My 10-month-old refuses all milk. He isn't interested in breast milk any more and will not take formula. Help!

Question

I have tried bottles and sippy-cups. He will only take a little juice from a cup. He eats solids well. I'm worried!

Answer 1

You can try whole milk but there is a chance he will not like that either. If he eats regular food and has no problem with other dairy products (yogurt, cheese, etc) it is not a problem. The public belief that milk is necessary for growth throughout childhood is definitely not evidence-based. The only thing children need from milk is calcium; there are alternative sources of calcium...A good alternative is calcium and vitamin D fortified orange juice.

By the way, I am a pediatrician...

Answer 2

I have twins who are 10 months old and my DD is very much the same. She nurses well first thing in the morning and sometimes right before bed. I find that if I nurse her in a quiet, dark place she does much better. Rember too that your baby is getting liquid from solids too. I would mix cereal w/ formula/breast milk and I woud continue to offer water from a cup and continue to nurse. I nurse or offer a bottle between solidd meals which seems to work well for us.

Good luck and as w/ anything I would contact your DR if you are still concerned.

Answer 3

Could he be teething? It might actually hurt to drink/suck.

Some children do go on what they call a nursing strike. I would contact your local leleche league leader (http://www.lalecheleague.org/) and read up on www.kellymom.com
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html#strike

Don't give up because he still needs another couple of months of breastmilk (or formula) to grow his body and brain! It's got more nutrients then any solid food he's eating.

On another note, I wouldn't start him on juice this early. Water is best after breastmilk. Juice rots teeth and is just empty calories, better to start good habits now while you can actually still control what they are drinking. Good luck!

edited to add: to those suggesting whole (cows) milk. This is still a baby with an actively growing brain. Cows milk is designed to build cow brains. Think about it.

Answer 4

did you be attentive to widely used pump output is .5-2 oz? So no concerns there =] it relatively is thoroughly ok for her to opposite cycle (nurse all night, refuse once you're away) have you ever tried offering bm in a sippy? Solids could be severe in food... Avocado is a large determination. As is superb potatoes and squash. The soapy scent is extra lipase enzyme. in case you scald bm in the previous freezing, it prevents that. (it would desire to be why she is refusing! besides the incontrovertible fact that some toddlers take it in basic terms high-quality, it relatively is not risky or something... what's her diaper count quantity? the only way you may tell if she is getting sufficient =] (6 moist/grimy in 24 hours, and she or he's high-quality. remember, sopping moist counts as 2)

Answer 5

Feel in the back of his mouth and see if his molars are swelling up to cut in...sucking on the breast or bottle may be painful for him if they are swollen (the back teeth hurt much worse that front ones cutting when sucking...make the sucking motion and you can see how your molars might feel)...it won't last too long though - it is a very common cause of a nursing strike around a year of age.

Answer 6

You should talk to your about the lack of calcium form not drinking milk. I would say try to get calcium from other sources such as cheese. I try to cook with milk as much as I can to add to my sons milk intake. Such as he eats a little oatmeal with a little milk with cinnamon and sugar. You son can probably start eating things like mashed potatoes, and stuff like that that you can add a little milk here and there. My son will only drink about one sippy cup per day of milk. They always love the juice more.

Answer 7

This is a very common age for a NURSING STRIKE! it is not weaning. Please look it up on Kellymom.com and/or google it. you baby still needs breastmilk and will come back to it if you keep offering.

If you are pregnant again, then the milk may taste different or be reduced, but you're not are you?

Answer 8

Time for whole milk. Homogenized or whatever. You can begin introducing this at 9 months.
Try not to fill the baby up on juice. A few ounces of watered down juice each day wont hurt, but he needs two servings of milk each day and water. Make sure he's getting plenty of fluids.

Answer 9

This is a textbook nursing strike. Those who posted about strikes before me are completely right. Follow their advice and you'll get through this with a happy, confident baby.

Answer 10

Try Nestle Next Step Formula. He still needs nutrition, this is a concern because of the nutrients that formula has. He still needs these for a couple of months.