Help! My Baby won't drink milk!

[TinaFay]

Hi, I'm desperate for some advice as I feel so worried about this I just want to cry! My baby is 6 months next week, and I have been weaning him now for about 4 weeks. He's always been tiny (0.4 centile) and has never really been a big feeder - usually taking around 18 - 25oz milk a day. However, over the past week he's been totally off his milk (he's forumla fed). He's had 3 milk feeds today, and taken no more than 2oz at each. However, when I offer him solids - only pureed fruit and veg - he eats it without much fuss. When I offer him a bottle, he'll take an oz and then arch his back and yell. I'm so worried. His weight gain has been fine (he's stuck to his line on the centile chart) although last week for the first time he lost an oz. He's not ill - or at least he seems quite alert and is happy to play etc. Could it be teething maybe? My husband isn't convinced, as I can't see any teeth coming though as such, but his cheeks are rosey and his nose is a little runny. He's having so little I'd expect him to be ravenous but he's just not interested!

Has anyone else experienced this? Can a baby simply go off milk? I'm at the end of my tether and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Tina

Could be you weaned him too early! Recommended guidlines are 6 months. Smaller babies need more milk as this has more calories than carrots!

Stop with the solids, so there is room in his tummy for milk!

Tina - dd always goes off her bottles when she is teething - something to do with the sucking aggravating their gums? I don't know, but anyway, we've had periods of this over the last 13 months, I even have entries in my diary that say things like, 7pm 2oz, 11pm 1.5oz.

I can promise you she's never starved and she soon starts drinking them again.

ChickenWoman, I had intended to wait until he was 6 months old before weaning him, but was advised by my HV to start weaning him at 20 weeks as he'd stopped gaining weight. Since then, he's been putting on weight quite quickly - just had the set back this past week. I just wouldn't have thought fruit and veg would fill him up (it doesn't fill me up) and he's eating so little of it - only half a bottle lid each feed. I've been avoiding baby rice as, like you say, I was worried this might be filling him up.

Oh nonsense - Tina don't worry about weaning too early. Babies used to be weaned at 3 months when we were little and we're all still here aren't we!! I started weaning at the same time as you because my dd had reflux really badly and solids prevented her from throwing up so much.

I now have the same problem with bottles, cups etc and I think it is to do with teething and gum pain. Today she has had about 4 oz in total but didn't want water or anything else. I can get milk into her if we do a dream feed usually so I try to top up as much as possible then. Babies up to 1 need about a pint a day of dairy so I'm making up lots of this with yogurt, cheese, cereal and milk etc etc.

I know its hard not to worry especially when there is so much conflicting advice everywhere - if you're still worried next week then go back to the docs for more advice
x

And your little one can have protein when he is 6 months as well - esp as he has been weaned from 4 months. My dd loves her feeds and so far found nothing that she won't eat! Good luck and am sure he will be putting weight on again very soon

have you tried a bit of teething gel 10-20 mins before bottle time? i also found that making the bottle nice and cold also helped. try to keep them calm and mildly distracted while drinking, show a favourite toy or sing a silly song.

Hi, I have to say it is a relief to see that others are in the same boat as me. My daughter is a week off 6 months and can take anything from 2 oz to 6 oz, the night feed being the easiest. I've even changed her milk to lactose free but she was still the same. Then I spoke to a different HV who suggested that I concentrate on weaning as opposed to desperately trying to get the milk down her through the persistant crying (bearing in mind I weaned her around 19 weeks due to acid reflux).

I have to say that all feeds are now so much calmer (bottle and food). I still give her her bottle first and then veg or fruit, mixed with baby rice or rusk, she takes all of the food not bottle still, but I feel better for the fact she's actually eating something.

Hope it's going well................

The only thing that's got DS drinking lately has been giving him the bottle lid to hold and he bangs it on the bottle whilst drinking.

I certainly wouldn't worry about it just yet as a week really can't be that much of a problem. If he's still like it in a month's time then talk to your HV about giving him some vitamin drops.

yes definately sounds like teething if they will take more at the dreamfeed. have you tried teething gel about 10-20mins before bottle time?

and try not to force it otherwise they will get a phobia.

i have been weaning since 4 months, as I did with my son, at 3.5 months my daughter stopped all milk, she screams when she sees bottle, so i concentrate on as many meals with liquid as possible. On a good day she takes around 6 oz milk in total and that's only in food, although not keen. If I persist whe will take 6 oz of juice/water in 24 hour period too. I've tried to stop feeds, she goes 18hours wihout anything then I cave in and offer rice or pureed veg. It's easier to stay at home and feed 0700, 1000, 1300 and 1600. she takes nothing after this. She doesn't sleep much at night and not at all during the day. She is very happy baby. Everyone to themself. Any comments?

which vitamins should I use? I have abidec but reluctant, still waiting on HV to get back to me... this has been on radar for few months now

Hey Tina,

My DS is 5 months and sounds a bit like yours in that he has never been a big milk drinker. I started records from week 8 and he has NEVER taken more than 30 oz a day - mostly taking on average 25 oz a day... I started weaning him very slowly 1.5 weeks ago as he was showing all signs of readiness - getting upset when we eat, grabbing our food etc. I always give him his milk feeds first but today, he's decided he won't have as much milk as normal for his morning feed. I spent half an hour trying to get him to drink and he wouldn't drink more than 2 oz. I gave him some porridge with mashed banana and he ate it all up! One of the mummies at the toddler group I go said 'Maybe he just isn't a big drinker like my daughter but a big eater!' That made me feel so much better... Every baby is different. I am going to stress less about his milk drinking. Will still offer him his milk feeds FIRST before food until he is 6 months. I went to the HV a few months back and her advice was 'Just feed the baby what he wants, don't force any more on him...' GL!

