Author Topic: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?  (Read 1625 times)

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Offline meredith1851

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Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« on: June 11, 2011, 16:49:29 pm »
I introduced solids to my now 6 mth old son about 5-6 weeks ago. He has taken to it fine, but is taking less formula. He was drinking about 28-30oz/day and now it is tough to get 20oz in him. Is he getting enough? He is on 3 meals a day but the last 2 days i skipped his lunch because I was worried he was not getting enough formula. Any advice would be great! (Also, when I give him his bottle, he wants it but stops after 2-3 oz and it is a struggle to get a few more oz into him...i have to work at it for about an hour or more and I feed solids about an hr after his formula.)

Offline *Kara*

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2011, 17:50:51 pm »
Normal for them when they first start solids.. they are holding out for something better ;)

My DD did the same thing for about a month on and off.  She went from 27-30 ozs a day down to 20 ozs on a good day. It came back up to an average of 26-27 ozs after an adjustment period.  On days that she was really bad for milk intake, I would cut solids for the day.

I do see that you are on 3 meals a day - I would cut back to two only at his age.  Most LO's aren't ready for three meals a day until they are closer to 8-9 months.

What do you give him for each meal and how much?  
« Last Edit: June 11, 2011, 21:29:38 pm by *Kara* »



Offline ~inbalance~

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2011, 21:17:50 pm »
Hello :)

Milk intake really should not drop significantly until probably closer to 8/9mos.  From 28/30oz to 20oz is a huge drop, especially for his age.  I would back off on solids as much as possible to try and get his milk intake back up.  It helps to remember that milk/formula is supposed to remain the primary source of nutrition until LO's are a year.

Here is a link with more info:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=57483.0

HTH :)
Em
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Offline Texomamama

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2011, 12:56:37 pm »
I agree that it seems like a steep drop.  Without knowing how much solids you are feeding him, it is kind of hard to say if the solids are the absolute cause of his cutting back on the bottle. You may also want to consider the possibility that the drop in formula has nothing to do with the solids at all, but could be related to the bottle itself (needing a faster flow teat, temperature different etc), or another unrelated issue like teething or illness.  Any of that going on?

Offline meredith1851

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2011, 00:35:50 am »
Thank you all for responding. I just tried elimimating his lunch so he his back down to 2 meals/day and his milk intake went back up that must have been it. I also tried the level 3 nipple on his bottle today...not sure if that anything to do with it but I will try. He has been sick with a cold as well as ear infection but has been on antibiotics for a few days. (I have been feeding him a total of 4-5 oz of food daily and just go by his cues...if he isn't hungry he wont eat much, if he wants more I ive him more. Basically just doing oatmeal w/apple in the morn and carrots, squash, peas, green peans/rice etc at night for dinner.)

Offline ~inbalance~

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2011, 01:51:43 am »
Illness could have been causing him to drink less milk.  Ear infections are painful and it hurts to drink, now that he is on antibiotics the pain is probably subsiding so he is drinking more again.  Once his milk intake is back up you can start introducing more solids again, keeping an eye on the milk.  Just on a side note, make sure you are giving him a good dose of probiotics because antibiotics are really hard on the tummy and can cause a lot of gas and discomfort from upsetting the digestive flora.

:)
Em
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Offline *Kara*

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Re: Drinking much less formula now. Worried!?
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2011, 03:45:53 am »
Martina has a very good idea with the probiotics - antibiotics are very tough on the LO's tummies.

For sure the ear infection could have been the main cause of the reduction in volume... poor little monkey!  Glad he is on the mend :)