Milk refuser!!

[forcedinsomnia]

My ds is just over 6 months and is fully weaned. He loves food and is thriving but I'm worried he's not getting enough milk. I now only offer 3 x 7 oz bottles a day (7am, 2pm and 7pm) but he doesn't finish any!!! He probably only has around 15 oz a day. He also loves water, should I put vitamins in his water? Should I try cows milk yet? He's never liked milk and it makes him miserable if I keep trying him. Any advice or experience???

Read this page from the NHS birth to 5 book, and make up your decision about the vitamin drops. If they go under 500ml a day, they should be supplemented with vitamin drops. I think you are just under at 15oz isn't it?

Also this page from the NHS is also useful. You can see that you should not give cows milk as a main drink before 12mo. There are a variety of reasons for it. It's salty, the proteins are very hard to digest (harder than yoghurt), and it also hinders the absorbption of iron.

Thank you that's very useful. I've bought some vitamin drops....just in case. Has anyone got any tips on how I could make him take any extra milk? Tried different temps and a tippee cup etc but not sure what else to try?!

Generally speaking a baby under 1y should get their milk before their food (approx an hour before) as milk is a more important part of their diet than actual food.

You could try splitting the 2pm feed into one given mid morning and one given mid afternoon so there isn't long gaps without milk and seeing if that helps.

He's only just gone to 3 feeds.....before he had milk at 7 (before breakfast), 12 (before lunch), 4 (before dinner) and then 7 (before bed)! He simply doesn't want milk. I tried no solids....and he still didn't drink his milk?! I'm out of ideas.

How much food is he eating? If it's large portions he may just be filled up on the food and not the milk.

Try limiting it to a solider or two of bread, or 1/2 a scrambled egg, or 1/4 of a jacket potato with a teaspoon of soft cheese - that sort of size. Or offering a selection of different foods but just a mouthful of each so he gets lots of flavours but not bulk.

A 6m's diet should just really be about getting different tastes so they like the food the family eat (130kcals of complementary food a day at 6-8m).

Could your HV give you some advice on how to keep milk in his diet?