Almost 8 month old only drinking 15oz of milk per day

[Lollibert]

Hi my baby will be 8 months old next week she only drinks 15oz per day if that, she’s never been a big milk drinker we’ve battled with bottle feeding aversion with her etc she really seems to prefer solids, she has her breakfast in the mornings (I try give her a bottle before but it’s refused point blank) so if she refuses her morning bottle I make her weetabix with a sippy cup of water but I can make it up with her formula (3oz) with a little bit of maple syrup (just a tiny minut amount) and I spoon feed her that meal, if she does drink some of her morning bottle I usually give her a different breakfast probably eggs and toast that she feeds herself (usually eats most of it) then she has her snack usually around lunchtime with is usually some melty sticks and some fresh fruit she feeds that to herself and has a sippy cup with about 1oz of water in it and usually eats it all and wants more, then I will try to get her to drink her bottle she’ll usually drink 1-3oz and I just keep offering every 10-15 mins because if I don’t offer she won’t cry for it or even seem bothered then she has her dinner usually whatever we are eating, she feeds herself I sometimes help her she has some water if she wants it , if it’s mashed potatoes then I will mash hers with her formula through it. But at the end of the day she only seems to total 15oz of formula, and sleeps through till around 8 or 9am (goes to bed at 7pm) we do dream feed her but we only manage to get an extra oz or two into her that way as she turns her head away from the bottle, I have tried to offer bottle before solids she refuses, I have tried taking solids away until she is hungry enough for her bottle she still refuses I don’t if it might be a taste thing if she just doesn’t like the taste of milk? I don’t know but from day one even as a newborn she was never a big milk drinker and getting her to drink enough formula has been a battle since day one but she seems to love solids and will eat and eat I just don’t understand it

@Whatisityoucantface i can’t wait to drop bottles tbh getting her to drink enough has been a very hard battle especially with her bottle feeding aversion in the past she has no such aversion to solids tho and is a complete foodie my biggest concern besides her constantly refusing formula is her getting enough fluids into her as she doesn’t drink very much water during and between meals, I was thinking of giving her watered down juice, but I really would prefer if she drank plain water as I have a 5 year old niece that completely refuses water and I don’t want my baby to grow up like that I am constantly offering her milk or water all day because it’s a worry that hangs over my head

Could you offer solids first as you know she will eat that and then leave a longer gap to the bottle?

Have you tried different teat sizes for bottle?

I also have an 8 month old and our schedule is something along the lines of this:
7am Breakfast
8.30 Bottle
10.30 Bottle (this feed has been getting less and less and I assume will go soon)
11.45/12 lunch
2.30 Bottle
5pm Dinner
630/645ish Bottle

Yeah, make sure the teat size isn't too small. I had that issue. The effort wasnt worth it. But remember at 7-9 months, if eating solids they only need 600ml of formula a day and at 10-12 months they are only supposed to be having 400 ml of formula a day. It does drop off quite quickly as solids take over. And it doesn't have to be drunk you can use it to make porridge or any other food.

@Whentwobecomesthree yes she’s on fast flow teats xx

I haven't read the full thread, just your updates so it may have already been suggested but have you tried giving her milk in a cup/sippy cup instead of a bottle? Might be worth a try.

@FuckYouBing yes it sometimes works with an open cup I can get her to drink an oz or two but once the excitement of drinking from the cup wears off she’ll stop drinking it I managed to get her to drink 4oz from her which is a big amount for her to drink in one go so I’m gonna wait half an hour and feed her some ready brek with more milk mixed in xx

@Lollibert hi I am struggling with the same. My daughter is 5.5 months and only has 400ml a day. She is growing and gaining weight. She is well in her self. Have visited the health visitor and doc and all say she is fine. I am really worried and stressed about it and your post gave me some hope. How much was your little one having when she was 5.5 months?

@Rukaiya if she’s gaining weight and growing I wouldn’t worry if I could ever go back in time I wouldn’t worry so much and my next baby i definitely won’t I’ve learned my lesson and realised all the worry was for nothing the only time you should be concerned is when your baby is losing weight but if under 500ml per day I’m sure they say to give a baby multivitamin and I can’t remember how much but she didn’t really drink bottles when she was awake she ended up getting bottle feeding aversion I was worrying so much and constantly tried to pressure her into drinking which made things worse at that age I was only managing to get her to drink formula by dream feeding her once I started to back off a bit she became better with bottles why don’t you try a straw cup when your baby turns 6m I got my baby the munchkin weighted straw cup at that age the one with the handles and she was much happier to take her milk from it xx

@Lollibert thank you for your detailed reply. Deffo made me at ease. We are now at 6.5 months and solids is a struggle too. She just seals her lips the min the spoon comes near her. Exactly dream feeds is my only source now :(

How is she with finger foods @Rukaiya? My DD definitely didn't want to be fed with a spoon. She wanted what we were having and she wanted to feed herself.