Ax

BTW, my baby was born on the 9% line and is now just below 50% and has stuck to that since about week 8... Just goes to show each baby processes their food differently?

jcat...

Re: vitamins - I've had LOADS of problems with my DD regarding drinking milk AND eating solids... finally went to see the paediatrician who could find nowt wrong but prescribed vitamins and said that sometime vitamins can stimulate an appetite in reluctant eaters.

Confess I thought but had nothing to lose...

Literally within 24 hours my DD was wolfing down solids like it had gone out of fashion. She's still not keen on milk, but is now gaining weight and doing well... I think she'd take more milk if she wasn't eating so many solids, but she's older than your DS so the ratio's a bit different anyhow.

Anyway, to stop waffling... try the vitamins - you've nothing to lose, they'll do no harm and the paed said the WHO recommends all babies should have vitamin supplements...

I'm using dalivit, but I don't think there's much difference between that and abidec.

Otherwise it may well be teething - DD has been teething for months and when it's especially bad I can only get her to drink milk if she's just dropping off to sleep, so i do it when she's just going down for a nap/to bed... so that might be worth a try too... I think it hurts to suck TBH...

Sorry to ramble on... hope it helps a bit...

db
xx

Hi!
I am new to this site and just stumbled accross it. I need help!!
My baby is 5 and a half months old... i started weaning at 4 months and he loves his solids. he is currently eating 3 to 5 jars of food a day and was still drinking 24oz milk until sunday... MJ is refusing to drink his milk and sticks his tongue out when the bottle comes towards him and will only consume 7 to 15oz a day.
i think he could be teething too!
please give advise because i am so worried about him.

yes, my 7month babe has acid reflux and always been a terrible feeder. it is always so hard and then sometimes she just throws it all up.

she doesn't really like solids either. today she has only had 3 onces and that is usual. people are always telling me not to worry, but i do.

teething makes it worse, so i use the gels or powder, but if it's really bad i give her baby paracetamol.

i have no advice, but to say your not alone. also the vitamin helped a bit. and changing her formula - to whatever, it doesn't seem to matter, but she gets into something different for a bit, then drops off again.

i was actually looking for advice myself as i'm worried tonight. but i can see there isn't much you can do but except try not to worry.. but it's almost impossible!

good luck

Starlight McKenzie and Chicken woman
Just wanted to say that I hav etwo boys one is 2 1/2 an dthe other is almost 6 months. I weaned them both at 16 weeks, (it was ok to do so with the first government guidlines and all that rubbish). I done the same with my second because he doesn't take much milk. I am sure in two years things couldn't have changed that much. My oldest is thrivinga nd loves any type of food that we make for him and as for the youngest he simply loves food. I can't force hime to drink milk if he doesn't want it.
TinaFay
If your health visitor says its fine then go with that although I didn't tell mine when I was doing it at 16 weeks.
Each mother knows there own baby and noone else can tell you what is right or wrong. You will make the right choice.

Juleswilsy, this is an old thread.

And to clarify, the guidelines have been 6 months for the last 7 years. Before that they were between 4 and 6 months for 20 years. In case anybody was wondering.

I thought this site/ chat space was meant to support mothers & reassure them to trust their instincts NOT TRY & SCORE POINTS!
My advice, as a mum of 2, is to go with what your instinct tells you and not with someone who seems to have written the rule book & keeps on at making you feel guilty about the decisions your making.

I am in the same position at the moment.
I am a first time mum and in a panick. My daughter is six months old and i have been weaning her since she was 4 months old.
We have always followed what the HV says. We started with just the one meal and then inceased to two meals, and then three. She absolutly loves her food. Having her milk didn't seem a problem, until recently. Now she doesnt seem to like milk at all. She will take 2oz in a morning and if im lucky an extra 1 or 2 before she knaps. Then another 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Then around 4oz at bedtime. And most of these feeds have to be when shes half asleep otherwise she just fights it away from her. She has some milk with her porridge in a morning but none of this is adding up to the 16oz recommended by my health visitor.

My daughter is a really happy baby and has slept through the night since she was 11 weeks old. I think she is starting to teeth as she has rosey cheeks and drooling like mad. Could this be the problem if not what else could it be?? and does anyone have any solutions? Thanks in advance. :)

'Each mother knows there own baby and noone else can tell you what is right or wrong.'

Such bollocks. A friend of mine was weaned early because "her mum knew her baby best" and now she suffers from chronic IBS.

My ex-SIL's sister had a 9 month old dropping the centiles because she 'knew her baby' and had stopped giving her baby bottles 'because she preferred yoghurt and puree' - SS ended up involved.

Clearly mums don't always know best.

Many health visitors give notoriously bad advice. I would always get a second opinion on advice from a HV.

gemclay85 - this is an old thread, you may be better off creating a new one. FYI rosy cheeks and drooling are not necessarily indications of teething. Drooling in particular is a developmental stage.

All my sympathy, it is so hard when your baby won't feed. I posted about my experiences on my blog.

elisabetbasford.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/how-to-bake-a-princess-castle-cake-and-other-child-rearing-secrets/

I had my little bean very early (25 weeks), health visitors and nurses told me to wean him early- but i waited until i felt it was the right time. Now he is eating solids fabulously but has refused all milk today...I am always so worried about his weight as he was only 1lb11oz when he was born. Just wanted to say to Tinafey that I have been told (on more than one occasion) that it is very common for babies to lose weight when they are first weaned, I'm sure he will take what calories he needs and will be a strapping lad in no time!