8 month old wont take her milk

[glasgowmandy]

ever since my DD started solids she has dropped her milk rapidly.
im really getting concerned because i know how important it is to keep the milk till they are 1.
she will take some at night and in the morning but refuses to take any during the day, i try to give her yoghurts and cheese and little things like like that to keep up her calcium, she also has lots of fruit and good balanced meals, i try to put milk in her food and lots in her porridge, but the midwife was really worrying me.
i spoke to her about it and she told me i HAD to get that milk into, basically saying i had to force it down her! theres no way in hell i can do that
i cant even get the teet near her without her screaming, either that or she spits it all out! then crys so much shes sick! its horrible! should i continue to keep forcing this milk down her, because it just dosnt seem right. im so worried shes going to get sick or not develop right without her milk. shes taking about 15 16 oz a day, and thats me putting it in food aswell, any advice would be appreciated xx

She's having milk twice a day, from what you say, and is she in good health? Is she in the ballpark on the weight-charts? Getting teeth? Is she bright and alert, interested in her surroundings, sitting up, reaching for toys etc.? (I'm willing to bet you're saying 'yes' to all of those)

Many babies, once they've got a few teeth and they're eating three square meals a day, prefer milk as a drink rather than needing it as food. Trust your own judgement and don't force anything on your baby just to please a health visitor.

thankyou, feels good hearing that, it really does.
shes a smashin wee lass, she was weighed today and shes nearly 20 pounds!! little over the mark, but midwife that was there said shes healthy and happy so its nothing to worry about.
shes a chubby wee thing, always always smiling, loves her food, no teethe as of yet but solid hard gums!she runs about in her walker for ages, and loves playing.
so to me shes perfect and such a happy thing, its just the health visitor made out it was really terrible, i figured she was just weaning herself off it! but thankyou for your advice, those visitors dont half put the fear of god into you sometimes!!x

You're welcome. She sounds like a bonny little thing and you're obviously doing a great job and have nothing to worry about. I really do hate it when people try to insist that every child is identical and that they all do 'this thing' at 'this time' and that if they deviate from what they learned on a training course you're somehow getting it all wrong as a mother. Trust me, you'd know if something was wrong with your daughter

Keep smiling.

thnk so much chil1234, you've really put my mind at ease. im just goign to carry on what im doing, because she is happy, and seems healthy enought to me! the visitors i get come in like military sergants! and turn their nose up at everything!! a month ago i got a lecture about her not sitting on her own yet! she can but not for long without flopping a bit! but she made out i was helping her do it enough, like ive to start doing some sort of baby olympics training!! she may not be able to sit well herslef but she can stand on her own feet for about 5 seconds with no support! in your face health visitor lol. sorry i could go on and on and on ... lol thanks again xx

You go on... I know what it's like I distinctly remember getting similarly lectured because my son wasn't talking properly age 2. Given that he comes from a long line of professional chatterboxes and he was always yammering on - if not in actual recognisable English - I was not worried in the slightest. Just three months later we were on holiday and someone else complimented me on having 'such an articulate little boy'. The yammering had turned into complete (long!!) sentences and he's never shut up since. LOL. Children change so fast and if they were all the same, life would be incredibly boring.

Standing already?! It'll be Britain's Got Talent next, you'll see

haha, i know its not fair soemtimes, a friend of mine has got herself so stressed because her one year old isnt talking and all he wants to do is watch mickey mouse on the tv, he gets so excited and loves playing with his mikey mouse toy, and yet the health visitor told her to take it off him and stop him watching it(was only a half hour in the morning)
and hes just so upset by it, she told my friend it was stopping his speech and development, whata lota tripe! poor boy just loves mikey lol.
i think they spend too much time with their heeds in their books and telling you your little one SHOUKD be doing rather than what is normal to expect, my tot cant doa few things yet, ie crawl, sit well etc but she does other things, like stand up say the word bubble over and over(dont know why lol)

and shes so funny, she races her daddy up the hall in her walker and screams with laughter, shes just perftect to me and i hate to hear shes not doing things right! just shows with your little boy how amazing his grown up to be, and maybe just a had a slower start.. may be he was just taking it all in and saving it all up lol. i would never say anything to my health visitor out of embarrasment.. that way they look at you like.. i know best so be quite!

xx

Your DD needs between 500 and 600ml of milk per day. and that includes any milk added to other foods.

If you can't quite get there with the morning milk and evening milk then extra yogurts and cheese is great too.

Your HV sounds mad! Forcing milk on a baby. Sounds cruel.

I have a friend with a baby who is 10 months and the baby is allergic to dairy products (and very allergic she carries and EPI pen in case baby comes into contact with something dairy). She is no longer breastfeeding and baby will not take any of the special formula at all. So she has been advised by a specialist peads and dietician that baby can get soy yogurts and have Ready Brek for tea with the special formula on (which he will take). And she's been told babys calcium levels are just fine! And as for fluid intake, baby also refuses to drink ANY water and she was advised to feed baby fruitpots which are high in water. And baby is perfectly fine and growing extremely well.

Anyway long and ranting - sorry . Just wanted you to see that your LO is perfectly fine and there are other ways of keeping up your dietary needs than milk. Plus your LO is drinking some.

Hope you're ok...

thanks a lot skandi1, i know its stupid forcing a baby to take somthing she dosnt want! and it is cruel. she seems perfectly happy, and loooooves cheese and yoghurts and alwasy has a nice big brekkie of porridge with lots of her milk, so i think she is fine.
im sure i would know if she was defiecent in calcium or anything wouldnt i?

awww that poor wee baby whata shame, but so glad hes doing good, just shows you, not eveything the HV says is completley correct!

thanks for the imput appreciate it, gunna try not worry so much xx