Babies: 6 - 9 Months

He doesn't want milk!

My dr told us that lo should have a minimum of 24 oz of milk a day.  He gets solids as well  He is almost 8 months old.  He will eat the solids no problem but is fighting us terribly on the milk.  I breast feed.  I've even tried pumping and giving him milk in a bottle.  No luck.  He takes about 40 min to eat it.  I even decreased the amount of cereal he was eating with the purees to try to make him want milk more.  Nada.  I know they loose their appetite when they are teething, and he just cut 2 teeth, but this has been going on for almost 2 months and he is ok with the solids.  What gives? TIA
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Re: He doesn't want milk!

  • I'm confused.  24oz of breastmilk or cows milk in addition to breast milk?  How often are you nursing?  How long does he nurse?  Now many wet diapers in a day?  Aside from a weighed feeding there is no way to know how much breastmilk he takes...but at 8 months he will be way more efficient than he was as a newborn so will feed a lot quicker perhaps making it look like he drinks less.  My 8 month old does a full feed in 4-5min, as a newborn it took her 8-10min but my milk is very fast and she gulps it back.

     

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  • My son went through a long phase like that around the same time. Our doctor said to just do our best: aim for at least 16-18 oz., add other sources of fat to solids/purees (and sneak extra milk in too if possible) and offer some water if he was willing to take a little with his meals. He probably ingested the bare minimum of milk for a few months, and he has not suffered for it (he's 3 now and doing great). Make sure baby is hydrated and getting enough fat, and then just do your best to get as much milk in as possible.
  • laujam31laujam31 member
    edited November 2013
    I work full time, so I pump  He has 2-3 bottle while I'm at work I leave at 7 and come home at 4.  He won't take more than 4.5 oz in a bottle.  Sometimes he doesn't even finish that.  I've tried cutting down solids and pretty much cut out cereal (dr reccomended 1/2 cup a day)

    Dr just gives a general pamphlet that says 24-32 oz breast milk/ formula a day.  No cows milk.

    He nurses anywhere from 5-15 minutes
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • How often is he actually nursing?  He's probably getting more out of you than the bottles.  If he has wet diapers and is gaining weight, I wouldn't worry that much unless there are issues.  Everything is a guideline. He'll eat what he needs for the most part. And you'll see his appetite increase when he's getting ready for a major growth spurt too.

    TTC since May 2006. After 3 failed Clomid cycles, 2 failed Injectibles/IUIs, 2 failed IVFs and 1 failed FET, we moved on to adoption! 

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  • The amount that he is drinking while you're away sounds pretty standard to me. My little guy drinks 13 oz while we are apart. On top of that, he nurses 3-4 times when we are together. He is gaining weight like a champ. It sounds like you're okay!

    You say that he won't drink more than 4.5 oz in a bottle, but that's a pretty big bottle! I wouldn't try to make them bigger.

    Also, it's weird that your doctor would have a pamphlet that says "24 oz of breastmilk or formula" because the two are VERY different. Breastmilk changes over time to meet the needs of an older baby, while formula doesn't... so formula-fed babies generally have to drink more than breastfed babies to get the same calories.
    Amanda

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    BabyFruit Ticker
    Rhys - born 04.17.2013
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  • The amount that he is drinking while you're away sounds pretty standard to me. My little guy drinks 13 oz while we are apart. On top of that, he nurses 3-4 times when we are together. He is gaining weight like a champ. It sounds like you're okay!

    You say that he won't drink more than 4.5 oz in a bottle, but that's a pretty big bottle! I wouldn't try to make them bigger.

    Also, it's weird that your doctor would have a pamphlet that says "24 oz of breastmilk or formula" because the two are VERY different. Breastmilk changes over time to meet the needs of an older baby, while formula doesn't... so formula-fed babies generally have to drink more than breastfed babies to get the same calories.
    That's the impression that I was under.  I love my dr, and they definitely tell us that bf is great for the baby, but they seem to only push it for the first 3 months or so.  they seemed surprised that I was still going at 6 mo and when I questioned the guidelines, I was told- "yep- 24 oz minimum." No explanation.  
      I should mention too that we seem to have a HUGE sleep regression- at 4 mo he was going down at 7:30 waking up at 3:30 to eat and then 6:30 am to wake.  Now he goes down 730-8 and wakes up 12, 2, 4 and is up for the day at 5:15.  he wants to eat every time.  I'm so confused.  I feel like if he took more during the day, he'd eat less at night.  Maybe???  UHGH  lol  
    BabyFruit Ticker
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