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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

Refusing to take milk

17 replies

MumLife90 · 05/02/2022 23:20

Hey everyone,

My son is almost 8 months and is now on 3 solid meals a day! He has a really good appetite and will eat everything I give him but the last few days I've noticed he's refusing to take his milk.

He's bottle/ formula fed and I'm still trying to give him 4 bottles a day. One when he wakes, one mid morning, one mid afternoon and one before bed.

He usually takes the full wake up bottle as he's not had anything in 12 hours but the mid morning and afternoon he has max 4 oz (out of 8) and He's started to only take an oz or two for his bedtime one!

I've moved his solid dinner to 4:45 and give him his bottle around 6:30 ish (sometimes earlier but only by 10 mins or so) and this still hasn't worked.

Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do? I'm just nervous he's not getting the recommended 500ml per day. Should I start giving vit D supplements as well?!

Thanks!

OP posts:
BunnyRuddington · 06/02/2022 09:02

I'd drop the mid afternoon one and offer a drink and small snack instead. And yes, you're right, once they're having under 500 ml/20 floz a day they need a multivitamin Smile

Original poster
MumLife90 · 06/02/2022 10:55

Thanks so much @BunnyRuddington I've been massively stressing as it happened over night!

Gonna pop out to get vitamins today! He had 6 oz of his morning bottle and he screamed when I just tried to give him his mid morning so a grand total of 0 oz was had then!

He's now getting constipated bless him so trying to get water into him!

OP posts:
BunnyRuddington · 06/02/2022 11:11

If he's getting constipated try some high water foods like broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, jelly, soup and melon for a few days and cut back on bread, rice, potato and bananas.

Don't stress too much about the water, as long as you offer it with meals there's no real worry if he's not drinking it yet, unless you're somewhere very hot Smile

Pacidove · 06/02/2022 11:34

Could you try giving the milk in a straw cup rather than a bottle? You could also offer whole milk yoghurt with some nut butter or fruit puree stirred in as a snack which counts towards the daily milk intake

Pacidove · 06/02/2022 11:47

Whoops sorry just saw his age there. Ignore the yoghurt suggestion! Could you try cooking with the formula? Using it in porridge?

bloodywhitecat · 06/02/2022 12:25

My 8 month old is exactly the same and lots of my previous fosterlings have started to cut back on milk at the same sort of age. I just give something like Abidec to boost vitamin intake.

Vicky1989x · 06/02/2022 12:31

My DD done this around 8 months so I dropped a bottle. We done 7, 11, 3 and 7 initially so I dropped the 11am bottle and bought 3pm one forward to before her nap. So she had milk at waking, 1:30ish and bedtime.

BunnyRuddington · 06/02/2022 14:32

Whoops sorry just saw his age there. Ignore the yoghurt suggestion! Could you try cooking with the formula? Using it in porridge

There's absolutely no need to do this OP. Full fat cows milk is fine in porridge and cooking from 6 months and 3 bottles will be more than enough formula for him.

Original poster
MumLife90 · 06/02/2022 15:07

This is all so very helpful. Thanks all. Think I'll drop the mid morning feed and up milk intake else where in his diet!

OP posts:
RavenBrooke · 07/02/2022 22:13

My baby is 10 months next week and now refuses EVERY bottle. Sad I would give her 5oz at 9am, noon, 3pm, and then at 7.30 (bedtime) she'd have 8oz, whilst falling asleep. This has dwindled down to nothing unless she's asleep! She has two naps a day...once she's asleep ill ease the bottle into her mouth. This takes a few tries before she'll drink it. It's not ideal but could be worth a try? Keep trying though, although this is worth a try it's not a habit you want to get into. I only did it because I was worried she's not drinking any milk and she would cry with hunger. She has started eating more than before but still not a decent amount compared to other babies her age.

Original poster
MumLife90 · 08/02/2022 00:22

@RavenBrooke aww bless you. It's such a worry ain't it! Hopefully it's a phase they're bother going through! I get they've got to come off milk at some point but whilst it's their main source of nutrition I just really want him to drink it!

OP posts:
BunnyRuddington · 08/02/2022 14:24

Is there a chance she has CMPA @RavenBrooke? Only taking milk if she's asleep can be a sign.

coolusernam · 18/02/2022 20:37

@MumLife90 same here

I also did same @bloodywhitecat Abidec is the answer

sleepsuit · 05/03/2022 19:27

Hi @MumLife90

Same problem here too! DD 7 months, loves her food and will easily do three meals a day but has started not finishing her bottles or completely refusing them.

I'm trying to get the required 500ml into her each day but it's hard work some days.

What exact multivitamins are you using and how?

I'm trying to make sure she gets yoghurt, milk in some of her meals like breakfast etc, but it's bloody stressing me out!!!

Original poster
MumLife90 · 05/03/2022 20:28

Hi @sleepsuit

Oh I feel you on being stressed out but since giving LO the drops, I’ve calmed down a lot! So I’m not sure what country you’re from but in the UK the NHS have something called healthy start, and they do vitamin A, C and D drop! I only wanted these within a drop as the NHS only recommend these vitamins only and it’s legitimately the only drops that I could find that combine all three!

If you are in the UK you can use this link to find the closest place that stocks them:

www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Healthy-start-vitamins/LocationSearch/348#

Hope that helps! Also a small pot of yogurt counts as 4oz of milk (the HV told me that) so I try to fit in yogurt in every day if I can (even as a dessert)!

I keep trying to tell myself that the positive is we’re not struggling to ween our babies into food, but when you’re constantly told they NEED 500ml min and that milk is still their main source of nutrition at that age it’s hard! But in all honesty my son eats SO much I can’t see how he isn’t getting a big chunk of his nutrition from his food, so I’m sure your little girl will be doing the same!

Xx

OP posts:
sleepsuit · 05/03/2022 20:53

@MumLife90 this is so helpful, thank you! I'm glad these have eased your stress, it's hard isn't it as you want them to get everything that they need!!!

Yes UK based so it's my mission to buy these this week!

All of that information is also good to know. I'm totally with you on them being easy to wean though - my older DS was a bit of a nightmare to wean where as she is smashing back the food all day long. I just hope she is getting all of the nutrients she needs. Great that a yoghurt pot equates to four ounces! She eats plenty of yoghurt pots and pouches so hopefully that's helping too.

Original poster
MumLife90 · 05/03/2022 21:14

@sleepsuit oh yay! Glad it helped!

Honestly, I feel like when DS refuses the last bottle of the day, I feel for him but also for myself as I know he's not gonna sleep as well as he would if he had the full bottle 🤣

Good luck on your drop finding mission!

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