8 month old DD who would rather eat than drink...

[Fleur]

Yep, this is the baby who didn't want to BF... I guess it's nothing personal, cause she's not that fussed on her bottles either
So how do I know if she's getting enough milk?

Currently she is having roughly the following:

Up at 5:30 - 6:30. Offer bottle - she might have 30ml, max.

Breakfast - fruit and ceral or toast, so maybe half a banana and a piece of toast.

Offer bottle before her morning sleep - she might take a bit, usually less than 100ml, sometimes only 30-40ml.

Offer bottle after morning sleep - same thing.

Lunch.

Offer bottle before afternoon sleep - same as morning.

Offer botlle after sleep - same again!

Dinner.

Offer bottle before bed - depending on the night, she might have 100ml+, or she might have nothing.

10:30ish - bottle, usually 100 - 120ml.

Then through the night she will have another 150 - 300ml, finishing with a decent drink around 4:30 in the morning

I guess she could be having anywhere from 300 - 700 ml per day, but it's so all over the place, It all feels a bit hit & miss.....

I am giving her milk in a cup with her meals, and she drinks a bit then too.
I have tried holding off on the solids, say at breakfast but she just gets cranky until she gets her food - she doesn't necessarily drink more.
She will sometimes have a bigger drink (bottle) throughout the day but it's hard to predict when.
She does drink much more milk at FDC (and she sleeps better there, too!).

Her weight gain is ok, and she has plenty of wet nappies - I am mostly worried about the nutritional aspect, that she is too young to replace her milk with solids?

Oh, and of course the fact that she is having more milk overnight than through the day

Any advice?

[Tinks]

It almost sounds to me as though she could be weaning. Ask FDC what their routine is, if she's drinking more there the routine must be suiting her.

I'd cut out the in between bottles (morning sleep and afternoon sleep ones)

Are you able to hold off her 430am bottle until 530 or 6? Then give her breakfast at around 7. She should then be due for another bottle at 11-12, offer the bottle then give lunch 1/2 hr later or so.

At around 4pm give another bottle. Tea between 5-6 then a bottle at bed time.

[MantaRay]

Jas, it sounds like you are doing a great job of offering lots of milk, and also offering an appropriate amount of food. I would say that she's drinking what she needs - you are giving her plenty of opportunity to drink more and it doesn't sound like she's having too much in the way of solids.

The reason she is drinking less during the day is probably because of the amount she is drinking at night. This is really common with babies at that age, especially if they are away from mum during the night. When they see less of mum during the day, babies like to make up for it at night. It's very tiring, but very normal. And it does pass.

I think you are doing a great job hun.

[MamaPan]

Honey
I had a similar situation with J - well except that he didnt eat solids.. so he would have basically nothoing all day at creche and then bfeed ALL NIGHT! it weas exhausting and i foiund it v hard...
anyway nutritionally he was fine and he was gaining weight etc, so if i could handle it i could have kept going... but i couldnt handle it which is why we chgd things around. i have basically weaned him at night and i offer drink on waking each sleeep... he is taking lots more (even EBM at creche) in the day and also now is interested in solids. it wasnt my instinct but it has worked...
if you can handle what she is doing then i say keep going... she seems to be doing well with it... if it i shard for you then maybe try to cut out some night feeding and she may take more milk in the day. J hates bottles too so it is all from a sippy cup...

[Fleur]

Thanks guys...

Tinks I think I might try that. Her FDC routine should be much the same as home, we've worked on it together based on her cues...but there is obviously something different there...

MantaRay, thank you, so reassuring And good to know the night feeding is normal... I wondered if I needed to change her around... I will see if I can stick it out I think.

MamaPan glad to hear things have turned around a bit with J. How did you go weaning him at night? ATM I am thinking I will stick it out a bit, but if it gets too bad I will have to wean at least one of her feeds (we are doing around 3 ATM).