6 month old eating nothing but solids and cereal with milk?

[Rosie604]

Please don't attack me saying this is wrong, but I am looking for opinions on mothers that have done this. I have my baby on jarred foods, homemade foods, baby cereal, and milk. The reasons for this are long and complicated and I do not wish to explain them. Are there any mothers out there that can talk me through this? Maybe some advice? I have her on vitamins too so she is getting everything that she needs, but no more formula.

 

[bananaz]

Have you spoken with a pediatrician? Young babies have complex and specific nutritional needs and just giving her some vitamins may not be enough to compensate for what she should getting from breast milk/formula. I would highly recommend getting some professional input.

 

[Dollybird]

It's difficult to advise without knowing your reasons! I know some babies "go off" formula when they begin to wean, not sure if this is your reason for no more formula or not? It might just be a phase? If it is the case then u could hide formula within foods.. My little one has had a bad cold and ear infection and I was struggling to get him to take his bottle, yet he was eating fine, so I hid formula within each meal, made sure he was getting plenty yogurts/cheese/dairy, and he was happy taking water here and there from his sippy cup. Now he's a bit better he's taking his bottle better again, but I know if he began to
Go off milk that's what if probably do. However the PP is right I would never attempt a long term solution like that without guidance from a medical professional. It was ok for a couple of days whilst he was ill though. Hope this helps a little, and if not then I hope u can find other answers! xxx

 

[MindUtopia]

It's difficult to understand what you're asking about just from your question, but are you saying she isn't wanting any formula right now or are you saying you're intentionally choosing to stop giving it to her? Those are two different things. Babies often go through phases where they don't want a bottle. Actually, mine did around 6 months because she was teething. We just kept offering it to her and when the teething settled down, she was back to normal again, in addition to having some solid food. But if you're saying that you have just decided to stop offering her formula even though she would take it, well, that's not a very good idea. Babies need breast milk or formula as their main source of nutrition until 1 year with solid food as an addition and not as a replacement. They also use milk as a means of quenching thirst and staying hydrated, as most don't drink an equivalent amount of water yet at that age. In that case, I'd definitely be speaking to your GP or HV or someone who can give you some advice because you're likely to have a dehydrated baby on your hands if you're withholding liquids. Otherwise, if it's just a fussiness issue, just keep doing what you've always done and it will all be back to normal soon. Babies are always changing and as long as they are fed (milk and solids) on demand, it all balances out in the end.

 

[Dollybird]

It's difficult to understand what you're asking about just from your question, but are you saying she isn't wanting any formula right now or are you saying you're intentionally choosing to stop giving it to her? Those are two different things. Babies often go through phases where they don't want a bottle. Actually, mine did around 6 months because she was teething. We just kept offering it to her and when the teething settled down, she was back to normal again, in addition to having some solid food. But if you're saying that you have just decided to stop offering her formula even though she would take it, well, that's not a very good idea. Babies need breast milk or formula as their main source of nutrition until 1 year with solid food as an addition and not as a replacement. They also use milk as a means of quenching thirst and staying hydrated, as most don't drink an equivalent amount of water yet at that age. In that case, I'd definitely be speaking to your GP or HV or someone who can give you some advice because you're likely to have a dehydrated baby on your hands if you're withholding liquids. Otherwise, if it's just a fussiness issue, just keep doing what you've always done and it will all be back to normal soon. Babies are always changing and as long as they are fed (milk and solids) on demand, it all balances out in the end.

Yep mindutopia managed to put across what I was trying to say. All babies have fussy phases for different reasons and short term having less milk via boob or bottle is ok, but not long term. We found that making up small amounts formula and offering them more frequently than he would usually take a bottle helped. Meant although he was maybe only taking 2/3oz a time, he was at least taking something frequently, and meant I wasted less formula (normally if be making up 8oz bottles and he takes them every 3-4hrs) xxx

 

[zorak]

I find it hard to believe any doctor would recommend no formula for a 6 month old. If it is an allergy/intolerance issue their are different formulas which can be given on prescription.

As a baby I myself would not drink milk for weeks on end, just flatly refused it. My Mum had to give me something she describes as flat lemonade which she got on prescription from the doc to make sure I was hydrated, nourished etc.

Please speak to your doctor about this.

 

[chezababy]

If lo is temporarily refusing milk I would just do as the others have said and try to give as much as possible in food. You can also offer fatty yoghurts and cheese and use fatty oil such as coconut oil to make sure lo is getting the fat they need. Babies sometimes go off milk temporarily due to illness and teething etc but if you keep offering it they will eventually want it again. If the issue is that lo has been refusing milk long term then I would speak to your doctor.

However if you are thinking of stopping lo having milk when they would normally drink it this could lead to many different problems. Long term lo will not be getting enough vitamins and nutrients from solid foods even with the supplement you are giving. There is just no way a baby will eat enough food and enough variety of food to cover all the vitamins and nutrients that breast milk or formula provides. There is also an issue with calories as babies need a lot for their development and there is no healthy way to provide enough calories through solid foods. There could also be an issue with dehydration as another pp said. Lo is unlikely to drink enough water at this age. I would really recommend you speak to a doctor about your reasons for stopping formula and hopefully theyccan help you find a healthy solution for your lo.

 

[maybebaby3]

Are you choosing to stop ff or is LO refusing it?