Question
An 8-month-old baby is drinking less milk, about 200ml per day. I would like to inquire about the possible reasons and whether it affects nutritional balance. Additionally, I occasionally give the baby “Zinc Calcium Special” and cod liver oil. I would like to know the appropriate time for administration and the risk of toxicity from overuse.
Answer
It is normal for a baby to reduce milk intake after introducing complementary foods. Generally, a 4-month-old who has an extra meal (like porridge) drinks about 500ml of milk a day. Moreover, after 4 months, the interval between meals can be longer. The original 3-hour interval can extend to 4-5 hours. However, the total milk intake should be kept around 500ml. Some babies have a strong desire to eat non-liquid foods. You can try mixing some milk with porridge and egg yolk, making it thicker for the baby to eat. Milk and fruits should be consumed separately for a longer time. Another situation is that the baby may enter a stage of aversion to milk, being very keen on complementary foods but not wanting to drink milk. For such babies, as long as their bowel movements are normal, they are in good spirits, happy, and growing normally, you can increase the amount of complementary foods without forcing milk intake.