We have issues with him taking a bottle. We feed him rice cereal once a day ( in morning 10am) and then vegetables/fruits once a day ( in evening 6pm) with 4 bottles a day, but recently he's been rejecting the bottle (either after a few ounces or from the start. He is teething, but this is going on too long! Pediatrician said to wait 5-10 minutes and offer it to him again and try for 30 minutes. We tried this and he's had a full bottle ( 7 to 8 ounces ) in morning and refuses to even start a bottle the rest of the day. He refuses sippy cup also. We seem to have only 2 choices.
1) If he refuses the bottle, let him skip the feeding. Problem is he is will get less than the 24 oz minimum daily if we do this.
2) If he refuses for 30 minutes, let him eat the formula in cereal form. Is it a problem to continually give him the formula through the cereal if he doesn't take the bottle? Is it an issue nutrition-wise or maybe we're training him that he doesn't need to take the bottle?
2006-08-07 13:04:45 · 23 answers · asked by Christine S 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
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2006-08-08 04:22:18 · update #1
Orajel, frozen wet towels, cold teething rings don't help. Using a cup or dropper is too messy. If you then take the exact same formula mixed in with cereal, he'll eat a ton of it. So it's not the type of formula.
We are always offering the bottle first, before solids. At 6:30 am feeding, he gets only bottle, which he usually drinks. Then at 10:00 he will refuse bottle. After 30 minutes to 1 hour of refusing this, that's when we have a choice to make. Either let him have nothing and throw the formula out or mix it with cereal and let him have it that way - which he will gladly take. Since he is light weight for his age, I'm happy to give him the cereal as long as this isn't causing some problem.
2006-08-08 04:26:02 · update #2
Is he drinking other fluids? if yes I wouldn't worry Just continue to put the formula in his cereal for nutrition.
2006-08-07 13:12:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a mother of 4 children, ranging from 12 years old to 6 months old. When my daughter was born, until she was 6 months old, she wouldn't take the bottle at all, and I couldn't breastfeed her either, so I fed her with a dropper to get her to have the formula, then finally she just started taking the bottle.........She's 10 now and healthy as can be.....And now I have a 6 month old whom I've been able to breastfeed up to this day, but I've been trying to get her to take the bottle so I can wean her off of breastfeeding, but she doesn't like the bottle at all, so now I"m trying the sippy cup, which I'm not too sure of yet, I do mix formula in with her cereal and I give her that twice a day along with a baby food.....I guess what I'm trying to tell you is as long as your son isn't losing alot of weight and is active like a 6 month old should be, keep on doing what works for him... the formual in the cereal, maybe try a dropper, or maybe he likes his formula warm, or maybe he likes it cold (my third child would only drink her formual cold), try different type of sippy cups, or try adding vitamins for babies(it's in a liquid form)...hope this helps some..
2006-08-07 16:14:22 · answer #2 · answered by j.p. 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For the teething, try Tylenol or Motrin. Also, the cold teething rings or a frozen washcloth work great. As for the formula problem, you can give him another feeding of cereal to get a bit more into him. Also, If he continues to refuse the bottle offer him some diluted 1/4 juice to 3/4 water in a bottle or sippy cup. As long as he has wet diapers and tears, you shouldn't worry if he doen't get 24 oz of formula for a couple days. If this continues for more than a couple more days, see your doctor.
2006-08-07 13:36:40 · answer #3 · answered by seatonrsp 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Taking the formula in cereal would fill him up faster and so decrease the amount of formula intake for the day.
I think I would start trying out different nipples for him.
Also for a short time I would tempt him with a touch of sugar on the tip of the nipple. I hesitate to use sugar for babies, but it is the less of the two evils, and you can stop once he is in the habit of bottle feeding again.
Babies don't think in complex equations at this age, i.e. refuse bottle so get to have other things, the main thing they learn is that when they need touch, feeding, holding, etc. that crying brings them help.
Could it be the flavor of the formula that has him turned off?
Its hard to say.
I would keep trying anything i could think of, babies are pretty versatile with change at this age, so changing things to try them out shouldn't cause more problems.
2006-08-07 14:33:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be a lot of things. Try to get into your kids mind from his point of view.
1) Maybe try switching nipples or bottles. Maybe it tastes bad or the texture of the rubber or silicon is something he doesn't like. (Could he have a latex allergy?)
