Refusing milk

[Annh17]

The last few days, my LG girl has been refusing her milk, especially last bottle of the day.

Has anyone else had this problem? Her routine hasn’t changed, we are still doing exactly the same. She just wants too go too sleep.

[Lovefood1984]

Yep, happened to use around 8-9months but then because she hadn’t had any she was waking up early as she was hungry 🤦🏼‍♀️ In the end we gave up and gave her a bedtime snack half an hour before bedtime (say weetabix or rice pudding, porridge etc) instead and just dropped the bottle and let her eat as much as she fancies on the day. Sometimes she’d eat the lot, other times none at all but once we started doing that she stopped waking up early from hunger in the morning. I was worried about her going to 2 bottles from 3 as I wanted her to drop the afternoon one when she went to nursery and we’d do morning and evening but she had other plans, instead she now still has a morning one and an afternoon one (if she’ll drink it, depends on the day and the morning one can be anything from 2-6oz, she’s supposed to get 300ml a day now she’s 1 and that certainly doesn’t happen! I can’t supplement with yoghurts etc either but I can’t force her to drink it 🤷‍♀️) Keep trying for another week or so to see if it’s teething or cold related etc but if not then perhaps think about swapping it out like we did x

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Thank you. She has just cut another tooth so could be too do with that, we put her too bed as was tired, but then she became unsettled, she did end up drinking 4ozs.

I’m worried about her not getting enough milk, she does finish her other 2 bottles most the time which is 7ozs, plus she has 3 ozs in with her breakfast.

She never turns her milk or food away, so could be teething or maybe feeling a bit under the weather. xx

[Lovefood1984 in reply to Annh17]

I was told at this age they should be having 500mls a day ideally or a supplement if it drops below this (she’s about 9 months now?) so with her two 7oz and 3oz’s at breakfast you are spot on without a bedtime bottle and if you did swap it out she’d get a bit more if you made supper with it too 😊 I think they just like to stress us out 😂 x

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

So today, she had her morning bottle fine, refused her afternoon I tried an hour and she wasn’t having any of it and she has now refused her bedtime bottle. I just don’t know what I can do, we going too get some vitamins for her as she has only had 10ozs today, can you include yogurts for their milk intake? x

[Lovefood1984 in reply to Annh17]

I know you can count what’s on cereal etc, I’m not sure you’ll be able to ’count’ yoghurt per say as the volumes will be wrong but that and cheese would make a good substitute for calcium and other good stuff you get from milk. With that and a multivitamin you’ll be fine I’m sure. I’d still keep offering as it may be a phase, after yesterday’s full refusal of an afternoon bottle today she drank the lot according to nursery so they can just be picky depending on the day x

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Yea I don’t know about yogurt either, but she does love her yogurt and cheese so might give her a little more each day for peace of mind.

Today was just so weird, she has never refused a bottle, she may not drink it all. But to completely refuse afternoon and bed time, she hasn’t had a drink since 9.30 this morning, apart from a few sips of water.

When should I start to worry, when she refuses all bottles, dry nappies? x

[Lovefood1984 in reply to Annh17]

They really do like to stress us out! I’d say if she drops all bottles for a few days then I’d call your HV for advice just so they can ensure she’s getting what she needs nutrition wise (although I don’t think it will come to that). I’ve found with nappies if my LG didn’t drink her bottles one day and not much water then she made up for it the next and drank more so I’d keep an eye on them but they tend to be really good at self regulating (mine was ill last week and nappies went dry and the following day she drank more water than I’ve ever seen her do before!) x

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Well she slept all night after having no milk. I tried this morning with milk, kept pushing away (so not her at all) gave her a big portion of porridge with 5ozs and fruit, refused. The only way I managed her too eat it, was hiding the porridge on spoon with yogurt. She’s refusing water just won’t take a bottle. But will have her dummy 🙄

I have left a message with HV, so hopefully they will get back too me today x

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

A little update, she had 5ozs in porridge this morning and 6oz morning bottle, but OH had to stand over us singing 😂🙄. She had her lunch, refused afternoon bottle, had dinner and I gave her a yogurt with 1 oz in and she refused her bedtime bottle.

There is nothing more we can do, we got some vitamins to give too her, will do that tomorrow.

Am I being the typical 1st time mum who is worrying over nothing??? x

[Lovefood1984 in reply to Annh17]

I think it’s natural to worry, mine didn’t eat much at tea and refused a bedtime snack today (as well as doing a mega 2 1/2hr nap and not being herself). I think when it first happens you worry (I did) but then if it becomes the norm you just roll with it as there is soon something else to worry about x (I also think the worrying just shows you care 😊)

[Annh17 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Do they have too have 500mls of milk or is it just the reccomendation. Like adults do, babies have too have them aswell.

