Help! How much milk should you give when you are weaning.

[Twinkey]

My son is nearly 6 months and was having five 6 ounce bottles of milk a day. He has just started weaning and is really enjoying his food - thank goodness. He is already eating 3 meals a day - rice in the morning, vegetables at lunch time and fruit at night. I have been told I should cut back on his milk, but not how to do so and how much I should now be giving. I have stopped one bottle and am trying to give water - he is not too keen. I was thinking of trying fruit juice diluted in water but am worried about his teeth - he is teething at present. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

now, you should not cut back on milk ! milk is still the main source of nutrition at teh moment, and should be offered before food.

is he finishing his bottles? you could make up bigger bottles. thereby giving him less bottles overall

offer a beaker of water with meals, and milk before food.

it is way to early to think about cutting down his milk, especially as weaning is more about tastes and textures in the early weeks of weaning. if he is not even 6 months yet, then it is waaay too soon to cut down his milk

Who said you should cut back?

Keep offering the same amount of milk. Over time he'll start taking less, but to start with it should still be milk providing most of his nutrition. From my experience, things started to change at about 9 months. And the poo changed significantly then too, so I imagine a bit more digestion of the solids was going on by that point.

Sorry to bring poo into it

no you dont need to cut back. IIRC milk should be the main source of nutrition until they are around 1year old.

offer milk before solids, and a beaker of water with solids.

HTH

They need about a pint of milk a day. However, I am still trying to find out whether they only need a pint and anything extra isn't worth it and is better in solids instead, or do they need a pint minimum and more is better?

Thanks for your comments everyone. My childminder suggested cutting out the lunch time feed. She told me that 30 ounces of milk a day was too much. At the clinic I was told to be careful that my son does not get overweight. I am worried about giving him all his milk and adding solids at the same time. Before weaning, my son was completely draining a 6 oz bottle and I was told not to increase to 7 ozs. He started screaming after a feed because he was not satisfied. I really don't know what to do as everyone is telling me something different. I must admit I always thought milk was supposed to be the main diet until the age of 12 months, and especially important for the first 6 months.

if you are going to cut out anything, cut out the food

if your son was ecxlusively breastfed, you could not see if he was taking 4 oz or 10 oz at a feed! he would stay on the breast until he was satisfied.

with a bottle fed baby, if they are draining a bottle and looking for more, they are hungry and need more milk!!

30 oz is not too much for an almost 6 month old

if you offer milk and allow him to drink until satisfied and he has some food, he will gradually increase the amount of solid food and reduce, naturally, his milk intake, although toddlers still do require milk and / or calcium rich foods

re babies being overweight...if htey are are fed responsively, with milk being the main source of nutrition, it is really hard to make a baby fat!

i personally would give a baby, up to around 12months, as much milk as they wanted with food as a compliment, and not bother too much about exactly a pint or not!

your CM , unless she has read extensively on infant feeding and nutrition is not the best person to take advice re feeding.

DS is 12mo and we never deliberately cut back on milk feeds. He was having 4 feeds a day until last week, when he decided to drop his 11am feed. Now he has 7am, 3.30pm and 7pm. For quite a while he'd been having less milk at each feed, because he eats like a horse but I just thought that at the point he didn't need it anymore he'd drop it himself, which he has.

And he was definitely having 30oz at that age as well.

Up to a year I was told babies should still be getting 500-900mls a day milk. 900mls which is about 30oz, as they are still getting most of their nutrition from the milk. My own ds is 7 months and drinks about 30oz too most days

Thanks so much everyone. I feel much happier now. I shall continue with the milk as you suggest. I can also have a word with the district nurse when I go to have DS weighed next week.

My son is over 7 months and still on 4 x 7oz bottles a day. He was on 5 but took less and less of the lunchtime one until I dropped it altogether. I reckon I'll just keep giving him the others until he doesn't want them.
My HV said that I should consider myself lucky he is a good eater and still wants his milk as many babies go off it. He's put on weight since starting solids but I'm trying not to stress as he's not that mobile yet (I know I shouldn't stress at all but with obesity and diabetes in the family, it's hard not to worry about a chubby baby)
If you are still in the early stages of weaning and he's not eating much, then keep on with the milk.
My son's not keen on water either but I keep trying! It's bound to take a while for them to get used to drinking from a cup rather than a bottle.

So should I be worried that my DD, who is a really good eater, doesn't want her milk anymore.

She's 28 wks (7mnths) and drank about 15 oz today.