help fussy 9month old

[lovingmotheract]

HELLO there i have a 9 month old and she is not settleing down for a bottle she is having 250mls bottles and she has 4 in 24 hours and she is not eating alot of her moring food to what can i do to help her eat more and to drink all of her bottle as she some times she has 180mls or 200mls now i know she is not fadeing away as she put's about 100grams to 150grams in about a week but i just want to know how i can get her to drink and eat better.

[the pero clinic]

Dear Lovingmotheract,

It is very hard to know why your little one has become fussy around her feeds, and therefore how to improve the situation. It is possible that she is a bit unwell or teething at the moment? Have her daily activities or sleep routines changed?

Your little girl is gaining a reasonable amount of weight at the moment. She should be having approximately 100mL / kg of body weight each day as well as solid meals. It is important to focus more on the total intake of formula over a whole day than at each individual feed.

Having said that, to encourage your little one to eat and drink more, you might like to try varying her feeding routine. She may no longer feel hunger at the times she typically used to feed, or may be wanting 5 feeds of 200mL instead of 4 x 250mL. Try offering her an open cup or spout cup for at least one of her milk feeds so that her dependency on the bottle doesn’t increase. She may be more interested in solid meals if she is given finger foods or a spoon to “help” with the meal.

Babies’ intakes will vary from time to time for various reasons – most of which are perfectly normal. Your daughter may just be going through a stage where she doesn’t need as much food or milk at the moment. If you continue to have concerns about your bub’s health, hydration or eating, see your doctor or child health nurse.

the pero clinic