I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this, my girls are now 8 1/2 months old and for the last 2 weeks are not drinking anywhere close to formula that they should be.

This is our routine at the moment:

4:30-5:30am - WAKE Bottle (usually best of day) back to bed
6:30-7am - WAKE
7am - 7:30am - Breakfast
8:30 - 9am - try to give bottle again - only small amount 30-50mls
9am - BED - sleep 40 mins - 1.5hrs
10:30- small snack if hungry - will not take bottle have tried
11:30 - 12pm Lunch
1pm - bottle will take about 100mls
1:30 - sleep 1 - 2 hrs
3:30 - snack usually just a rusk and water
5pm - dinner
5:30 - bath
6:00 - bottle - about 80mls - 100mls
6:30 - bed

We have been giving them a dream feed just before we go to bed to try to get more into them. They will have between 100 - 150mls then.

I'm finding it really frustrating as when we are feeding them it takes so long as you have to give them a bit then they stop and then you give them some more, they just won't lie there and have their bottle.

They love solids and seem to never have enough of that and I try not too give them too much of their solids to see if they will want their bottle then but it doesn't change.

Has anybody else experienced this or have any ideas of what could be wrong?

Thanks Anna

Hi Anna

I am yet to experience this so am no expert, but have a bit of theory to offer from my work as a dietitian...

First- it is probably a good thing that they are really getting into their solids. Lots of bubs have the opposite prob of surviving on milk and not much else. As long as they are eating a good variety, growing well and are content, then chances are they are fine.

Second- it may just be a phase- growth spurt, teething, etc?

How much formula do they end up having over a day? the guide is about 90-100ml/kg body weight/day. This is a rough guide only, some babies need less, some more.

If you are still worried that they should be getting more formula- perhaps try just offering 3 meals of solids a day. The morning and afternoon teas could be a bottle on its own.

Hope this helps?
:-) Lindy

I am no where near the perfect mother and what I am about to tell you upsets my MIL to no end BUT all my 5 kids have given the bottle away except for the last bottle before bed at about 8 months. Once they start eating solids and drinking water and milk from a cup they don't want anything to do with the bottle.(By the age of about 10 - 12 months they have all given up the bottle) I know it isn't what all the text books say but I figure they aren't going to starve themselves and you can't force them. As long as they are getting a healthy balanced diet I don't really see the harm. All my kids are far from starving they are all healthy kids who are happy, and are only rarly sick with the usual kid things.

I wouldn't worry to much just ensure they are getting their nutrients from else where.

Hope this helps to put your mind at ease
Wems - whose child rearing practise all upset her MIL LOL

DD#1 5
DS#1 4
DD#2 3
DS's#2&3 1