Daughter Doesn't Want to Drink Formula

Did her ped. say if she can try drinking whole or 2% milk? She's already getting plenty of fluid from the fruit and veggies you say she eats. Good luck

is she getting teeth? This happens with daycare kids when they are getting teeth or just got teeth.

Try offering the bottle first, before any solids. Always, no matter what. Even if she rejects it every time, keep offering. Don't offer her juice ever. You may want to try a sippy cup and see if she'll take that.

For solids mix the formula with cereal so that she gets more oz. of formula that way. For one boy he ate a whole 8 oz box of baby cereal one week just so I could get him to get his formula intake - by the next week he was refusing cereal and only wanted his bottle. They can change like that.

I would also have her tested to see if something else is going on. Both my girls were failure to thrive and what you are describing sounds like my first, Tara. I breastfed, and that wasn't affected although she was a speed nurser, but when I had to give her a bottle (when we went to whole milk) it would take her all day to finish 8 oz. I got to the point where I would take her for a car ride cause the motion seemed to make her drink more. Later, after Elise was born and I saw how she WANTED to eat and drink I realized that Tara had never had the hunger mechanism. The first time Tara ever ASKED for food, or told me she was hungry, was when she was a few days shy of FOUR years old. (Elise was 9 mos old) I hadn't realized until then that she had never begged for food like Elise, never DEMANDED nursing, but I had just given it to her cause it was time.

Hope this helps,
N.

PS please don't take her to cow's milk yet. A babies intestines don't have the correct things to digest cow's milk till they are over 11 1/2 months old - there have been scientific studies where they pin pointed it to a 3 wk time frame between 11.5 mos and 12.25 mos old. (they took samples from the intestines of multiple babies to test when they could digest the milk proteins).

She must be filling up on the finger food. She needs the formula more right now. I would just give her the yogurt and cereal till she's 12 months. Mix the fruit with the cereal though.

PLEASE do not give a nine month old cow's milk - and especially NOT chocolate milk!! They should not have any cow's milk until a year!!

I would talk to your ped again. Maybe call a lactation consultant and see what you can do to stimulate production again, if that is what is best for her.

Good luck!

A.:

focus more on foods/ she need liquid for hydration and food for nutrition.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

A., The one thing you can do since your daughter is eating is probably take her off of the formula all together. She most likely doesnt like the taste of it! I would change her to 2% milk. I used to even have to flavor my oldest son's milk with just alittle bit of nestle chocolate syrup. But be assured if she is eating fruits and veggies and some protiens you are doing good, and she will catch up!

I would try a sippy cup. That worked with my kids when they hit that stage.

Expand your thinking of "fluids". Bottled water may taste better for your daughter to drink, or maybe diluted apple juice will help increase her fluid intake without increasing too much sugar. After eating finger food she probably just likes the taste better. Do you like the taste of formula?

You might want to try mixing the formula into her cereal. Make the bottle first and then add the formula, instead of just adding water. This worked for me.

Have her pediatrician do an allegy test (from a drop of blood) to see if she is allergic to milk. My daughter had been allergic to all formulas..except the hypoallergenic one which she refused to drink. I did nurse her exclusively but we did the blood test for allergies and she came back negative to milk...so started her early on organic whole milk. Hope this helps!!!

My kids did this too as they switched from getting their food from liquid to solids. All three of them were eating table food by 9 months - no more baby food they were all eating whatever anyone else did. My oldest had a slow down in growth at 9 months too(she was in the 5th percentile at 9 months), and my doctor said to give her more "real" food and that seemed to really work. At a year she was back up to between the 10th and 25th percentile. My third wasn't interested in nursing that much, and at 9 months, I had him on formula and alternated with whole milk when he ate meals. Other than that, he drank water when he wasn't eating. Remember that they get hydration from their food as well so I wouldn't worry too much about hydration and focus on calories. I bet if you try table food on her she will want to drink more too. Good luck!

Sounds like she's getting filled up before the liquids are offered, from what you wrote. Feeding in meals (so several hours between feedings) and doing the bottle (or breastfeeding if you just recently stopped and want to try again before it's too far removed) FIRST before any "solids", as that's recommended to be the primary source of nutrition at 9 months. That way she is HUNGRY for the formula and the rest is just toppers for dessert/practicing with foods. Also not overdoing it on the other things to be sure the formula/breastmilk is sufficient, that she's getting like a 6 oz bottle at breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed time-ish throughout the day, or so. Also, if the taste of formula seems to be an issue (as was for my second son when he weaned from breastfeeding at around 9 or 10 months old), somebody said Nestle Good Start tends to be a smoother transition for later weaned babies, and it sure went over well with my son who would not go for Enfamil or Similac tastes. Best wishes!! :)

I would try to cut back on the solids you are feeding her and see if that increases her desire to drink more formula. It sounds like she may be getting filled up before she has a bottle.