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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

HV told us to start cutting down DS milk. How?

33 replies

TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:03

Our DS has shot up on his growth chart, nothing massive, he was below the 50th and now above the 50th but HV is concerned at how DS, who is nearly 11 months, is now drinking nearly 1000mls a day in milk along with his weight gain (he is only on 35th centile for length so he is on the porkier side I guess?). Routine is below:

06.30 6oz
07.00 Breakfast
10.00 Snack
11.30 6oz
12.00 lunch
14.30 6oz
18.30 8oz
22.00 6oz

I thought milk is most important before 1 years old but he is drinking double the recommended amount and I am unsure on how to start taking his bottles away, as recommended by the HV (she just said to stop giving it to him!)? I have tried to skip them but he cries for them, proper tears and all, so I always give in! I know I don't like being hungry.

We have done BLW and he seems pretty good with his food. But I recently compared what he eats to his (still) spoon fed friends I can see he isn't eating as well as I thought (although his spoon and fork skills are impressive at least).

Any ideas or suggestions? We did try to offer water instead but that was a fail.

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 20/04/2018 12:06

Could you water down the milk? Half milk half water? That would halve his intake?

Disclaimer - as you know the amounts I’m assuming he’s on formula. If you can’t do that with formula because it makes it unsafe in some way, ignore me!

RebeccaWrongDaily · 20/04/2018 12:08

i'd probably knock the 6oz half an hour before lunch and give water. And make the 6.30 one an hour or so later and give him a massive bottle (assuming is bottle fed) in the hope he'd go down earlier and sleep through on that?

Sittingintgesun · 20/04/2018 12:09

Had exactly the same problem with DS1. He was off the top of the chart and screamed for milk.

Our HV suggested switching to a sippy cup - it worked. He still had milk, but less of it.

Mind you, this was 13 years ago, so advice might have changed (he is now 14, nearly 6 foot tall, and still eats a lot).

pastabest · 20/04/2018 12:09

Could you just reduce each bottle by an oz to start off with?

That way he's still getting his bottles but not as much milk.

At the same time try increasing his solids instead and perhaps swapping meals and bottles around so that he gets lunch at 11.30 and a bottle afterwards rather than filling up on milk immediately before lunch?

Seeline · 20/04/2018 12:09

Try giving him more for his meals - and giving his meals before milk so that he is hungrier - eg at lunchtime give him his lunch at 11.30/11.45 rather than his bottle, and then give milk before his nap.
You don't mention an evening meal in your routine - if he doesn't have one, start giving him that - perhaps instead of his 6.30 bottle (or at lest before it).
Also just reduce the amount of milk at each feed (gradually)

Agent13 · 20/04/2018 12:10

Evening meal instead of 18.30 bottle?

NannyR · 20/04/2018 12:13

I'd bring his lunch forward and drop the 11.30 bottle and I'd also look at dropping the late night bottle (it doesn't look like he needs this from a nutritional point of view, maybe more from habit?). You could also offer the early morning bottle as a drink in his cup with his breakfast rather than a separate feed.

dementedpixie · 20/04/2018 12:14

Is he not having any dinner? I'd cut down the amounts in the daytime bottles with a view to dropping them

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:14

haha oops my mistake, there is an evening meal in there at 5.00! Don't worry he does get one Smile

We have found if we don't give him his 11.30 bottle he will scream and cry so much that he just refuses to even try his lunch until he is given milk. We cant bring his lunch forward though because it doesn't fit in with the Nursery routine.

I like the idea of maybe just reducing the amount we are giving him by a few ounces though! Could perhaps just offer 3oz at 6.30am and 11.30am for now?

OP posts:
Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:17

I am actually an idiot that routine has another mistake in it too! Shows you how important it is to read through things

06.30 6oz
07.00 Breakfast
08.30 6oz
10.00 Snack
11.30 6oz
12.00 lunch
14.30 6oz
17.00 dinner
18.30 8oz
22.00 6oz

There you all go it is correct!

OP posts:
ThaiRedCurry · 20/04/2018 12:17

No 6:30 bottle go straight for breakfast. Cereal with milk (i do warm wheatabix with cows milk.) offer a sippy cup of cows milk. At snack give a dairy based snack.
My DD is 11 months and only has bed time bottle. I took one bottle away at a time and she didn't even notice

dementedpixie · 20/04/2018 12:17

I would cut daytime ones first and leave am and pm bottles for now. You could even try offering small amounts in a cup as that would help drop the amounts too

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:18

ThaiRedCurry he wake sup so hungry in the mornings though and has breakfast at Nursery, no time to give him one and clear him up before we leave at 6.45am. I suppose maybe one to cut would be the 8.30am one?

OP posts:
MollyDaydream · 20/04/2018 12:22

I'd drop the night feed and give a sippy cup of milk with snack morning and afternoon.

useruserbored · 20/04/2018 12:26

I used to have similar routine to you but with much less food. Cut down to first thing,last thing and half a bottle after his main daytime nap. Was scoffing food after a day and he didn't have as many meltdowns as I thought he would over milk (albeit he did drink water) x

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:28

But how do you cut them out? That is what I need help with? I do not understand how to cut them because he cries for each bottle?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 20/04/2018 12:31

Start offering an ounce less in the ones you want to phase out or would he take a sippy cup with milk?

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:35

thank you dementedpixie I shall start trying to do that. Just so bloody hard when he is in nursery but I will explain to them. He isn't keen on sippy cups, he prefers proper mugs (again not great when he is in nursery! urgh!)

OP posts:
NannyR · 20/04/2018 12:36

Dropping a bottle, you could try distraction, maybe go out for a walk late morning, offer a rice cake or a bit of fruit, something like raisins (closely supervised) or cheerios as they take a while to pick up and eat. He might be upset for a day or two but he will have forgotten all about it in a couple of days.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:38

It is just difficult when he is in nursery to do all this though, cant really ask them to take him out for a walk. I will see what progress I can make over the weekend and then attempt to explain what they need to do Monday

OP posts:
harlaandgoddard · 20/04/2018 12:43

Do 5oz milk 1oz water. Get him used to drinking from a cup and when he’s good with it start offering milk in there. Don’t worry too much, they’re all different and if you were BF you wouldn’t be worrying about how much they were having, DD was the same and we managed to cut bottles out completely by 18 months very gradual no tears involved.

Chocolala · 20/04/2018 12:44

To cut them out it’s either distraction or reducing the amount in the bottle.

dementedpixie · 20/04/2018 12:48

I wouldn't dilute the formula, just offer 1 or 2 ounces less in them and then after a week or so cut them down again

Original poster
TwittleBee · 20/04/2018 12:48

Its just crazy because when we first started weaning we had the problem at the complete other end. HV was telling us to encourage more milk because milk is more important, at the time he was only having 2 bottles of 4oz a day because he didn't want milk when there was food being offered!

Thank you everyone. I will try and just full out stop the 11.30am bottle, I'll distract over the weekend and explain to nursery staff the situation on Monday. I'll give it a couple weeks an then begin cutting out the 2.30pm too.

OP posts:
Heismyopendoor · 20/04/2018 12:49

That is a lot of milk.

If he’s at nursery and you are not sure about the day time ones cut the one after dinner.