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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Chubby baby good feeder has gone off bottle - help!

19 replies

Lakota · 14/07/2005 21:03

I'm probably being a typical paranoid new mum and you experienced Mumsnetters will remember the distant past when you worried about everything but any help/advice/suggestions I should chill out gratefully appreciated!

My chubby 4mo son who has always got on fine with bottle feeding has recently (last couple of weeks) decided it's no longer for him! He was taking 5 feeds a day of between 5 and 7 oz but it's now a battle to get him to take 3 or 4oz for at least a couple of these feeds. I can't decide if teething is hurting (he's v dribbly and gnawing on fingers but not crying from it apart from when feeding) or if he's just got a bit bored. He will variously wriggle, cry, grab bottle, push bottle away, start 'talking' with bottle in mouth, smile disarmingly with bottle in mouth, let milk in but cunningly dribble out the other side of his mouth when he thinks I'm not looking...you get the picture!

His weight seems fine - he was nearly 17lb when I had him weighed at 17 weeks and he's happy enough otherwise. He sleeps through the night (mostly) and still takes his dreamfeed well. Breakfast bottle is the worst despite longest gap since last feed.

Basically, I'm beginning to think about when would be a good time to wean, but from books (grr) I got the impression he should be polishing off more rather than less and seeming hungrier - waking in night etc. DH is convinced he's bored of milk and wants real food.

No buddies with babies so hope someone here can shed light - or just tell me I'm not alone in having him behave like this!

OP posts:

starlover · 15/07/2005 15:03

ooh not sure..b ut bumping for you!

PandaBear · 15/07/2005 15:07

My DD went through this stage at about the same age. It stressed me out for a while too. Perhaps it's time for you to drop the dreamfeed if he doesn't want his morning milk??? I think it's just something they go through + the heat doesn't help, I know I go off hot drinks in this weather!

Don't stress, when he's hungry, he'll guzzle it down! Only other suggestion which worked for a friend of mine - how about swapping formula, it may taste slightly different and he may prefer that.

Good luck and as for weaning, I'd do it when you truly believe he's ready - Mum's know best IMHO

jibberjabber · 15/07/2005 15:09

Lakota my DS did EXACTLY as you describe. His was due to teething - the start anyway. have you checked him gums?

Angeliz · 15/07/2005 15:12

Lakota, my dd is nearly 5 months and exactly the same.
i'm sure she has a tooth and as soon as i rub a bit of anbesol on she usually drinks o.k. She's dribbly and fist in too.
She is having baby rice twice a day too at midday and before bed, i know the advice but i'm just telling you what I'M doing.

best of luck.

Angeliz · 15/07/2005 15:13

i mean i'm sure she has a tooth coming!! Buy some anbesol, it's magic

Original poster

Lakota · 15/07/2005 15:39

Thanks all - typically he has today finished his lunch feed no trouble at all, but then he has had his injections and is being difficult in other ways. Am typing one handed trying to quell screaming (despite him being v brave and no tears when actual jab given, hours later he is screaming blue bloody murder!)

I think you may well be right about teething, it's just it doesn't seem to really bother him at any other time. I'm wondering if it's my fault for putting him on a bit of a schedule - if I waited til he was screaming (ie feed on demand) I guess I'd know he was hungry, but I couldn't cope with the lack of sleep (sorry, all those who are valiantly struggling on 3 hours a night - you are better women than me) and it was working well until recently! Contented Little Baby book is a whole other can of worms though...

Angeliz - is anbesol better than Bonjella?

OP posts:

Original poster

Lakota · 15/07/2005 15:40

PandaBear - did try putting his milk in the fridge and he will take it cold which maybe helps a bit, good idea about diff formula though, ta.

