Feeding FAQ: 9-12 months – Formula Feeding

How much milk should my 11mth son be having daily and how can I get him to take it from a beaker?

My little boy currently drinks 210 mls milk at 7:00, 180 mls at 2:30 and 240 mls at 18:30. His weight gain has been okay (although only on 30th percentile) and it dropped over the last few weeks as he was ill with a nasty rotavirus which knocked him back off the weaning process considerably (refused to eat anything for a week!). He is now completely better and making up for it by eating and drinking large amounts which is great. I am conscious that he should be using a beaker for his milk feeds however when we try he rejects it when he tastes the milk. He is happy to take water in the beaker (Avent Magic cup) however not milk. I have tasted it myself and it does taste odd through the plastic. I am not sure whether he is ready to reduce his milk consumption, with him catching up after his illness. Please could you suggest what he should be drinking at this stage and how we get him onto the beaker for his milk?

After illness you may notice an increase in your baby’s appetite, which is reassuring to you. By the time your son is a year old his minimum daily intake can be around 350mls [12ozs]. This includes milk used for mixing cereals and in cooking so your son is taking plenty of milk at present. Once he does take milk from a beaker he will naturally cut back on his daily amount.

Take a look at page 91 of The Complete Weaning Book where you will see why COMA [Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy] suggests that by one year a baby should take no more than 600mls[20ozs] of milk daily, including the milk used on cereals and in food preparation. Providing your son continues to eat well, having a wide and varied diet, he may still continue to enjoy his milk as well.

It can take time for a baby to accept milk from a beaker instead of his familiar bottle. Begin to offer him his breakfast milk in a beaker, rather than giving him a bottle at 7am. You may need to start breakfast earlier if he is hungry, but he will be more likely to accept milk from a beaker if he is really ready for it.

He may be more willing to take milk from his beaker if you place a small amount in the bottom and offer it to him without the lid on. You will need to help him a little but he may accept it more willingly. Once he is used to the fact that milk can be taken from a beaker try him using the beaker with the lid on and see if he continues to drink in this way.

Another thing to try is a straw. Some babies under a year of age are able to drink through a straw really easily. There are cups on the market which have a straw type top. They will have lid on as well to encourage independence and prevent spills.

You will need to try on a daily basis to get him to take his milk this way. Depending how much milk he manages to drink at breakfast, at first you may need to offer the rest of his feed in a bottle after he has eaten all his cereal and fruit. Keep his bottle out of sight until you are ready to give it to him. Gradually increase the amount of milk you give him by beaker so you can phase out this bottle. He may cut back a bit on the amount he takes this way, but this is to be expected.

Offer him his 2.30pm feed in this way as well. Again he may cut back on this feed, but many babies have cut out this feed altogether by 1 year. Instead, they will have a snack and drink of water or well diluted fruit juice in the afternoon.

The last bottle feed to be dropped is the bedtime feed. Again your baby may take a while to get used to the idea of having his milk in a beaker at this time, so keep trying. Once you have found he will take milk in the day other than by a bottle use the same method at bed time.

It is recommended that all or most of a baby’s feeds come from a beaker by the age of one year. If your son continues to use bottles beyond this time he may well become fussy over his solids if he is drinking too much milk in the day. After the age of one year of age babies have a decrease in their overall appetite, seeming to take in less food than when younger. This is normal, as their growth rate slows as well, but drinking too much milk can lead to it becoming a problem if they cut back too much on their food intake.