Baby only drink milk in dark bedroom?

[ClaraMaraa]

Has anyone please got advice on how I can help my baby be comfortable eating anywhere but his bedroom?

He will give hunger cues, have about two mouthfuls then push the bottle away. I can try for 15-30 mins and he’ll be whinging that he’s hungry but refusing to drink his milk, then literally as soon as I go into his room with him he’ll demolish the bottle.

I get stressed about going out because he will not take a bottle even if he’s hungry and he won’t eat his solids if he’s too hungry and wants a bottle. It’s like he’s just far too distracted to eat and I’m at my wits end.

please any advice on helping him take a bottle? I’m going to travel home to see family for 5 days and Im stressed he’s not going to be getting enough to eat as we’ll be out and about most of every day!

He’s 10 months Old so thankfully we’ll be weaning him off bottles gradually in a few months but it’s so frustrating!

DDs pushchair had a sunshade/flynet thing that was well ventilated but made the pushchair dark so you could look for something similar. Be very wary of sticking a normal blanket over the top as they can cause the internal temperature to rise significantly and are a real risk in the Summer, although a crochet blanket with lots of gaps and spaces would probably be OK.

What happens when someone else gives him a bottle and it's not you? Is it his association with the bottle and dark and sleep? Or just a habit?

I am NOT saying your DC is neurodivergent nor that there is anything to worry about but a need to maintain sameness is a symptom of ASC so I would just make a little note of it in the back of his red book or somewhere just incase he does turn out to have other similar quirks that make an assessment necessary. DD has just had hers and at 13 I really struggled remembering back to her babyhood.

Thank you so much for your reply. He will not feed himself yet (bottle or food) so won’t be able to feed him in his pushchair unfortunately! He’s been fine when we’ve stayed in hotels, so staying at my mums spare room I’m sure he’ll eat in the bedroom if we keep it calm/unstimulating, I just want him to also eat when out 🫠

I’ll definitely take note in his red book, I’ve got a follow up appointment with health visitor and paediatrician so I’ll make note of it too. He never used to be like this, so I’m hoping it’s just a phase.

He doesn’t eat very well at nursery and it’s the same with his dad feeding him, quiet dark room. Not even with timed for naps, I’ll try feed him in living room, once defeated I move to bedroom and feed, then we go out and go on about our day. He can go down for a nap having not just had a bottle, so I don’t think it’s a sleep association. Just a weird one for me!