My baby refuses to drink formula from the past 2 days. She is 4months old and has always been on formula.?

Question

My daughter also has a small appetite and she was a small baby when she was born.She weighed 6 pounds at birth.She always falls asleep at the bootle and never drinks when she is awake even if she is very very hungry.She sometimes takes a full hour just to finish 4 ounces of formula.

If anybody could give me some advice as to how to increase her appetite and improve her feeding patterns.
Her feedings is really becoming very time consuming and frustrating.

Answer 1

Check the holes in her nipples maybe she's not getting anything out of them. Sometimes they clog easily & therefore the baby gets discouraged & falls asleep.
Make sure you check with her Dr. she could have an ear infection or something like that because baby's don't want to suck when their little ears hurt.
ear aches are very painful.

Answer 2

4 ounces is within the recommended amount of formula for babies. However my son was doing the same thing. My doctor told me to use a formula called Nutramagin by Enfamil. It is a predigested (by a process not litterally lol) formula for children with colic or has allergies to the protiens in Cow milk or Soy milk. Is she gets a rash where the formula touched her skin? its the first sign of an alergic reaction. As for her taking an hour to drink, you could try the next step nipple which has more holes in the end, or opening the hole with a hot (disinfected) needle on the nipples you already have. (I did this when i was putting cereal in my son's bottle) I would talk to your Dr. before taking any advice from this website though. She might have en ear infection with could be why she isnt eating. Ear infections dont always happen with a fever. You might not even know she has one until the doc checks her ears.

Answer 3

my daughter was the same way, in fact she still is. she is one now and still only eats a very little at a time. shes really small too. maybe when she falls asleep drinking her milk you should do something to awaken her just a little to have her start sucking again. like make a semi loud noise. that may work. it worked with my daughter. or i would either take the bottle out of her mouth or put it to her mouth if it had fallen out and she would start drinking again and then fall back asleep. if she hasnt drank anything in the past two days, or the amount is really low you may want to take her to the doctor to get checked out. and watch for signs of dehydration (i.e. no tears when crying, not a normal amount of wet diapers, weight loss, also if you push on her finger nail, it will turn white, if it doesnt go back to pink almost instantly that is also a sign) good luck.

Answer 4

Try to change the temp of the formula -- maybe she'd like it a bit warm? Or at least room temperature so it's not cold and a shock to her little system. How about enlarging the size of the holes in the nipple that the formula comes thru. It may require so much sucking from her she gets tired of the process and just stops. Just be careful they're not too large or she'll get too much formula and choke. Good luck -- this should work.

Answer 5

Yeah hun, call the doctor. It is okay for babies to have a small appetite but not to eat at all is somethuing to be concerned about. Not trying to worry you, but at 4 months your child is getting all of her nutrients and hydration from the formula so is is very important that she gets the recommendede amount. Just call the doctor and see what they have to say, it can never hurt to make a free call.

Answer 6

Is she wetting diapers at least 7 times a day?
Are her bowels normal?

If so, she is eating enough, but always talk to your doc first about concerns like this. Many of us arent pro's, only experienced mothers, but we can never provide a professional answer, only guesstimates. I am sure your daughter is fine, esp if she is gaining weight.

Re: Loss of appetite...Could she be teething? Is she drooling alot, or wanting to bite on everything?

Answer 7

Is it the formula or the bottle she doesn't like? Did you change brands of formula? Did you change the type of bottle or nipple?
I breastfed and my son was about that age when he quit taking the bottle and he never took a pacifier. I was told to try different nipples or even a sippy cup.
Good luck.

Answer 8

Did you switch brands? Has she been colicky? Is she lethargic or does she act normal? The first two would definitely cause that. If she's lethargic and not interested in eating she needs medical attention, now. If she's still acting normal, and still going to the bathroom, give it another day and see if she'll eat. If not, take her to see her pediatrician asap. Good luck. =)

Answer 9

Take her to the doctor. She could have any number of problems.

Answer 10

Call your pediatrician!!!