Still on 5 bottles a day

at the 9 month pedi appt. the dr. said i should wean them down to 4 bottles a day and then to 3 (but at least 20 oz. of formula). i figured if they ate more solids they would not want as much formula. the problem is some days they just don't want to eat. they will scream and cry in the highchair and i'm not going to force them. they will eat cheerios and some finger foods until the cows come home though. i don't get it. i'm afraid they aren't getting enough to eat at each meal. i try to get at least one jar of food in them at each meal, but that doesn't always happen.

i'm afraid they are going to be on their bottles forever. they LOVE their ba-ba.

any tips?

 

I think that they are probably getting too much milk, which filling them up and making them not want to eat their meals. Are you giving them more milk on the days that they don't eat?

 

I agree with the PP that maybe they are getting too much milk.

Also, have you tried table foods -diced veggies and fruit, pasta, small pieces of meat, stuff like that? My girls weren't big fans of baby food, but they really started eating well when we gave them table food instead. Mine were on all table food by around 10 months.

 

i give them 7 oz. at each bottle, but they don't necessarily drink it all. they might have 4, 5, or 6. i can't get the schedule so it all works out. in the morning, i give them a bottle at 6am, then an hour later feed them solids...some days they eat it all up, other days, if they are already getting tired, they won't eat. then i try to feed them when they get up from nap and they want their bottle not the food.

i have had only a few days so far where they have done 4 bottles. it seems so different every day. am i supposed to give them less formula so they will eat? will that necessarily work? there just seems to be so much to fit into the day; bottles, naps, solids, etc.

 

My girls were on about 4 a day at 11 mths. At 12 months when we got the okay for whole milk, I dropped the morning bottle. I thought this was going to be a huge mistake but my girls didnt even notice it. I would make them toast, waffle or something with a sippy of whole milk. Then a week later I dropped the afternoon bottle and started feeding lunch w/juice, water, or milk sippy. and so on. My girls are almost 17 months old and still on 2 bottles. 1 between breakfast and lunch (before their nap) and a bedtime bottle. I just dont see the point of dropping them right now. For them having a bottle is comfort to go to sleep and I just not ready to take that away yet. They still eat 3 good meals a day so it isnt hurting them any either....

 

QUOTE(imlodog @ Aug 6 2007, 11:36 AM) [snapback]359704[/snapback]
there just seems to be so much to fit into the day; bottles, naps, solids, etc.


I think we may be in the minority here, but we do the solids at the same time as their bottles. I totally know what you mean about there just being so much to fit in, and doing separate bottle and solid feedings just adds to it. It also seems that having bottles with the solids helps them to eat more solids, rather than the other way around.

At their solid feedings (right now just breakfast and dinner), we usually start with a little bottle to take their hunger edge off. Then we do several spoonfuls of whatever solid they're getting, then a little bottle, then solid, then bottle, etc. until we finally finish it all off with the last couple ounces of bottle. We do the whole thing in their highchairs, sometimes with a burp break in the middle, but sometimes they don't even need it.

Then we do 2 (sometimes 3 if they're really hungry) additional bottles each day.

This works very well for us, and the boys do very well with both the bottles and solids this way. May be worth a try if you feel like all you do all day long is feed! HTH

 

Lois, I would start putting milk in those bottles and then start putting milk in sippies. My guys were still taking 3 bottles at 12 months, and then in a couple weeks I had them done to 2, and now they have one at night before bed. You can do this. My guys were really obsessed with their bottles too. PM me if you need anything.