Hi @CadyEastman she does have the Ella finger puffs and today I tried some pancakes for her. She does have very small amounts. I know small amounts is what they need to be having right now as they are only exploring but because her milk intake is so low I worry :(

Which milk is she on?

Aptamil 1

@CadyEastman aptamil 1

@Rukaiya maybe she’d prefer to feed herself there’s this group on fb called baby led weaning for beginners and beyond, you can start at 6m as long as all signs of readiness are met, my baby preferred her milk feeds out of a straw cup so maybe you could try that instead of a bottle? And I wouldn’t worry too much if she isn’t eating solid food at that age milk is still the main source of nutrition there’s an app called solid starts, that lets you know how to cut the food according to babes age, she can have whatever your eating except honey as long as it’s cut appropriately and she can still get nutrients from if even if she doesn’t swallow any just sucking on it can still give nutrients just let her explore the food herself that way it’s more of a positive experience for her, I find the more I pressured my baby the more she refused it was much better when I started baby led weaning at 7m her first meal was pie and mash, I helped her by pre loading the spoon and then giving her the spoon she put it in her mouth and really enjoyed getting messing and exploring the new tastes and textures I would definitely recommend joining that fb group I can link it if you want, there u can ask questions about baby led weaning and if you have struggles the admins are always so happy to help,

@Rukaiya do you think that tithe formula might not suit her? Have you tried a different brand or one of the Comfort Formulas?

@CadyEastman @Lollibert
thank you for birth your response. She is only having 200 ml milk to the max in 24 hours and seals her lips for any solids. If she was having enough milk I wouldn’t worry. For the past two days all I have done is cry coz I Dnt know what else to do. Today she woke up in the morning at 7 and refused to eat anything until force (distracted) fed at 1 in the afternoon. Since thn she has again barely had anything to eat or drink. Maybe a spoon or two of fruit pouches.
I will try babyled - I Dnt mind as long as she eat I am happy. Yes please for the link.
I thought it’s probably the formula too but for 3 months she was okay and suddenly the withdrawal towards the formula ? But anyway I did change it to cow and gate but no luck either. Havnt thought about comfort formulas - I am going to have a look at them.

Again, thank you for both your replies.

Cow and gate is made in the same factory so it might be worth trying a different brand like Hipp Organic.

If she's had that little today though I'd call 111.

@Rukaiya it sounds like she has bottle feeding aversion definitely flag this with the GP as it’s often misdiagnosed with acid reflux or colic some baby’s with bottle feeding aversion end up needing to be tube fed, try rowena bennets book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Babys-Bottle-feeding-Aversion-Solutions/dp/1976164419 a lot of people have had success with following her method and here is the link to the baby led weaning group https://www.facebook.com/share/1k4Qu6Ts4YgGakWG/?mibextid=K35XfP

I know it’s hard not to worry but try not to worry too much babys can sense when you’re stressed and if you’re crying while trying to get your baby to eat it can make the whole experience unpleasant for your baby and they may start to associate feeding time with those negative emotions, try letting your baby sip milk from an open cup some baby’s just have the aversion to the bottle itself and will accept milk from a different container

@Lollibert thank you for your tips and suggestions. I have ordered that book and I will be sending a msg in the next few days and I am hoping and praying that my message is positive and on the road to recovery for my little one. Thank you once again.

@CadyEastman when I realised she has had less milk I kept giving her some water to sip on. I have my HV appointment tomorrow so fingers crossed. Thank you for your msg :)

Hi @Lollibert ,
I know this was 8 months ago but we are in the same situation here where my nearly 8 month old will not take more than 15oz of formula.
Can you please advise if it got better at all or did you give up with the formula?

Thank you

@Rukaiya hi, we are having the same problems with my girl. Did it get better at all?

@SoRo91 i promise you it will get better but what really helped was the book that @Lollibert recommeneded - the aversion book. Also another thing, if there is no medical concern I would highly recommend going with the child’s need and requirement and trust the child that they will feed/eat/drink when they want to and promise they will eat. No child will go hungry. Please do check with docs and medical professionals if you feel there is a medical concern.
all the best and happy to be here if you need it. I know the times can be very stressful and worrying. If you live in the UK i am happy to post the book out to you :)

@SoRo91 does she have any solids if she does thn she is probably getting full and hence only having 15oz (446 ml). The recommended amount is 500 ml if it’s less you can always top up with giving her a dose of the requirement vitamin amount. You can also incorporate milk based food such as cheese, custard, yoghurt. Also adding milk to her food such as porridge, cereal, mash.

Hope this helps. Please do message if you need to chat :)