Back at work and breast fed baby refuses all milk during day - please help

[fifi20]

I have a 6 month old baby girl who has been exclusively breast fed. She is weaned and eating solids (fruit, vegetables, yoghurts etc) but refuses to take milk (expressed or formula) out of a bottle, cup or mixed with baby rice or in food.
She is at a childminders 8 - 6 5 days a week (first week this week) and the childminder has tried to get her to take milk every day, but she just pushes it away or spits it out.
If you mix milk with her solids she refuses to eat her solids, and has always hated baby rice & milk.
So she is only getting milk from me once in the morning at 7am, and then is feeding at 6pm, 8pm and then about twice in the night (she was always feeding once in the night before she stopped getting milk in the day).
I tried to give her milk before she went to the childminder but she refused. Has anybody got any ideas - or do you know if it is ok that she has no milk all day. She isnt really taking that much water either (some in the food) but maybe only 1oz apart from that in a cup.
Please help
Fifi20

[halogen]

Hi, I'm having the same problem in that my daughter only takes about 2oz milk from a cup while I am out at work. I think if your daughter is feeding more often at night, she will probably be getting what she needs but it's knackering for you when you have to go to work all day. Yoghurt is just as good as milk for providing calcium. Also, she can have cheese in things. Green leafy vegetables also provide a good source of calcium - would she eat cabbage?

[fifi20]

Yes she is eating green beans, courgette, cabbage, brocolli & yoghurt - just no milk. I worry about her dehydrating in the day especially as it gets hotter. Plus I have had no more than 3 hours sleep in a row all week and am shattered!!!

[CarGirl]

My bf youngest weaned her self of all milk very very quickly once I weaned her I think by months she was only having 3 milk feeds per day - morning, noon & bedtime, by 8 months she dropped the day feeds and by 9 months night only!!!! They are all different. I would try not to let her feed at night as that may be why she is refusing the morning feed?

[CarGirl]

will she drink water?

[kate7]

had exactly the same problem with dd when I went back to work, she took virtually no liquid of any kind, but nursery staff simply kept offering her beakers of milk and water (she was 12 months when I went back to work, had never had a bottle and had always been exclusively bf), and slowly she came round to the idea. It took several weeks and I worried loads, but there is of course fluid in solids, fruit purees etc, and calcium in yoghurt etc, so she was fine. Stubborn madam now at 18 months happily uses a beaker herself and I wonder why I ever worried!!!

[slalomsuki]

ds1 was the same for me and a good day was 1/2 oz of milk from a beaker while I was at work. I went for the yoghurt and cheese option and he is now a strapping 6 year old who still drinks milk but not from me

Don't worry as long as they are having milk at home and water they are OK. I ended up with every variety of beaker and bottle.teat combination under the sun

[fifi20]

Thanks for all your tips and advice. I am glad to hear I am not alone. I think I will perservere with the water and maybe give up on the whole milk thing. The only thing is - my job is supposed to include travel and the occasional overnight stay, but I cant because she wouldn't get any milk for 2 days

[halogen]

My daughter is now 8 months and I worry a bit less than I did but obviously I'm still hoping she will take more milk or juice or water while I am out at work. I've tried all three with little success. Which cups or bottles are you trying? I've had the best results with the Nuk Learner bottle, which is really a cup with a very soft spout. Also I know people who have had succes with Mam and Nuk bottles as well as the Playtex kind with collapsible liners. I am assuming that eventually, my daughter will get the hang of it and get on with drinking.

Could you ask your work if you can miss out the travel for a couple of months until your baby is used to a cup?

[duomonstermum]

thank god! someone with the same problem. dd is 6 mths and will not take anything but bf. i have every cup beaker and bottle known to man but no luck. she's weaning ok but she doesn't like yoghurt. i worry because it means that we're attatched at the boob and i'm not getting any time with ds (10) or dh and it's affecting things with ds.