OP posts:

Angeliz · 15/07/2005 15:42

Lakota, i find anbesol the best and there's no mess or fuss and it works a treat at the moment.
When dd1 was teething, i used sachets too.....what were they called anyone?
Nelson's teetha that's it

chipmonkey · 15/07/2005 21:24

Definitely teething. My SIL bottlefed all 4 babies and they all went off bottles when teething. Maybe try a sippy cup?

k9kuts · 16/07/2005 08:51

im really glad to see this post as i to am a paranoid new mum!my 6 1/2 month old dd is going through exactly the same thing,im hoping its due to teething but every day she seems to be having less and less although she is weaned and has no probs with 3 solid meals a day.yesterday at nursery she only had 3o/z from 9-5 plus 2 solid meals although she did take more last night,but usually she takes a 7o/z bottle first thing in the morning shes only had 2o/z this morning and im starting to stress.she is well in herself and everyone says how big she is but im frightened she isnt getting enough im definetly going to try a different milk but i dont know whether to try the same brand follow on milk or try a complete new one any ideas anyone please!

jibberjabber · 16/07/2005 11:51

K9kuts

My DS was taking about the same as your DD for a while and that was before he was weaned and I was frantic about that and now wish I had chilled out more, that phase didn't last too long, when I discovered it was highly likely to be teeth I gave hom some teetha to try to take the edge off.

Have you thought about trying a new teat. I found that DS changed almost overnight when I used a really soft teat made by NUK, he was previously using an AVENT one which was pretty robust on his tender gums. Could give it a try I suppose.

k9kuts · 16/07/2005 14:11

thanks for that i will try some new teats,dd will only have there dummies so that might do the trick.

Original poster

Lakota · 16/07/2005 14:48

I've checked his gums again and literally overnight something seems to have happened! Don't think it's quite broken through yet, but I can definitely see a white outline on the surface of his bottom gum and it feels rough. Is it likely to grow quite fast now, or will it just sit there for ages? He seems quite little for a first tooth to actually come through, or am I wrong?

OP posts:

Original poster

Lakota · 16/07/2005 14:49

OP posts:

NomDePlume · 16/07/2005 14:52

I think 4 months is pretty average for a first tooth to start coming through.

chipmonkey · 17/07/2005 00:11

My older boys were 5.5 months when they got teeth but MIL was constantly infoming me that dh was 3 months old and this was because he was given solids at 6 weeks, not like silly old me waiting months to give solids!

KiwiKate · 17/07/2005 12:56

We found bonjella on the gums 5 mins before giving a bottle worked miracles. Don't think this has anything to do with your routine.

Try the bonjella (or other soothing stuff mentioned on this thread) a bit before a feed. It was miraculous for us. DS took the bottle with no probs.

Be warned, this comes and goes (as teething comes and goes) over the next months to come. We never stressed, just put on bonjella whenever he yelled over taking the bottle, and continued feeding as normal.

At 4mo we started our ds on some mashed banana - not because he was refusing feeds, but because he was very fussy. He loved it and started sleeping much better. Not recommending it - I know all the contrary advice, but this worked for us. But he was not bored with his formula and did not reduce his formula intake.

Be careful about changing formula brands. There is some research that says this should be done with great caution as apparently it can affect their kidneys. They scared us with this in antenatal class, but I did not see the research, so can't tell you more, but might be worth finding out more about it before switching (maybe they were only talking about very young babies?). Some other MNetters might know more

spidermama · 17/07/2005 13:45

There's lots of ebb and flow with feeding. (What with growth spurts, heat and teething all influencing factors)

It's better to be relaxed than go by the book IMO.

As long as he seems happy things are probably fine. The vast majority of babies take what they need.

Mirage · 18/07/2005 19:38

dd did this,at one point her 7am bottle was down to 1.5oz if I was lucky.My HV suggested that perhaps she just didn't like milk,as some babies don't!.

We started her on solids & never looked back.She was on 3 meals a day by 5 months & has been a fab eater ever since.(I know the advice is to wait until they are 6 months,but dd would have starved by then!)

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