7 onth old on three meals a day - but how much breast milk?
Hi.
My LO is 7 months old. He has been on solids for about a month now and is having three small meals a day. He is exclusively breast fed.
I have been trying him on a bottle as would like to wean him off the breast now that he is getting older. How much milk should he be having during the day?
When I give him a bottle he will not have any more than 3oz per feed. Normally on average about 2oz. Is this enough? He feeds about 7-8 times in a 24 hour period. He also has water from a sippy cup which he loves.
I'm worried that he's not getting enough milk from the bottle so after he refuses anymore from the bottle I then offer him the breast. Sometimes he has some, sometimes he doesnt.
How much breast milk should he be having at each feed? 2-3 oz a feed doesn't seem a lot. I'm worried that he's going to get dehydrated!
Replies
Hi,
My little one is nearly 8 months old and is also on 3 meals a day.
She has a 5/6ozs bottle in the morning, 3/4 ounces at 10.30am, 3/4ozs at 2.30pm then 5/6ozs at 6.30pm for bedtime.
Sometimes she doesn’t have one of the 10.30am or 2.30pm bottles if she’s had a longer nap or if she’s not fussed about it.
I always think she will let me know if she’s hungry and if she’s had enough she wont take anymore and whacks the bottle away. She’s always been bottle fed.
Has porridge, then lunch and a dinner plus a yoghurt too or fruit.
Xx
Hi :-)
Our current advice At work (I’m a nicu nurse) is a baby will take 2-3 oz of milk a day for each pound of weight..this is purely a guideline and your baby will only take what he/she wants to take.
if you can’t get anymore down baby, try things like yoghurt and cheese just to get the extra bits down! Also, you can add the formula to make things like scrambled egg or even in their breakfasts. He definately won’t dehydrate, because milk is purely food, just ensure he’s drinking water if dehydration is your worry
I wouldn’t worry though, babies start to go off milk towards the 1 year milestone, infact my eldest was off milk altogether at 13 months when I took The bottle away and replaced with a sippy cup!
My youngest is 10months old and he will take two 9oz bottles a day BUT he’s a very big boy, and every baby is different, just go with what your baby wants