My baby is refusing her milk!! Similar experiences please.....

[AnnaBeck]

Hi everyone, I'm new to Mumsnet and joined because I am worried about my 6 month old and would love to hear if any of you have had a similar problem to this.

K has completely gone off her milk (bottle) and I am practically having to force-feed her as am so worried that she is going to get dehydrated. She will have an ounce and then start screaming and looking at me as if to say "what the hell are you doing!!!!" every time I try to put the teat in. She is on three solid meals a day and still eating those (albeit with a bit of perseverence). I would do a dreamfeed but she has been sleeping 7pm-7am since 10 weeks old (she would go mad if I woke her).

I should add that she is nearing the end of a bout of bronchiolitis so this may be a factor, but I am thinking it's perhaps teething?? Her nappies are wet, fontanelle OK, and she is fine in herself - it's just the bottle that's the problem (she doesn't want water either). Obviously with the bronchiolitis we have seen doctors and they said I would know if she was dehydrated and not to panic but I just wondered if any of you had had a similar problem and how long it took to resolve. She's my 2nd baby but my 1st didn't get teeth until 13 months so never had a problem with him at this age.

Sorry for the ramble.............

How long has she been on solids?

It may be related to her illness but my first thought is that she's having too much solids, 3 meals a day might be a bit much for a 6 month old who would normally just be starting solids.

I'd cut back on solids, perhaps one meal a day and give her more milk, at this age her main source of calories should be her milk and not her solids.

Three meals a day does sound a lot for a 6 month old.
I'd also prob cut back on her solids and offer her a milk feed before any solids so she is not full when offered milk.

If the bottle is the issue you coudl try offering her milk in a sipply cup/cup with lid/teat etc?

And as Pannacotta says give her, her milk first before offering solids. It does sound as though the solids are filling her up very quickly, 1 meal a day is better.

Started her on solids at 19 wks and am working along the same lines as with my first which worked really well for him. She is actualy closer to 7 months (how time flies over Christmas!)and have introduced three meals gradually as per Annabel Karmel book).

My gut feeling is that it's not related to milk/solids quantities as this had been working really well until this time last week. I know milk is still the most important souce of food and prior to this little hiccup she was still having 4 x 7floz feeds a day (7am / 11.30 / 3pm / 6.30pm)as well as the solids. I did drop lunch and tea for two days to make her hungrier for the milk but it made no difference to her appetite for the bottle. I have heard that sucking hurts their gums when they are teething.

is she still on formula? my DS flately refused to drink formula after 6mo. I was very concened he was not getting enough liquids so tried water but he did not really go for it.

I thought it was his teething as he had been having a hard time but after 3 days of hardly drinking anything i gave him a bottle of milk out of curiosity. He gulped it all down and has not looked back. as long as he was eating well and a good variety GP said don't worry about it.

i also found very cold milk helped with teething.

Thanks - do you mean a bottle of "normal" milk? Will try the cold bottle too - she currently drinks at room temp but cold might help her.