My husband says I’m worrying too much, he says she’s eating her solids, fruit and veg. But I’m like she has too have 500mls what if she goes off all her milk, what will happen too her.

I’m driving myself crazy and I can’t stop thinking about it, we tried 3 different bottles today, hoping she would take too 1, but she didn’t. She has had more water today than yesterday which is good. Her last poo was Thursday, so I’m hoping it’s because she hasn’t been yet and when she does she will soon be drinking her milk 🙏 x

[Lovefood1984 in reply to Annh17]

To get all their essential nutrients 500mls is recommended but if they don’t then they need a multivitamin, I know of babies on the CMPA forum I’m on refuse the fortified prescription milks (due to taste etc) and have to move onto an alternative (which like a normal baby isn’t great) or sometimes nothing at all and they seem to do ok, just need more careful management of their diet and they have the added downside of not being able to have yoghurt and cheese which your little girl can have. By 1 year the recommendation is 300ml (I asked the dietician). Fingers crossed when she does go she picks up on the milk x

[kt_11 in reply to Annh17]

Aw try not to worry too much. I know it’s natural to be concerned and I think you’ve done the right thing to get in touch with the health visitor to ask for advice and make sure she’s getting some additional vitamins.

She’ll be getting some calcium in her porridge and yoghurt. You do need to make sure she’s getting enough fluids but if she’s still having the same number of wet nappies as usual then she’s probably not dehydrated.

Have you tried giving a cup instead of a bottle?

And I know it’s hard but try not to panic too much. She could be picking up on your anxiety about her not taking her milk. It might just be a phase she’s going through, or teething etc so you don’t want to associate the bottle with stress x

[Annh17 in reply to kt_11]

Thank you for your kind words, health visitor hasn’t got back too me, I will be ringing again tomorrow. Will be seeing her Wednesday as it’s weighing day.

Yea, I have made her breakfast bigger so she gets bit more milk, as I know she will be refusing bottles. She had 12ozs in total today, plus 2 yogurts and some cheese at lunch. We are still getting a same amount of nappies, which is a relief, just hasnt had a poo since Thursday.

We didn’t give her the vitamins tonight as she was so worked up from us trying too give her, her bottle. We didn’t wanna stress her out even more.

I haven’t tried giving her a cup, but I will try that tomorrow and see how it goes. It’s weird as we give her gripe water via a teat and she has that with no problem, but as soon milk touches her mouth, that’s it- she’s pushing bottle away, pushing her head away, crying and screaming. I hate keep trying and I don’t want too force it. x

[kt_11 in reply to Annh17]

Yeah definitely don’t force it. If she refuses just take it away and try again later. I know what it’s like to worry about everything though. My LB has never been a good sleeper but now he has the very occasional night where he will sleep through. If I wake in the morning and I haven’t been up to him in the night I always have a brief panic and have to check on the monitor he’s ok! 😂

Tbh I have no idea how many ozs is normal as mine was breastfed so I never knew how much he was drinking. He doesn’t really have milk as a drink at all now (except the 3 days he’s at nursery - he isn’t interested at home 🙄) although he’s older than your LG so I know nutritional requirements will be different.

If her bowels seem very different to usual she could be a bit constipated as a result of reducing her fluids. If you can’t get her to drink much of anything maybe think about foods that contain water like fruit and veg to help with hydration and keep the bowels moving but obviously speak to the HV or GP if her bowel habits change massively or if she seems unwell x

[Annh17 in reply to kt_11]

Yea try a few times and if she doesn’t want it, I leave it a while and try again. Tonight she just fell asleep in my arms like a newborn, she didn’t need bouncing,rocking or anything, just laid there and went too sleep.

I do that, of a nighttime, if I’ve been in such a deep sleep, I have too get up to hear her breathing, she works her way down the bed so she not on the camera 😂

That the thing, if you breastfeed babies probably don’t get no where near enough the recommendation and I know people who don’t take the supplements

I have made so fruit purée nice and running, she had a whole pot today and I will keep giving her them. I did think she could of gone of milk due to her bowels. Fingers crossed it’s just a phase or because she is a bit constipated. It’s just such a worry, I swear my cats can sense it, they are both asleep on me lol x

[Anne-Marie2017]

I think this is more common than you think. It’s happening to us at the minute.🤦‍♂️ For the last two weeks my little girl has dropped her daily milk intake. Initially thought it was the leap and her teeth. But she seems to be ok otherwise apart from her milk intake. She isn’t waking in the night nor earlier in the morning so she is clearly ok with the amount she is having. I have tried to widen the gap between food and milk but it hasn’t helped. At the minute she is having typically between 350ml to 400mls per day. From tomorrow I’m gonna start using formula in her cereal instead of cows milk to at least add some more formula in her day and I’ll speak to the health visitor next week to ask if I should add in a multivitamin.

