formula for 9 month old

[MusicalMom]

My almost 9 1/2 month old has been a super eater from day one, at one point drinking 32 oz. a day ... after we started him on solids at 4 months, it decreased a bit, as would be expected. But in the last couple of months, it's been a chore to get even 14 oz into him in a day. he still gets 4 bottles - 1 after waking, 1 after his morning nap and before lunch, one after his afternoon nap and before dinner, and 1 before bed. He eats LOTS of food, pretty much anything we eat. The pediatrician just says, try to get 20 to 24 oz of formula into him. We can get 4 to 6 in with cereal, but that's PART of the 14 total we can get into him!!!! When we tell her what a struggle it is - he drinks a couple of oz, pushes the bottle away, and wants to move on - she just says, try.

There's no way that I can think of to get anymore into him - we've warmed up the bottle, mixed juice in, etc. Each of these works for two or three feedings, and then he figures it out (or something). So I'm done worrying about getting it into him. But I know he needs the fat & the vitamins. So I would like advice on what I can substitute. We already plan on starting the switch to whole milk at 11 months as we did with my daughter. TIA!

[djasinski]

My little guy will be 9 months on April 9th and he is just drinking 16 oz of formula a day: Morning bottle, lunch bottle, before dinner bottle and bedtime bottle. He eats baby food and table food 2-3 times a day too. I also try to give him on sippy of water a day (8 oz sippy lasts all day).
Yes, he needs the fats and vitamins but he is getting alot of that thru his other foods. Don't beat yourself up. I have diluted his formula sometimes to get him to drink more. Like used one scoop when I was suppose to use two. He didnt seem to get as full that way, so he would drink more.

[charliesmommy]

Have you tried adding rice cereal to his formula? My son loved it like that.

[Newmom!]

I'd continue to try to get him to drink as much formula as he is willing, but also ask your doctor for suggestions of foods that will help him get the nutrition he needs, like avocados and fatty fish.

Try more but smaller bottles of formula or ask the doctor about trying the toddler formula, it is supposed to be good from 10 mo and older and comes flavored (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) and that might be enough to get him to drink more.

Have you thought about decreasing solids a bit? - although I'm not sure if I would do that.

In the end, remember that the average baby/child is good about regulating their food intake. As long as he continues to be healthy and grow you should be able to respect how much he chooses to eat.