8 Month Old Drinking Less Formula

It could be that she isnt feeling well, but also when my daughter was around 7-8 months she stopped drinking a lot of milk. Usually when they start to eat more baby food they want less milk.

I had the same problem with my 11 month old son when he was 8 months. I did a little research about how much formula they should be getting and for their ages they should be getting 18 to 24 oz. The older they grow the less formula intke they get and more food. I manage to get him up to 16oz a day and made sure i gave him the good food that he needs. Now he gets 3-8oz sippy cups a day: one in the morning, one for the afternon (he drinks on it between lunch and dinner when he's thirsty and i also give him a snack) and one before bed if he wants it but he never finishes it. Aslo at 11 months his ped told me to start cutting his formula with milk so that by his first bday he is off formula completely, so now he is getting even less. And with the first tooth issue my son cut back on his eating too, but babies never let themselves starve, so she should be fine. Its just hard to breathe when you only know how to breathe through your nose that is blocked. Just suction out her nose when you need to and she will be fine!
~Jenn

One, it could be that she is getting older and she isnt wanting formula as much, and two it could be b/c she does have a runny nose, sometimes when they are stuffy or just not feeling well they dont drink as much. She might have a ear infection also b/c I know Olivia has had lots of them so far and she hardly drinks her bottle at all when she starts getting one. R u giving her any kind of juice? I have a 8 mth old as well, well she will be 8 mths on the 16th and ever since she started reg. food and baby food, her formula consumption isnt as much, that was the way it was with my other 2 as well though..

You can try the Orajel on her prior to each time you would normally give her a bottle and see if it makes a difference. My son cut down on his eating when his gums hurt and wouldn't finish his food because of pain and discomfort. I really wouldn't worry. You can always up the amount of jar food you are giving her since she doesn't have to chew. Put the jar fruit in the fridge to make it cold and help soothe her mouth.

My doctor wanted my kids to eat more and drink less by the time they were on jar food. I wouldn't be to concerned about it just yet. My 11 month old is already on milk because the formula made her throw up. If you are ever concerned about your child, you should call your doctor.

Hi S.,
It's normal that your daugher is cutting down on drinking. My son is 6 months old and he will drink 19 oz a day normally. He get's 5 tablespoons of rice cereal and 3 stage 2 jars of fruit a day (we start veggies tomorrow). I've always heard that the more they eat the less they drink. I was concerned about it as well but my mom reassured me that everything was ok. I call her the baby guru!

At 8 months she is ready for stage 3 foods/table foods and less liquid. Also, does she drink juice? She could be tired of the taste of formula as well.

My son's 9 months old and drinking much less formula as well. I just took him to his 9 momth ck up and this is what the doctor said when I asked that same question: offer 20-24 oz per day. At this point he's supplementing some of his calorie intake with baby food. He's also teething!

This is average from what my ped. suggested. My son sometimes skips his night bottle all together. To give you an idea of how things are w/ my 9 month old teething (no teeth yet) baby boy - here's our eating routine:

wakeup 6:30am - 8oz bottle (sometimes intake 6-7oz of this)
breakfast 8am - appx 4oz of baby cereal m/ with fruit
nap 9-11 this varies
bottle 12:00 - 8oz bottle (sometimes only drinks 6-7oz)
lunch fruit or yogurt at 1230
nap 2-4 - sleep time varies
bottle 430 - this is usually only 6oz
dinner 5pm - eats 1 4oz jar of veg/meats 1 fruit jar
night bottle offered at 730pm - drinks 2-4oz if that

As you can see my son's current formula intake is appx 24oz per day. I wouldn't worry! As long as she's producing 4-6 wet diapers per day, she's not deheydrated, and her tummy's getting full!

I've always been told that babies will only eat what they feel like they can handle and sometimes children have lower appetites when they aren't feeling good whenever they are sick or teething. The only one of my children so far that hasn't done that is my 7 month old boy. He tends to eat more when he sick which at first I did find odd because the 7 year old girl and 2 year old boy ate less and less until they got better. I guess he takes after his Dad's side of the family because they are known for having big appetites when they aren't feeling good and sleeping quite a bit, especially when not feeling good. I think I know you and if that's the case, give me a call, just not this early. The boys are still sleeping at the moment. More like around lunchtime maybe.

I have 3 children and my youngest is 7 mo. old. I went to the doctor on Friday and he said that he should be averaging around 20oz./day. b/c he is eating more solids. This is his schedule:

Breakfast: 8oz.bottle and then 2 hours later has rice cereal w/ fruit.

Lunch: 2 jars (fruit/veggie) of #2 baby food. Then about an hour later he has a 6oz. bottle.

Snack is zwieback toast and gerber juice (4oz.)

Bedtime: 2 jars (fruit/veggie) of #2 baby food and then right before bed a 4-6oz. bottle.

So, she could be getting a lot more full now and is cutting down on the milk - which is great!

But you're right too - when they're sick appetite is all messed up.

Hope she gets better!

In my oppinion it's probably the tooth. Doctors will disagree but a tooth comming in can also cause the runny nose, and a fever. I know that from experience. I wouldn't let her appetite decrease much more than it has. you might try to give her a dose of tylenol about a half an hour before you give her the baby food.