3 1/2 month old baby distracted and fidgeting at the bottle- driving me mad, what can I do?

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

He's just started wriggling, fidgeting and looking from side to side when I'm trying to feed him. He's also just discovered his hands and frequently smacks the bottle clean out of his mouth (although he might be attempting to hold the bottle in his clumsy way)

It's really frustrating, and he does it almost constantly during all feeds- often I can't get the last ounce or two down him. Is this normal, and is there anything I can do to keep him focussed?

If he doesn't want the last ounce or two, don't make him take it - if he was hungry he would. He has just become more aware of his surroundings, and is curious, I found a long stur4dy pendant for him to fiddle with helped.

Think it is quite common. If you search for a poster called Bumbly , her ds is same sort of age and has been similarly distracted recently.

Sounds like he is just realising there is a bigger world out there!

Don't make him finish the bottle if he doesn't want it. If you're stuffed, you wouldn't want someone shoving an extra course down your neck!! If you try to make him take it, you may end up putting him off feeding altogether.

Just roll with it, if he's hungry he'll take it.

oh right, I was a bit worried when he wouldn't finish the whole bottle because I do feed him on demand usually but he's always finished the 6oz I've given him before.

So tell me it's a phase and he'll get less wiggly as time goes on????

What flow teat is he on? If he is on a slow flow teat, it might be time to move him up to a madium flow.

To be honest I just grab whatever teats are there there's stage 1, 2 and 3 in there somewhere- he's never seemed bothered! I'll see what he's like tomorrow and check if that's the problem.

has it helped, do you think?

My DD is 6 months and I have to say, it doesn't get any better .....shes a right fidget arse and sends me mad....but when she's hungry she takes it ...

btw she's on fast flow teats..

James - My ds is sometimes like this., moved him up to No 3 teats and it better as he finishes a bit quicker

I think it wasn't helping that he wasn't actually that hungry. I fed him during the night after 7 hours sleep - he woke up with a rumbling tummy and he didn't move a muscle when I fed him.

Trouble is, I thought I knew his hungry cry, but occasionally I misinterpret it- such as earlier when he surprised me by crying like he was starving one hour after his feed- I ran round like a tit frantically washing and sterilising and making up a feed because he'd caught me off guard (was going to do it all during his nap) and ran back with a bottle which he promptly spat out and I realised his nappy was full. Bad mummy leaving crying baby sat in poo. Sometimes no matter how much you try you get it wrong.

I think I just need to distract him with play to try and make sure he goes a full four hours between feeds so he's hungry enough to drink without faffing too much. I don't mean I'll withhold food when he's crying for it, but you know what I mean!

James - My dd is the same age and does exactly the same thing so i know how frustrated it is. Sometimes dd pushes bottle away without meaning too and then gets upset. I have found that getting her to sit a bit more upright helps as she can see whats going on around her and eat at the same time. The other thing I sometimes do is just take the bottle away for 5 mins or so then offer it to her again sometimes she takes it sometimes not!

Every time you think you have cracked it and believe you understand your baby they go and change everything!!!!