6 Month Old Not Drinking Enough?

My oldest was the same way when he was that age. He never drank more than 3 or 4 ounces at a time. He was always heathly. As long as she is not losing weight, I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck!!!

Hello! I would ask you pediatrician at the next apt about it. My other advice is to start checking her diapers. Is it wet when you change it? My daughter is about 2 1/2 now so its been awhile since I had to think about a 6 months old, but I think you are supposed to have anywhere from 6 to 8 wet diapers in 24 hours. If that is happening then she is getting enough and you don't have to worry. Again, just keep and eye out and then ask your PED. If you next apt is too far away for comfort, just call. The nurse can give you all the details. When my daughter was little I think I called the poor nurse like every other week with questions. They always said that if your in doubt, call...no problem. Hope this helps!

As long as she is having wet diapers she is fine. I don't think she will get dehydrated because she is drinking ok. Maybe not great, but she is drinking. And babies are self-preservers. They know when they are hungry and they know when they are not. I wouldn't force it. She might just be going thru a slow growing phase and not need as much to eat. She'll pick up again. And as she gets older and on more solid foods she will take less and less of a bottle. By the time she hits a year, you will wonder how she is functioning on so little food! Usually about there they really slow down in growing and barely eat a thing. But just keep offering her something to eat, and when she is done, then let her be done. As long as she is wetting and pooping and happy then she is just fine. :)

I'm pretty sure both of my children did this when they started eating cereal. I began making the cereal with formula. Talk to your pediatrician, but I'm pretty sure she'll be ok with what she's getting.

My son was the same when he started eating solids. I don't push him taking the bottle. He knows if he is hungry. You also need to remember he is getting starting to substitute the cereal for the bottle.

if she has wet diapers, then she's okay. make drinking a game. try using a normmal cup or glass

My son is doing the same thing. He used to drink up to 10 oz at a time & that has dropped way off now. Keep in mind that the rice cereal & even the baby fruits & veggies have lots of water in them. She is getting more liquid than you think. The bottom line is, if she is thirsty & if she needs it, she will drink. I would just continue to give her bottles before she eats her food - offer her a bottle periodically throughout the day - let her drink what she wants & don't worry. She'll get enough. Another thing my pediatrician suggested was to offer my son a sippy of water while he's eating. He enjoys taking sips of that. He maybe gets an ounce or two a day that way. Good luck!

At my son's 6 month appt. (he is 7 months now) I asked the doc how much breast milk should he be getting cause he was starting to eat three meals a day and he said to make sure the he gets 12-20 oz of milk a day. He eats 3 meals and 4 5oz bottles a day now. Don't know if that helps or not. Good luck.

Hi
If she is eating 4 oz every 4 hrs. that is about 24 oz. a day, correct? Look at the daily total before you start worrying. She is also old enough to get some baby juices in a tippy cup in between. When she is thirsty and hungry, she will eat and drink, so don't worry!
R. O.
Gooding

Get the book called Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. It has been a wonderful resource in answering my questions and helping me not to worry too much about feedins issues. I have a 4 year old and a 10 month old and I refer to it probably monthly.

How much cereal are you giving her? They recommend about 2 tbsp twice a day. Some babies require more and some less. Maybe she needs less. The cereal takes her body longer to digest than milk and might be keeping her full a long time. I know you gradually can increase the amount of cereal they get to about 4 tbsp twice a day. I know my little guy (he's 5 months old) now breastfeeds less now that he's on cereal. I don't know what quantities he's getting though. Watch her wet diapers and make sure she is peeing and make sure it's clear and doesn't smell too strong (signs of dehydration if it's yellow or has a strong odor). Maybe it's just a phase? Maybe in a few days she'll start to drink more? Good luck!!

I have two thoughts. The first is that it may not be that she's not hungry, but perhaps she's teething. When my boys were teething, they refused the bottle. Sometimes they'd refuse the solids and take the bottle, but more often it was a problem with the bottle because it hurt them to suck. And don't worry that she's not drinking enough. She certainly will if she is thirsty. I have had to be patient with my guys to learn that they know how much they need, and when I keep pushing, it just makes things worse.

My other suggestion is to always offer the bottle FIRST. It is more important still that she get that formula than the cereal since the cereal is not the major source of her calories or nutrients. If you stay consistent, she will know better what you expect.

I have spent a lot of time in the last few months (my twins are 11 months now) worrying about how much they eat, and really, it is wasted worry. Babies know what they need, and she will let you know.

Make sure you are mixing your cereal with milk instead of water for nutrition and maybe make the cereal soupier. some kids go through stages of not being interested in liquids... my kids did. Most of the time the food they are eating has lots of liquid in it that will help prevent dehyration. Many children give up milk completely after the age of one or two. One of mine did... Just make sure you offer it to her.

Good Luck-

when she is eating try burping her more. my little boy when he was born he wouldn't eat. so when we were in the hospital when i fed him they had me rub under his chin to get him to eat. so you could try that.

How many pee diapers does she have daily? That is the best way to determine if she is not getting enough fluids. Try even putting pediasure in her formula to maybe change the flavor until she starts up again. I believe what the average is 6-8 pee diapers in a 24 hour period. If it is less then that you may want to check her for dehydration. As long as she is drinking 3 or 4 oz, that is maybe all she wants with the cereal taking up so much of her stomach room. I wouldn't worry if she is peeing enough. Try now maybe putting some veggies mixed in with the rice cereal too for added nutrition, wait for fruits as that always is a favorite and you want her to like veggies first! :)

She may be teething, I have noticed my daughter will not drink or eat sometimes when her gums hurt. As for dehydration, just watch for sunken eyes, dry mouth and lips and fatigue. You can also check her soft spot but it isn't as accurate and usually if it is depressed it is already too late.

Have you tried mixing the cereal with formula? if she is getting her nutrients from somewhere else, she may drink less bottles. she will eat if she is hungry enough. you could also try a sippy cup or bottle of water throughout the day to keep her hydrated. as long as she has dirty and wet diapers through the day she should be alright.