2) It seems like you're not breastfeeding, but if you ever did, maybe he misses that.
3) Maybe he doesn't like it being shoved in his face, but wants a little more control. Can he hold the bottle yet? (I know it's early, but our baby could hold a small bottle (4 oz ones with the white screw on tops) at that age.)
4) Maybe it's the formula itself he doesn't like. Have you tried giving him water from the same bottle? He needs his fluids, sure, but he could drink water and get the rest of his nutrition from baby food and cereals.
5) Are the times when you try to give him the bottle generally stressful? Is there a lot of activity going on in the house or car? Are you upset by then? This could be affecting him, especially if it seems like he'll take the bottle sometimes but not others. Try to sit on the floor or where he sits and look at the stimuli around him at these times.
6) I also agree with above about the temperature-- our baby really likes bottles cold, especially in the heat. I imagine when it gets cold, she'll want them warmed:)
All that said, I don't think there's anything wrong with giving up the bottle and just cereal feeding. If that works for you and him, I'd say go for it. As a new mom myself, I know that there is a difference between when I give the baby a bottle and when I feed with a spoon--- giving her a bottle means that I can space out and do something else (which I really need sometimes!)-- it's "low interaction"-- but feeding her food or cereal with a spoon means I have to talk to her, interact with her, spoon each bite, make eyecontact, concentrate, etc... very "high interaction". Maybe your kid is holding out for "high interaction" with his folks:) Good luck!
2006-08-07 13:27:04 · answer #5 · answered by NeferMaat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
6 Month Old Baby Refusing Bottle
2016-11-03 00:29:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried giving the formula to him colder than he is use to. My son wouldn't touch a bottle if it wasn't cold. If he still refuses to take the bottle but he will eat then let him have the ceral with the formula. It isn't really uncommon for babies to go through this stage. Just always keep it handy in case he decides he wants it and offer other liquids often so that he doesn't get dehydrated.
2006-08-07 13:14:36 · answer #7 · answered by Martha S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, he needs to eat something and get fluids or he will dehydrate. Children dehydrate very quickly so its not something to mess around with. You could try putting juice (dilute it half with water) in the sippy cup and see if he would take that. I would think that getting the formula via the cereal is better than nothing, although cereal (especially the rice kind) can cause constipation. Do you try to give him ibuprophen or tylenol for the teething or even try rubbing his gums before you put the bottle in his mouth so ease the pain. Good luck and be careful so he don't dehydrate.
2006-08-07 13:11:52 · answer #8 · answered by Shawna 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Christ. I wish people would quit shoving breastfeeidng down everyone's throat. It is not for everyone and it is a personal choice so tell them to mind their own business!!! Teething will only get worse. Give him a dose of Tylenol and use Hyland's Teething Tablets, and Baby Orajel. Do you feel like eating when you have a toothache? It feels the same, I'm sure for a baby. AS long as he is eating other foods he won't starve and they have vitamins in them too. Give liquid vitamins if you are not already. I always used formula in my son's cereal.
2006-08-07 13:16:40 · answer #9 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't sound like he is eating enough.
Our pediatrician, at our 4 month checkup, gave us this schedule:
Breakfast: Fruit and cereal
Lunch: 1 Fruit, 1 Veg
Dinner: Veggie w/ cereal
Maybe he just wants to eat more. He will get a good bit of water from the food. Just watch for signs of dehydration. Also, give him the bottle before his food. You can switch formulas. Make sure to do your best to relieve his discomfort on his gums. Rub something cold on them, give him a pain reliever, you can also try to rub rum (works better than orajel) on his gums. Just dip your finger in it.
2006-08-07 16:01:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would try to give him a bottle in the morning before his rice cereal. Perhaps his tummy is getting too full.
I would make sure he is getting the fomula somehow. Mixing in with cereal is ok. I would offer something...perhaps diluted juice AFTER a feeding. Is he peeing?
How about his ears? Do they seem to be bothering him?
Don't give cereal in a bottle. He may just be done with it and is weaning himself. Just try to give him a bottle before cereal, keep him hydrated, and never let him get too hungry before feeding.
Hang in there!
2006-08-07 13:14:28 · answer #11 · answered by I like pizza 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