Ensuring enough formula alongside weaning...Any ideas?

[ChrissasMissis]

My FF DS is 8 months old and is very happy eating virtually anything put in front of him. However, he becoming steadily less interested in taking a bottle and I am struggling to make sure I get the recommended minimum into him. This very rarely happens any more. I have been "sneaking" the extra ounce here and there into his meals (i.e. with cereal, into purees) to bolster it. Does anyone have any advice or tips? Should I persist with this, or accept that he is having what he wants? Should I be concerned about adequate nutrition? I am very careful to make sure all his meals are home-cooked and well balanced, but the HV was muttering darkly about vitamin drops...

20oz is recommended between 6 months and 2 years. If they are taking less than that then vitamins are recommended (esp vitamin d). When are you offering milk? I used to give milk and then an hour or more later offered food along with a drink of water. Milk in cereal, in cooking, etc and other dairy products count towards the total too.

Seona1973 - thanks for replying. Before weaning, he would take four 8oz bottles per day at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. This then became four 7oz feeds. He has breakfast at 9am, lunch at 1pm and supper at 5pm.

I still offer him the four feeds, but fitting in solid meals has changed his nap patterns, which means either the 11am or 3pm bottle fall by the wayside, in order that he gets at least one decent nap.

The problem seems to be that he will take 3-4 oz and then starts to push the bottle away.

Agree with Seona its more important that he takes his bottles instead rather than the solids.

Could you try something like giving him his bottle at 7 and then breakfast at 8? He should be more ready for his 11 am bottle then.

If he has Lunch then around noon, again he should be ready for his 3pm bottle. You could always bring forward his supper to 4ish, which should again make him more ready for his 7pm bottle.

How does it sound? Do you think it might work for you?

JiltedJohnsJulie - I hadn't thought of moving the times around - I guess I was trying to keep to his existing feed times, as that is what he's used to. There's no reason not to change them, so I shall certainly give it a go. Thanks!

Let us know how it goes .

Hello Seona and JiltedJohnsJulie, if you're still there! Thought I'd just catch you up on the further developments this week.

Quite naturally, we've fallen into a pattern of three bottles only. DS takes 7oz first thing, then has 3oz on his breakfast Weetabix. He then naps around 10.00am for an hour and has a second bottle of 5/6oz at midday. He then gets a yoghurt with his lunch and there is normally a bit of cheese, or more formula in his lunch. He then naps agin around 3pm and has a bit more edible dairy with his dinner. He then takes another 6oz bottle at bed time. I think the problem may have been that I was offering milk too often and he would happily drink the required quantity, but would rather take it in infrequent, larger amounts.

Thanks for your advice!

glad its working out for you