19/09/2008 21:54

Thanks for all your suggestions. I breastfeed her at 7:30am, 6:30pm and 10:30pm every day and if I'm at home with her she tends to have a 3pm b/feed too (and sometimes 11am if it's more convenient than solids). She is absolutely fine with dropping the 11am feed in exchange for solids and doesn't appear to be confused that she has milk one day and food the next. But it is the afternoon feed that I'm finding harder to sort. She tends to get quite fractious because by then she's tired (esp at nursery) and all she wants is a nice quiet b/feed! So I'm trying to find something nice and milky that she can have instead that will hopefully keep her going until her evening meal at 5:30pm.

Don't think we've tried the playtex bottle but have to admit I have my doubts . We've tried the bottle that they have to latch on to (breastflow?) which is supposed to be great for babies that refuse other bottles but she wouldn't have a bar of it! I might have a look for that one though. I'll try anything!

She's not keen on weetabix at the mo so I'll try that again in a couple of weeks. I like the idea of natural yoghurt - that's a good idea and I can add some fruit puree to it which she loves. Or make her some banana custard...

Love the idea of milkshakes! But not sure she'd drink one - she's so suspicious of anything milk-like from a bottle/beaker. It's like she knows what I'm up to!

Makes me so determined to try to get dc2 (only in the planning stages at the mo!) to take a bottle right from the start. I'd love to be able to leave her for the day and know that anyone else can provide her with the things she needs. I adore breastfeeding but it's pretty limiting sometimes.

OP posts:

gigglewitch · 19/09/2008 21:59

omg i had two of these

wouldn't touch anything except, erm, boob!! we found that they like the milk very warm [don't dare say hot - but dd did] and from a doidy cup, so nothing with a spout or teat!!

cali · 19/09/2008 22:01

Try oatibix instead, tastes a lot like porridge but much easier to prepare and dd2 thinks it's a lot nicer than weetabix.

At 6 months, she could almost be ready to drop the lunchtime breastfeed for good, just depends on much solid food she is actually eating.

lucysmam · 19/09/2008 22:03

my lo found warm horlicks relaxing rather than bottle fed bm in the late afternoon from about 9mo or so when w were out and about or she was out. Was just a case of her getting used to it rather than a bf or solid meal. Maybe horlicks made with bm? Or even a cup without a lid for someone to help her drink the bm from may be better than a bottle or a cup if she's really not 'into' them atm

I used the Tommee Tippee bottles with her as the teat was meant to be more breast like in shape. Still, after 6mths of being bf it's quite a change to be given a rubbery teat or plastic cup to drink milk from

Have a couple of unopened Tommee Tippee bottles here if you want one to try

Miyazaki · 20/09/2008 08:07

yes totally understand the hmm factor of having a bottle suggested to you. But it did work for me, and lots of others. I moved from solely bf to mixed at 6mos too, was v stressful, but this one worked. The teat that you would want is the Natural Action Latex one:

www.infantcaredirect.co.uk/acatalog/Nipplesfornursers.html

Original poster

julietbat · 20/09/2008 08:53

Thanks miyazaki, I am certainly sceptical but it's worth a try just in case it works! And thanks for your Tommee Tippee offer, lucysmam but we've tried long and hard with them and it's definitely a no go!

I'll try buying oatibix - if she won't eat it it'll just mean that i'll have more cereal to choose from .

the weird thing is that she has a dummy so she's obviously ok with a teat, just not one that has milk coming out of it!

I sort of wish that someone would've warned us how easy it is to get into this situation. The midwives/hv all talk about nipple confusion but no-one mentioned it could happen this way round. And obviously I wouldn't want anything to threaten my ability to b/feed but since we've been trying (unsuccessfully!)to get dd to take a bottle I can't believe how many people I've come across with the same problem.

OP posts:

neolara · 20/09/2008 09:16

My DS wouldn't drink any milk at all when I stopped breastfeeding at 12 months. However most days he gets half a pint of milk in a big bowl of porridge, two frommage frais and lots of cheese.

I can see how it would be more stressful at 6 months though. It may be worth persevering with trying to get her to drink milk. My DS refused to eat any solids at all between 6 and 8 months. After two months of offering him food three times a day and it being refused at each meal, he suddenly changed his mind and started wolfing it down.

nannyL · 20/09/2008 09:26

have you tried OTHER people feeding her with YOU notbeing round at all...

she would prop not want a bottle from you cause your breast are their so to speak

elmoandella · 20/09/2008 09:39

cereal with milk for breakfast

macaroni cheese has plenty of milk and cheese in the sauce if you make it yourself.

cheese,

different variety of yoghurt.

homemade lasagne can have plenty of cheese and milk in it.

mashed potatoes is full of milk too.

homemade custard, easy on the sugar is a good alternative for dessert than yoghurt

Original poster

julietbat · 20/09/2008 22:14

thanks for all those suggestions elmoandella. now she's getting used to more textured food i'm planning to make more meals for her so mac cheese and lasagne are good ones to try. and i've thought about doing fish pie with cheese sauce, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, etc.

I'm going to keep trying to offer her milk in the beaker every so often to see if she'll take it eventually. I harbour a hope that she'll just take it one day out of the blue! I read someone's post that they put a bottle of milk out of reach of their baby who then crawled their way to it and drank it. Might try that one...

nannyL - we've tried me giving the bottle, partner, my parents etc. she just refuses and screams. we've tried it when she's really hungry, in between feeds, just after a feed, midway through a feed. she's pretty stubborn!

OP posts:

Elasticwoman · 21/09/2008 21:40

Julietbat, I kept all my 3 dc away from dairy products other than my breastmilk until they were a year old. I trusted them to take what they needed and I'm sure your dd will be with you enough hours in the week to do the same. My dc are now 14, 12 and 8, well grown, healthy and with perfect teeth even though they all eat sweets.

I am very dubious about the myth that bf babies need their diets supplemented with cows' milk products.

serin · 21/09/2008 22:05

Mine moved straight from BF to a cup, would second Gigglewitch's comments about the doidy cup, they don't have to tip it up so far.

How much do you reckon she is getting at each feed? When I had to express (if they ever missed a feed) there would be about 250ml's, so if she is getting a similair amount she should be okay shouldn't she??

Am not an expert though!

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