Dropping feeds

[jkate]

Hi

My 9 month old son, is slowly going off his bottles, he only has two a day, and will drink about 50 - 100 mls. He has 3 main meals a day, sometimes including morning or afternoon tea. He eats yoghurt, cheese, has milk in his cereal. I also offer him water from a cup with a sprout especially on hot days. Should I offer less food, and try to give him more formula? He is a happy and healthy baby, but I am worried if he continues the way he is, he will wont to drop all his bottle feeds. When is the earliest that I can drop formula and give him cows milk??

Thank you

[the pero clinic]

Dear Karen,

It is recommended that bubs change to cow’s milk from 12 months of age – changing any earlier may cause some issues, and may not solve the problem anyway. You are probably aware that your son should be having approximately 100mL of formula / kg of bodyweight each day. He is currently taking the diet of a 1-2 year old by the sounds of things.

It’s great that he is happy and healthy, but you probably want to encourage him to drink a bit more formula and water, particularly as it starts to get warmer. This may mean cutting out an extra snack or slightly reducing his meal sizes to leave him hungrier for an additional bottle feed. Or you could offer formula at the end of each meal (and in between if wanted) so that he is having smaller but frequent amounts. Finally, his motivation for formula drinking may increase with the introduction of a cup (spout cup or open cup).

He sounds like a great eater, so try not to change his routine too drastically, as he may go off his food and formula. Keep an eye on his hydration levels, and see a doctor if this becomes a concern.

the pero clinic