Monday, June 19, 2006
He Won't Take His Bottle!
Mikkir, 23, from Minnesota asks...
My 7 month old son refuses his bottle, he absolutly hates it. This is quite a change because he used to love his feedings. He looks at his bottle and absolutly screams. I don't know what to do. I can tell that he is hungry and I know that it will make him feel better if he just takes it, but he won't. HELP.
Stacy Says...
Is he eating solid food yet? If not, try mixing a little formula/breastmilk with some rice cereal. Start out thin while he gets the hang of it, then go to thicker. If he is eating solid food, he might want the food and not the bottle.
My daughter went through phases around that age. For a couple days in a row, she wouldn't want the bottle--but I knew she needed to get most of her nutrients from the formula so I put a couple scoops of formula in her food. And by the way, if your baby is having a hard time eating cereal, or just isn't crazy about it--try putting some cereal or formula in some applesauce. My daughter LOVED it and then started trying all the new stuff. Just be sure to try and offer liquid--juice or water--so he won't get constipated.
Another reason is he might be teething and the bottle hurts his gums too much. If that's the case just try small, frequent feedings and try more solid foods so he doesn't create so much pressure on his gums. Or give him some infant tylenol or ibuprofen to ease the pain so he can eat. Let us know if any of this works!
My 7 month old son refuses his bottle, he absolutly hates it. This is quite a change because he used to love his feedings. He looks at his bottle and absolutly screams. I don't know what to do. I can tell that he is hungry and I know that it will make him feel better if he just takes it, but he won't. HELP.
Stacy Says...
Is he eating solid food yet? If not, try mixing a little formula/breastmilk with some rice cereal. Start out thin while he gets the hang of it, then go to thicker. If he is eating solid food, he might want the food and not the bottle.
My daughter went through phases around that age. For a couple days in a row, she wouldn't want the bottle--but I knew she needed to get most of her nutrients from the formula so I put a couple scoops of formula in her food. And by the way, if your baby is having a hard time eating cereal, or just isn't crazy about it--try putting some cereal or formula in some applesauce. My daughter LOVED it and then started trying all the new stuff. Just be sure to try and offer liquid--juice or water--so he won't get constipated.
Another reason is he might be teething and the bottle hurts his gums too much. If that's the case just try small, frequent feedings and try more solid foods so he doesn't create so much pressure on his gums. Or give him some infant tylenol or ibuprofen to ease the pain so he can eat. Let us know if any of this works!
