My daughter has recently started to refuse milk (breast milk in bottle or through nursing) during the day. She has been eating solids since 5 month old. Until recently she drank almost the same amount of milk as before solids but now she will drink 8-10oz from 8am to 5pm. She will drink another 12-16oz from 7pm to 7am. I am worried that she is not getting enough milk. I was told that she should get 28-30oz milk per day. She has really taken to solids and will have a big serving at lunch. We have added protein in her diet - legumes, beans and meats. Should I not give her solids at lunch to encourage her to drink more milk? Any thoughts? Thanks!
Let her eat the food and make up the calcium with calcium-rich foods. she doesn't necessarily need milk as long as she's getting the nutrients other ways. My granddaughter NEVER drank a glass of milk after she was weened from the bottle and hasn't had any health problems - she adores cheese and gets her calcium that way.
the reason people give babies milk is for the fat. babies and young children need something crazy like 3 to 4 tablespoons (not teaspoons!!) of fat a day!!!! the milk is an easy way to get fat into a kiddo. you can give your baby other things with healthy fats in it such as high quality WHOLE yogurt (this can sometimes be a challenge to find, esp in organic) (cheese and meats as she gets older; slather those veggies in butter). babies will eat what they need. somedays my toddler will ask for yogurt all day long and other days not be interested in it. somedays he will scarf down the liver patte all day, and other days totally ignore it. i think they know what they need, so i wouldn't necessarily cut back on the solids just to get her to drink milk. perhaps add yogurt into her food choices?
Dear H.,
Much to my dismay, my daughter began refusing breast milk at around 4 months. I was afraid she wasn't getting enough, so I tried to supplement with formula and there was no turning back after that. She LOVED the formula.
Some may find it strange, but by 7 1/2 months, she was already walking and eating mostly solid foods. I just made sure she got plenty of iron and calcium from other food sources. She was one of the healthiest babies you ever saw.
Breast milk is definitely best. Maybe try seeing if she'll drink it from a sippy or a regular cup.
But, since she is such a good eater, (which you should be really thankful for!), just try to make sure she's eating a good variety of everything.
I think she'll be just fine.
I dont know about that young of a baby, but as long as she is still nursing, and eating healthily, dont push the milk issue. My son was never a milk drinker. Only now he will occasionally drink a chocolate milk a few times a week (at the most.) As long as nutritional needs are met through a _variety_ of healthy foods, you're good to go.
I personally do wonder if there are so many people with milk/lactose/etc issues because we act like it is "THE" food for babies/toddlers and they get more than they need? Just my opinion, of course.
You can certainly try and see if reducing lunch solids will encourage her to drink more, but really, is one better than the other? I dont know. Just try and see what _feels_ right to you, not what everyone else says is right.
If she is eating a wide variety of solid foods, then the amount of milk she is curently getting is just fine. The biggest worry for babies that wean themselves early is not really protein, but iron. I mixed baby cereal (it is well fortified with iron) with mashed bananas or apple sauce each day to make sure my girls were getting enough iron at this age. They both weaned themselves completely at just under a 12 months.
Be very careful on cutting back on solids and trying to force her to drink more milk. Talk to your doctor, but when my daughter started to refuse milk at daycare, i tried the whole reduce the solids and see if she will drink more. It didn't work. She lost weight because she wasn't getting enough food. After talking to my ped, she said not to stress that if she is drinking in the morning and at night and some during the day, that is ok, just make sure to give her whole milk yogurt, avocados, and other highly dense nutrient foods with fat. I did this, stopped worrying about the milk issue, and my daughter started eating a lot- and gaining weight. I wish I hadn't have tried to starve her into drinking milk. Some kids are just ready for more solid food and the milk doesn't cut it. Make sure they are getting enough nutrients OVERALL instead of trying to force the breastmilk. Breastmilk is best , but it isn't worth much if they wont drink enough of it and are not getting enough calories overall. . . My daughter still nurses morning and night, but otherwise wants REAL food. :)
Hi H., just in case my original post advice was misinterpreted I am rephrasing it here :)
For your 7.5 month old milk is the suggested priority - solids aren't supposed to replace breast milk. Might it be possible that your little one is "full" from the solids and not hungry enough for the milk? It was suggested to me by my pediatrician to decrease the amount of food somewhat (but not cut it out) to see if that increased the milk consumption. It's simply one reason why your daughter may not be eating the milk....Good luck!
Hi
My little girl never drank what the books said she should..certainly nothing near 28-30 ounces! I believe they naturally self regulate. Give her other sources of fat and calcium..just be sure she gets enough liquids so that she's not constipated!
Good luck!
N
My son's pediatrician said not to start on 3 solid meals a day until he was crawling, which for us was 9 months. So it might help to cut back on the solids during the day. It's great she's a good eater, though!
