Decreasing milk and increasing water

[Vegasgirl]

My HV has advised me to cut back on DD's milk and increase water to 4-5 oz with each meal.

DD is 8 months and we have been weaning since 6.2 months, she is eating most fruit/vegetables and cereals and is on two meals per day-purees mainly. I am working on meats now, starting finger foods and thinking about increasing to 3 meals.

She is still drinking around four of the five bottles of formula that she was having before weaning started sometimes more sometimes less. I am offering water with solids but limiting her intake to 1-2 ounces per day at the most. The only problem has been a bit of constipation but it comes and goes depending on what I give her and is getting better now that she is getting used to the different things.

I am really confused now I thought milk was best until she is 1 and that water isn't recommended in large quantities. I tried to give her more water this morning but she didn't want it and just bellowed for her milk.

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

your lo will naturally decrease milk as the solids increase so I would go at her pace. Why not add in the 3rd meal and see how she gets on.

I would let her have as much water as she wants.

Do you give her daytime milk in bottles or cups? If you switch to cups for day time feeds she'll probably decrease the amount she takes by herself.

Food and milk is supposed to be about 50/50 by 12 months, but the pace at which babies make that switch will differ from individual to individual.

Hi

Thanks for the replies. I have went up to three meals today. She is not a big eater at breakfast so she was a bit perplexed to get her porridge then instead of mid morning and didn't eat much of it. She was hungry at 10.30, I tried to palm her off with rice cakes and water but she really wanted milk, so I gave her 5oz.

What I might do is split her morning milk bottle between breakfast and 10.30 until she gets used to eating more first thing then drop the 10.30 bottle.

She wolfed down lunch as it was Ella's Kitchen (bought to help me introduce meat, I hope it doesn't put her off my heroic and hit and miss efforts!)

She is still getting her milk in Dr Browns no 2 teats. She is drinking her water from her tommee tipee cup, but chokes a lot. I have a Tommee Tippee explora weaning bottle should I try that or no 3 teats first?

Thanks

Hi LadyInTheRadiator thanks for your reply. Its good to know that your DD is in a similar pattern.

DD usually has milk only at 7am and solid breakfast with water at 10.30 milk at lunchtime then the 2nd solids around 4. I have been dreading going up to 3 meals as this was working so well and I couldn't see her eating milk AND a solid breakfast first thing. I tried it this morning giving her the milk first which I see as the most important but cut it down a bit and gave her less porridge than usual but it was still too much for her.

So splitting that first bottle to say 2oz with the porridge and 3oz in the bottle at 7 and another 3-4 oz at 10.30 might work until she can get used to drinking the full 7-8 oz + solids at 7 am.

Re the HV that's what I thought too, I offer water with solids but she drinks 40 mls at most. The HV said that she only needs 20 oz of milk and that the lack of water was probably causing the constipation. I would prefer to stick to the Dr Browns for milk for the time being too.

at that age ds's day went like this:

7am - milk
8am - breakfast
11am - milk
12pm - lunch
2.30/3pm - milk
5pm dinner
7pm - milk

I always split the milk/food so that they weren't taking too much at one sitting. i gave water in a tommee tippee first cup along with meals but didnt limit how much they took.

Seona1973- that might be an idea delaying the porridge slightly would you mind listing how many ounces your milk feeds were in that schedule? Thanks.

Lady1nTheRadiator- my DD is quite happy on two and thriving so I understand you staying that way for a while. It's hard work planning preparing and timing meals and naps around everyday life and I don't have any other DC! I am taking the plunge now as I am going back to work soon and need to get her post maternity leave routine sorted.

For purely selfish reasons I am hoping to engineer a 8 o'clock bedtime so I have time with her at night but it might not work out that way. It's trial and error we were up the left today but tomorrow is another day.I'm lucky that she will give most things a go.

How is your DD doing with finger food? DD has had the organics rice cakes etc but hasn't mastered vegetables and I'm scared of toast, I'm not sure what size it should be, how well they should be toasted or if the crusts should be cut off!

I think ds took 6-7oz at that age. I did toast fingers i.e toast it, butter it and cut into strips that are thick enough to hold. I didnt cut off the crusts.