Is it ok if she doesn't drink much milk?

[testy1997]

My 9 month old has weaned really well (touch wood!!!) but has dropped milk dramatically.

I've tried it all but I can't force her to drink milk she doesn't want.. so, what does this mean? She gets a multivitamin and probably averages around 14oz milk a day if I'm lucky. I'm just worried she won't get the nutrients she needs and thus will impair her brain development.

Any advice? I too up with formula in all meals where possible!

Hey..my daughter was exactly the same! She was breastfed over formula, when we introduced solids etc she much preferred it! And probably 9 months didn't have any milk whatsoever. I gave her lots of calcium in her diet, cheese etc and a drop of multivitamin. I did worry at the time, however I really didn't need to and looking back it was soo much easier that she loved her food! X

None of mine drank milk after weaning other than maybe with cereal although that was a rare occurrence

Humans beyond weaning don't need milk. We need calcium. Get it from other sources.

Try to add full fat diary products into her diet in other ways.
Plain yogurt, frontage frais, custard made with milk, cheeses or adding milk to food; in porridge for example.

As PP has said, we don't need milk, we need calcium. If her diet is varied and she's drinking adequate fluids it's perfectly fine for her to take less milk. Humans don't actually need it.

My dd was never keen on milk but after weaning I'd put some formula into their porridge and make sure they had yoghurt and cheese.

Children don’t “need” milk but they do need the adequate calcium, protein and vitamins it provides.

It’s harder to get those into her diet from other means but you’ll need to be careful to add dairy products in other ways- hard cheeses, yogurts, cereal with milk, add milk to scrambled egg, in cooking etc.

You can continue to give her formula until she’s 1. Or mix formula with cow’s milk after that if she doesn’t like the taste.

She doesn’t need it. My DD went from breast milk to… nothing. She never had another drop of milk. She drinks mainly water but is a good eater. She seldom gets sick and has never had to see the doctor.

@SmileyClare you can get calcium from quinoa, tofu, broccoli, sweet potato, tomatoes carrots and oranges.

A child won’t get sick from never drinking milk but they are at risk of calcium and vitamin D deficiency which impacts teeth and bone health in later years.

Its a little irresponsible to tell a mother of a baby under 1 that they don’t need any milk.?

If you were formula feeding before weaning, I’d continue with that until she’s 1 year. You only need to drop a couple of milk feeds when weaning.

Is it that she doesn’t like taking milk from a cup? I see nothing wrong with having a bottle of formula or breastfeeding before bed at that age.

Sounds like she is just naturally adjusting her milk intake, she can get her calcium and Vit D from other sources, milk can be used in cooking and you can add cheese/yogurt/fromage frais etc into her diet if you want her to have it that way.

@SmileyClare they don't "need" milk though, they need calcium. There are plenty of other calcium rich options out there so pp is not being irresponsible.

Fair enough @BodyKeepingScore

I think a 9 month old should still (ideally) be having a reduced amount of milk feeds alongside some small meals. It’s a challenge to get a baby to eat all the nutrients they need at that age.

Guidelines may have changed but I didn’t introduce cow’s milk as a drink until 1 year.

Its not clear from the opening post, but if you are topping up with formula feeds op then op then continue with that?

Thanks everyone! Yes I'm giving formula three times a day but it's so hit and miss to what she'll have. I know it's not enough and know the nutrients she'll miss out on but I cannot force feed her! I tried a sippy cup and she was not interested at all..

I wouldn’t worry too much if she’s getting around 14oz formula a day. She’s naturally weaning onto food which is good 😊

If you don’t already, then a good routine could be :
milk feed on waking (4oz)
breakfast an hour later
mid morning milk (4oz)
Lunch
offer milk mid afternoon
Tea
Bedtime bottle (4oz)

Avoid quenching her thirst with juice or squashes as this will put her off milk as a drink!

If you incorporate high fat dairy into her meals and other calcium rich foods (listed by pp) as well as a vitamin supplement then she’ll be absolutely fine.

My DC2 was the same. I was mostly breastfeeding but had fully switched to formula at 10 months partly because he just would not drink milk, and drank marginally more out of a bottle than from me. Tbh his growth did really slow down loads and he also had problems with constipation for probably about a year from then. But he's 2.5 now and the health care professions aren't bothered that he's now very short, and he hasn't had any problems with constipation for about 6 months or so, I'd say. He still doesn't drink much in general. My eldest is 6 and still loves milk but is a terrible eater so they've been complete opposites.

Thank you!