My son wont eat while I am gone. He has huge temper tamtrums and dosn't eat for 12 hours at a time. I am only away for two long days. My husband watches my 8 month old, and has a great bond. Its just when it's feeding time. He is afraid I'm going to leave him during the day now and only wants me. It is so bad that I feel like he is going to loose his bond with his father. What can I do?
2006-12-05 13:15:12 · 7 answers · asked by Cathy P 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
It's me again. He is and has been on formula since 5 weeks. My husband can't even hold the bottle near him now. He cries himself to sleep and cries in his sleep all night. He really is bad, he screems for hours and can't be consoled. Thank you for your help.
2006-12-07 02:44:23 · update #1
he's probably mad that you're gone and that is the way that he is expressing it by being that way..tell the father it isn't him
what you can try doing is letting the dad feed the baby with you being in baby's sight and see how that works
2006-12-05 13:18:57 · answer #1 · answered by lil bit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Will he not eat anything, or just not drink breastmilk/formula?
Because, and I know this is going to sound insane, but hear me out. Some, very few, babies will sleep 12 hours at night without breastmilk/formula. They are just fine, they make up for it during the day. So your son can go 12 hours during the day and be just fine so long as he makes up for it when you are there. You will probably find he eats a lot at night those days.
I am also assuming that your baby may be taking solids from your hubby. Which will help as well, though you should be careful to give him some wetter foods to help prevent constipation OR an oz of water at each meal. Not more as too much water is not good.
But even if he is neither eating nor drinking, he will probably be fine.
Two other suggestions. Are you offering the breastmilk/formula in a sippy cup? Your baby may prefer that over the bottle.
And you could consider mixing in some fruit in with the formula/breastmilk to make kind of a smoothie. This may change the taste enough that your son will take it. I am thinking like strawberry or blueberry, but say your son loves carrots, that could work too.
2006-12-05 21:22:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your baby is used to you being the primary food source, that's probably where the tantrum is coming from. I know that the first time I left my husband home with our son for the day, baby freaked out and wouldn't take a bottle from him. I came home and got him calmed down and then he was okay for the rest of the day, but now he's on solids and there are still times that he wants me to feed him and not Daddy. If you're bottle feeding, start working your hubby into a schedule where one feeding a day his Daddy-son time. It could be a battle at first, and probably will be. That or at 8 months he should be having a lot of solids, so work it in that Dad starts doing that, transition over from you feeding to him feeding. As long as Dad is involved in other parts of life (playing, bathtime, bedtime, etc) there will be no loss in bond. Your son could also just be going through a phase right now where Mom is the world and Dad's on the backburner (my hubby hates it when our son is at that stage, he prefers it when he's the favorite and I'm just the food). Good luck and I'm sure that things will get better!
2006-12-05 21:23:16 · answer #3 · answered by lori_a_esser 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1st thing is WHAT is he eating when you are there. Is he still breastfeeding. If not then son is really finicky. Maybe dad doesnt have enough patience or something happened to make him scared of daddy feeding him or he wants to feed himself. As for losing bond. This may not happen entirely, but the mothers bond is certainly stronger than dads.My three year old boy always go to mommy cause I do not give in to his temper tamtrums. Try leaving dad with sons favorite foods when mom is out. Get your boy used to dad feeding him when you are there as well. If your 8 month old is able to feed himself then its nearly time to let him do so. My boy ate gerber finger foods in his highchair at 8 months and was feeding himself with his own fork at 11 months.
Best of luck.
2006-12-05 21:24:46 · answer #4 · answered by friendly advice from maine 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I second having the father feed him while you're there with them, and see how that works out. And if everything is good, then you can leave the room, but can still talk to him without him seeing you, then if that works then try leaving completely. Do each step for a couple feeds, so he gets use to the change. Good Luck
2006-12-05 21:23:56 · answer #5 · answered by Liandrew00 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk to your pediatrician, she may have some ideas, but try using a sippy cup, or feeding him solids, even cereal mixed with formula. Sippy cups, or even feeding him from a real cup takes patience, because he can't drink as fast as it'll come out, but it may be enough to hold him over until you get home. Also try a bottle with a large opening, Avent bottles have many holes so you still have to suck to get liquid out. Go with the Gerber bottles, they have one hole so you hardly have to suck to get the liquid out if you go with the larger hole. The Playtex disposables have one hole as well as a tri-cut, Avent does have one that is versatile, but it's not as easy as the Playtex ones. Try to feed him before he gets hungry, and angry. Hope that helps!
2006-12-05 21:29:57 · answer #6 · answered by Melissa, That's me! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Starve him out, he wil eat when he gets hungry enough, or jst let om keep feeding him.
2006-12-05 21:23:06 · answer #7 · answered by jake55 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