How do I get my baby to consume more milk?

[hilis_mom]

DS is 6 months old and for a while now is not consuming much milk from the bottle.
He would hardly drink up to 4 oz only 3 times during the day (at about every 6 hours). I can squeeze in a couple more oz when feeding him cereal with fruits (he would gladly be spoon fed) and another smaller meal (chicken and/or veggies). He wakes up once at night at which time he consumes 4oz.
Seems like he's not getting enough calories, but once he stops feeding he refuses to continue to drink from the bottle. He wouldn't even touch the bottle unless truly hungry (that's the reason for the 6 hours gap between bottles).
I'm hoping if he drank more during the day he would WU at night.
Should I feed him another meal of formula diluted cereal?

BTW, he's not teething..
Thanks for any advice

[*Kara*]

If he is taking less than 20 ozs of milk in 24 hrs, stop solids for now.  Ideally, you do want him to have at least 24 ozs at this age.

What size nipple/teat are you using right now?  Maybe a faster one would help?

[hilis_mom]

I think he's taking about 18oz in 24 hours plus 2 spoons of Materna 8 grains cereal, 3 tsp of fruit and 3 tsp of chicken/veggies.

We are using size 3 of Avent nipples. He seems to be drinking quite fast but as soon as he's satisfied he pushes it off.

[hilis_mom]

I forgot to mention that yesterday afternoon after drinking about an ounce from the bottle I spoon fed him about a couple more with a bit of cereal. It took close to an hour and was very messy..
Is it that bad if he gets some of his nutrients from Materna cereal enriched with vitamins and minerals?
Should I try a different kind of bottle (we've been using the same bottle type for a while now) or a different type of formula (up until a month ago we combined BF with formula feeding.
Should I contact his doctor?

[*Kara*]

I wouldn't worry enough to contact the doctor just yet...

Avent size 4 nipples are for 6 months + so I would try that first   Remember that it will take a couple of days to adjust to the new flow speed... just give him a chance to figure it out.

As for solids - he is getting very very little of anything from that tiny bit you are giving him so I would just stop it for now until we get his milk intake up.

What kind of formula are you using now?  I had great success with GoodStart with DD.

[McSquirtle]

Sorry to crash but I'm having the exact same problem with my 6m old! We use size 3 tommee tippee teats and he has just less than 20oz over a 24hr period. I've had to stop feeding him at night as he won't touch his morning bottle, but even after 12hrs he can still only do 5oz maximum on waking. We are BLW so not 'forcing' (sorry couldn't think of a more appropriate word) food but I'm at a loss as what to do! He still wakes through the night but not through hunger.

[hilis_mom]

Thanks! I started cutting the solids and will get the size 4 nipples (although he's a pretty fast drinker). We're using Similac advanced plus, we used GoodStart with the older kids, but currently reside outside of the US, so it's not available.
Today he drank about 16oz during the day. He refused the bottle at bed time so I tried feeding him after he fell asleep (he shut his mouth and got upset..).
McSquirtle' How would you go not feeding at night? he WU once around 2/3 AM hungry. At night he would drink the full bottle immediately (limited to 4oz at night) and he gets his morning bottle almost 2 hours after WU or he would consume about an ounce or two.
I'll update re any changes..

[McSquirtle]

We had 17oz here too today! Very odd, our situations sound very similar! He took 3oz at bedtime so I'm not sure if ill be able to make him wait until morning (he usually takes around 5). He would feed at night if I allowed it but then hardly at all through the day, and I'm not prepared to encourage that. I just keep resettling when he wakes, im confident its not true hunger waking him at night due to how little he takes in the morning. What a pain! Can you reduce his night bottle or attempt to resettle? I hope reducing solids helps for you.

[*Kara*]

Teething could be the issue for both babies... anyone tried numbing gel on babies gums about 10 mins before a bottle?

[Mama2Athena]

I saw this post a couple days ago and wasn't sure if I should jump in and comment.  But here goes... my 10 month old DD has always been a "small" drinker - quite different than my son who would easily down 8-10 oz at bedtime.  On a VERY VERY good day (i.e. growth spurt), she would drink about 25 oz, but that's very rare.  From the time she was born, she typically would drink between 17-22 oz a day (even before the introduction of solids).  I was quite concerned but on several occasions her pediatrician reassured me that everything was OK because she's appropriately gaining weight (at one point she was even in the 75th percentile for weight) and meeting all her milestones.  Her doctor chalked it up to her having a slower metabolism.  After months of worrying, I finally accepted that this was her norm.  Today at 10 months, she'll drink about 18-20 oz with 3 solid meals.  If you are concerned, maybe talk to your LO's doctor at the next checkup.

[*Kara*]

I saw this post a couple days ago and wasn't sure if I should jump in and comment

Absolutely you should   Been there done that experience is the best kind there is!

The only time I am really concerned is if it's not "normal" for a specific baby.  If they have always had an amount on the lower end, no need to worry.  It's when it's not typical for a baby to consume so little that alarm bells go off

[hilis_mom]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Unfortunately this is not the case, He does seem to be consuming much less than before and according to his last doctor CU (about a month ago) he's not teething either. From the posts I've read I guess it's not uncommon for babies around this age to go through a phase of refusing the bottle feeds, but I will definitely point it out on his next CU.

[*Kara*]

Just because he wasn't teething a month ago, doesn't mean he isn't now... that can change day to day and honestly, there is no way for a doctor to definitively say that a baby is/is not teething.  Their teeth shift around under the gums for a while before you see them start to really push up and out...

I would watch his weight and be sure he isn't losing.

Have you tried offering a bottle when you are in his room, in the dark and away from external distractions?