It’s in the back of my head (wishing she would take more) but at the same time I’m not concerned as she has never really been a massive milk feeder. She enjoys her food and eats a varied diet with three meals a day. She often has cheese spread on toast, grated cheese in omelette and variations of eggs plus natural yogurt every day so she is getting a reasonable intake of dairy. I think it’s just in the back of my head when I see other babies taking 7oz three times a day plus meals so it’s nice to know I’m not alone .

[Annh17 in reply to Anne-Marie2017]

How old is your little girl?

Today has been the worst day, she had 3ozs with her weetabix and 7oz bottle 1 hour after that and that’s it. Only had sips of water aswell (but starting to refuse that) So today she has only had 284mls.

You can still stick to the cows milk as that counts towards the milk, or is it best too have formula???

I’m new too all this, so starting to worry, shes not getting the correct amount of milk, the only thing I can think of is she is having our food at long last (she has packed the jars in) so maybe our food is richer and that’s filling her up more of an evening. She never did finish a whole bottle of milk, but would have around 5ozs.

But her not wanting her afternoon bottle, was totally out of the blue. x

[Anne-Marie2017 in reply to Annh17]

My little girl will be 9 months next week. We have been using cows milk in her cereal since 6months but I figure that her formula is better for her while she is under 1 so I can up her intake by adding it to her cereal. Today was a better day than recently but even then she had 180mls this morning, 120mls at lunch time and then 100mls at bedtime. Often she will only take 60mls at lunch time. I done baby led weaning so my little one has been having regular food for a while now. I feel like she eats a fair amount of food and that’s why she is reducing her milk as she prefers food.

Today for example she had 3/4 of a weetabix with cows milk for breakfast, at lunch she had omelette with some grated cheese (1egg and ate most of it) and some natural yogurt and I mixed some pears in. For dinner she had some pasta, with salmon, broccoli and cauliflower and again ate most of what I gave her.

[Annh17 in reply to Anne-Marie2017]

Our girls are the same age, my LG will be 9 months next week. I might do that tomorrow then, put formula with her breakfast instead of cows milk.

She’s such a good eater, today she had 1 weetabix with purée fruit, lunch marmite sandwich (1 slice) couple of melty puffs, dinner- carrot & parsnip sticks, some garlic bread and small amount of Spag Bol and a yogurt.

Last week she went of her lunches completely, whereas this week it’s her milk. x

[Anne-Marie2017 in reply to Annh17]

So I think my little girl knew I was talking about her last night and decided to make a liar of me today and take lots of milk. She took 210mls at breakfast plus 60mls of formula in her weetabix, then she took all of her lunch and about two hours after her lunch was showing signs she was hungry and downed 200mls of formula. She then had her dinner and at bedtime she took 160mls of formula. So after taking 350-450mls a day for the last while today she had 630mls on top of all her meals. She wanted to prove me wrong I think 🤣 Moral of the story being I think these little ones like to keep us on our toes and will take what they need (more sometimes and less others times).

[Annh17 in reply to Anne-Marie2017]

Ah bless her lol. She did go through a stage a while ago, where she wasn’t finishing her bottle and was only just getting the recommended amount, but now she’s refusing completely.

I just want her too have a least 1 bottle and I can make the rest up throughout the day with adding milk to food. x

[MissEd]

My lo is 10 months. For 2 months now he is only drinking 3 4oz bottles and 2oz in brekfast. I wasnt too worried but then when i got him weighed at 9 months he hadnt put on any weight (he is usually a 1lb a month!) So i upped his intake by adding it in to food, and giving him a snack of a rusk mixed with 2oz. He put on 13oz last month so it must have worked.

I think all you can do is try and get as much in to her as possible (which it looks like you are doing)

[Annh17]

So an update, LG is still off her milk, we had a good couple of days where she started having her milk again, but the last 2 days, she has been completely of it.

Have spoken to 2 different HV and they both don’t seem that worried, just says sounds like teething or could be getting a cold. Which I think could be both brewing.

We have been giving her the vitamins, so she been getting all them, she is starting too go over solids aswell, only eating little and soft like, mash, yogurt, ice cream, purée foods. I’m happy she is eating, even if it’s little, wish she would drink more, but I’m not forcing her, HV said as long as she’s getting some sort of fluid either from milk, water or purée, not too worry.

Only time to start to worry is when she not eating anything and wet nappies stop. Tonight she wanted her milk, but when teat was in mouth, she started crying and just pushed it away. She only had 5ozs of milk in total today.

She did go through a stage of growling couple of weeks ago and has not done it this week, I think she may have a sore throat from it x