[jomum]

My 10.5 mth old has been drinking milk very well till a couple of days ago.
He would normally has morning, afternoon and bedtime milk which is 210ml each. Now, he only takes half of that and the sight of me making his milk does not excite him like before.

I tried changing from teats to spouts. Didn't work.
Before, he would hold his own bottler, so I thought he might be tired after sometime and I held the bottle for him. Still the same result.

Help!!!

Confused mum...

[Graham]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Babies seem to go though phases where one week they'll eat more and the next week less.

One thing I'm finding out about being a new parent is that babies will eat exactly how much they want to eat and nothing we do as parents can force them to eat a drop more than they are willing to accept.

Has your baby had any sudden change in his routine recently that may have unsettled him? I've found that too much excitement like a big trip out or a change of environment can sometimes put my son off his food for a few days.

Anyway, I'd say if it goes on for a week or more, then maybe get your baby checked out by a doctor, but you'll probably find he'll revert back to his normal quantity of milk soon.

Our 2.5 month old son is doing something similar at the moment. He used to drink 3-4oz of expressed milk at each feed, but for the past 4-5 days he's only taking 2-3oz. His Grandparents visited from the UK for 3 weeks and they've just gone back. I think this has unsettled Jeffrey a bit as he was used to seeing them everyday for 3 weeks and suddenly they're not there any more.

Graham

[nykki]

Hi Jomum,

Like Graham said - there's just no telling what their appetites are going to be like from one week to the other! Our doctor says a safe guideline is if they're taking a minimum of 20oz milk (plus food) a day (over 6 months) then they should be fine for a few days. If it continues for more than 7 days, see your doctor.

What formula do you use? We use "Enfapro 2 A+" which recommends 3 feedings of 240ml for babies 10 months and older. Also Isomil (soy) which recommends 4 feedings of 240ml for babies 6-12 months. Our daughter (8.5 months) always leaves 2-3oz back in the bottle, so 210ml would be far better for her, I'd be interested to know what you use.

Thanks!

[jomum]

Thanks Graham & nykki.

Well, actually my baby is having a cold now. I would really hope that 's the main reason for all the sudden change. Actually he started disliking milk a few days before he had runny nose. We reckoned he might have discomfort in swallowing, but the same would have happened when he takes solid, right? He takes solid quite well, though.

Nykki, same as yours, my baby takes Enfapro2 A+. In fact the PD left it to us if we wanted to change to Enfapro or stick to Enfamil 1 A+. He reckons the measurement stated in the can could be too much and should not be followed strictly. Especially with my baby's weight at the 80% percentile even without taking the same measurement.

[ozmaofoz]

Do you think it could be hard for him to breathe while he's drinking? Maybe aspirate his nose before offering him the milk.

I'm sure his appetite will come back as soon as he's well, and since he's a good weight I wouldn't worry too much about him losing weight. The only worry is dehydration. If his eyes start to look foggy or sunken or his skin doesn't seem very elastic, you should call your doctor right away.