9 month old with 'milk issues'

[dumbmum101]

Nearly 9 month LO has been steadily going off her milk since 5 months (so started weaning her at 5.5 months)... Now I believe it's causing sleep issues. She was sleeping through for a few weeks at 6 months - bliss. But all gone wobbly now. She's taking less than 400 mls a day (14oz) - which isn't really enough at this age - is it?

The only bottle she'll take with any enthusiasm is her first bottle in the morning (180 mls).  I struggle to get her to take another bottle until 2pm (before her 2nd nap) and nursery staff don't seem to be able to get her to have it until 4pm!

Then BT bottle is getting worse and worse - totally refused it last night.

So my major concerns are that 1 - she's only taking 400 mls a day MAX. 2 - she's waking up hungry in the night too and very hard to settle without a feed but I always try for at least 45 mins to an hour. But when her stomach starts really rumbling I give in.

Typical routine

6:30/7am Wake and bottle - 180 mls
8am - Breakfast
8:30am Off to nursery with dad
9:30/10am- 1st nap
11/11:30am - Wake up
11:30am - Lunch
2pm - Staff try with bottle - usually refused or only get 30 mls down her
2:30pm - 2nd nap
3:30/4pm - Wake
4pm - Staff offer bottle again - today she actually took 150mls!!!
5pm - Dinner at home
7pm - Try with bottle - sometimes drinks half approx (80 mls)
7:15pm - Bath
7:30pm - BT - Try more bottle - maybe get another 30-60 mls down her but she really really hates it

However, if I feed her in the night she will sleep until 7am or 8am. But have to wake her during the week at 7am in order to get her to nursery. If I've fed her in the night she's generally not that interested in her morning bottle or breakfast.

Really trying not to give her too many solids. So hoping that's not the issue.

My instincts tell me that she's too tired and cranky for her BT bottle and that's why she refuses it, and the other times she refuses during the day she's not hungry enough to be interested. She seems to need to be actually starving in order to show any interest...

Help! Ideas please....

[becj86]

11/11:30am - Wake up
11:30am - Lunch

Can you offer milk when she wakes and lunch and hour later? She might take more then...

[*Kara*]

^^ Agree with Bec...

Or will she take her milk in a sippy with her meals?

[dumbmum101]

Thanks ladies.

My pattern was always to offer milk on waking, then food an hour later. Worked for a while but she's gradually lost interest in the milk. She generally wakes from her 1st nap at around 11am. I used to offer the bottle then, but as I said, she lost interest and won't take it at all at nursery. As nursery have lunch at 11:30 we decided to swap milk and food around in that instance (the 11:30 lunch is the only time-tabled event - they're very good at following your routine otherwise - think its just v difficult for them logistically to stagger all the babies lunches.)

Maybe the sippy cup route will help...

It's the BT bottle that really gets me the most. Tried giving her a catnap between 5-5:30 yesterday to see if that would help the tiredness/unwillingness at BT issue - but still no dice. However, she slept through from 8:15pm to 7:15am last night - despite only taking approx 300mls/10oz all day - yay!!! I do try and add yoghurts/custard/cheese/rice-pudding to up her calcium intake - so perhaps I should just relax a bit and accept she's not a 'milk- lover'?

[becj86]

yoghurts/custard/cheese/rice-pudding

All of these count as part of her 'milk intake'.