6 Month Old - PROBLEMS with feeding +++

[Soph n Chris]

Hi,

My LO is just over 6 months old and has just started refusing his bottles.

He is just getting over a cold that he had for a week.

Before the cold he was eating 3 meals a day with 3-5 7-8oz bottles with no problems. We started weaning him at 5.5 months.

Towards the end of last week it was a real struggle to get any milk or food down him but he was still his really happy self and was well other than a slight cough and runny nose so i didn't worry too much thinking that his appetite will just build up again.

We came to yesterday and he struggled with his milk but took food like a champ. He couldn't get enough of it. He slept really really well too which he hadn't been whilst he had his cold.

This morning he drained an 8oz bottle at 8:00 and had half a pouch of breakfast followed by a mini yoghurt pot (Hipp organix) at 9:00. He then played for a bit and had a mega nap (2.5 hours! - unheard of!) and when he woke up at 12:00 i thought i would try him with another bottle. He won't take it! I think he is hungry because he is wingy and that is how he gets when he is hungry so i will try him with solids but i am COMPLETELY aware that the majority of his diet still needs to be milk.

I am at a loss as to what has caused this or why he won't drink it.

The only other things to mention are he has just changed from comfort milk to follow on milk (Haven't got much choice due to shortage!) and seems to be trying to learn to crawl.

I hope somebody can help.

Thank you in advance.

UPDATE

He has just demolished half a jar and another mini yoghurt (trying to make sure he is still getting calcium)........ strange?!?

 

[Soph n Chris]

anyone?

 

[Soph n Chris]

bump

 

[jodilee6]

Is he teething? When my LO cuts new teeth, particularly top teeth he will totally refuse bottles yet demolish his food, esp things like yoghurts

I'm guessing the sucking action on the teat irritates his gums

Hth x

 

[Soph n Chris]

Is he teething? When my LO cuts new teeth, particularly top teeth he will totally refuse bottles yet demolish his food, esp things like yoghurts

I'm guessing the sucking action on the teat irritates his gums

Hth x

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

I think it could be teething but i am not 100%. He has had another nap and i tried a bottle again and the only way i could get him to take it was to put baby einstein on the TV then he took 5 oz.

I have read that if a baby is taking 3 meals a day then 500ml (16oz) of milk could be enough. Does anyone know if that is the case? Because if it is then he would only 'need' 2 8oz bottles a day and anymore would be a bonus.

 

[annanouska]

he knows best right now. Sounds a lot like teething or just irritable from being ill. 500/600 ml is the suggested minimum. We got told how they have it isn't an issue. So if he will do two large bottles then that's fab! Our lo does have phases like this too. Try some yeo valley full fat natural yog too, lots cheaper and no sugar... This brands really creamy x

 

[Sproglet]

With his cold, is his nose blocked at all? Robyn will refuse to feed if her nose is even slightly blocked. I guess it must make them feel suffocated since you can't breathe and swallow at the same time, and think how often they need to swallow drinking from a bottle compared with eating food?

 

[Soph n Chris]

Thank you so much for that! That has put my mind at ease completely. I will just go with what he wants. Weaning has been the most stressful thing i have encountered yet with LO! He's usually so easy going and happy.

 

[susan_1981]

I've had this problem with my son who is 7 months. He has always been such a hungry little boy. He was drinking about 48oz of milk a day when he was 3.5 months so we weaned at 4 months. Once we started weaning, he seemed to lose a lot of interest in his milk as he wanted the solid food. Now he seems less keen on his solids, it's almost like he's now waiting for the next thing - which obviously there isn't.

He also gets the right hump sometimes when I go to give him his milk. He'll be crying and I know he's hungry and needs milk but he will just whack the bottle out of the way every time I try to put it in his mouth. So to get him to take it, I have to hold him relatively tightly so that he can't get to the bottle and then give it to him. He shakes his head for a bit but then he takes the bottle. That sounds like I'm force feeding him, but I'm not . I just have to try and restrain him because he gets so upset and then he will calm down and drink. It's almost like he gets so frustrated that he forgets what milk is but once he takes a sip, he drinks the lot.

He really isn't eating much these days either and when I last took him to the health visitor, he hadn't put on a single ounce in a month but she wasn't worried as he had already jumped from 9th percentile to 75th, now he seems to have settled on the 50th.

It's so frustrating. Sometimes I give him his solids and he just spits it out! It's a no win situation but he's still happy with wet nappies and he doesn't appear to be losing weight. So I don't really have much advice but I can definitely sympathise x

 

[Soph n Chris]

I've had this problem with my son who is 7 months. He has always been such a hungry little boy. He was drinking about 48oz of milk a day when he was 3.5 months so we weaned at 4 months. Once we started weaning, he seemed to lose a lot of interest in his milk as he wanted the solid food. Now he seems less keen on his solids, it's almost like he's now waiting for the next thing - which obviously there isn't.

He also gets the right hump sometimes when I go to give him his milk. He'll be crying and I know he's hungry and needs milk but he will just whack the bottle out of the way every time I try to put it in his mouth. So to get him to take it, I have to hold him relatively tightly so that he can't get to the bottle and then give it to him. He shakes his head for a bit but then he takes the bottle. That sounds like I'm force feeding him, but I'm not . I just have to try and restrain him because he gets so upset and then he will calm down and drink. It's almost like he gets so frustrated that he forgets what milk is but once he takes a sip, he drinks the lot.

He really isn't eating much these days either and when I last took him to the health visitor, he hadn't put on a single ounce in a month but she wasn't worried as he had already jumped from 9th percentile to 75th, now he seems to have settled on the 50th.

It's so frustrating. Sometimes I give him his solids and he just spits it out! It's a no win situation but he's still happy with wet nappies and he doesn't appear to be losing weight. So I don't really have much advice but I can definitely sympathise x

Thank you for your reply. It sounds very similar to Harry. He also gets very antsy if he doesn't want it and i try to give him it. Another problem i have is that for about the last 3 months he won't let me hold him whilst i feed him so have to lay him down flat on the floor in front of me so he can figit whilst he feeds.

I'm telling you; he can be one strange child!