My 5 months baby suddenly rejected bottle

adahc

adahc

Registered User
My easily fed baby suddenly decided that he doesn't want bottle feed any longer. I normally breastfeed but once in a while (once a week) I do need my 'me' time so my husband will feed him with my pumped milk for a feed. There was even a time that I had to go away somehwhere for 24 hours and he bollte fed him for all those time.
Suddenly since 2 days ago, since he started to drink less and less (10 mins instead of 20-30 mins), I decided to bottle feed him to ensure that he doesn't go to bed hungry, he rejected the bottle, even rejected my husband feeding him with bottle.
Yesterday, he te very little during the day and woke up 3 times during the night, so I tried bottle feed him. Again he rejected and went for my brest instead.
Any thoughts. advice, tips?
 
Hi adahc,

Same thing happened to my 5 month-old. I feed him formula but for the past week, he's been drinking only 1/3 of his usual feed at everyfeed. Pushes away the bottle and makes noises when he sees the bottle. Apparently, same thing happen to 2 of my friends babies when they were around this age. So maybe it's just a phase..
 
I was just about to start a thread on this subject. My 8 week old is rejecting the bottle I was away for the weekend and she was feed EBM during those 2 days. I decided on my return to give her one feed a day with a bottle so that I can go out. She refuses and just plays and pushes bottle away with her tongue. Any tips would be fantastic...as otherwise I will be house bound.
 
Please let me knowas I tried a faster flow bottle tody ans he still rejected it. He used to love this MAM bottle.
 
If your baby won't take a bottle have you tried a cup instead? Most five month old babies can manage a cup with your help. Five months is a time that they enjoy trying new things.

I wouldn't worry if your baby only wants to feed for about 10 minutes - this is a very normal length of a breastfeed when the baby is this age. Usually the babies will feed very quickly by five months except for a couple of feeds (often the going to sleep ones) when they like to feed for longer. This is more because they enjoy the comfort sucking at these times. The longer into the feed the less milk they are taking.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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Thanks Sarah,
we too him to see the doctor and he is 6.5kg. We last weight him on 3 April when he was 6.28kg. So he doesn't gain weight as much as before (170gm/week). Advice?
 
As babies grow older their rate of growth slows down. For an older baby we'd except somewhere between 60 to 120 grams increase a week rather than the 170 grams we are looking for in the early weeks.

But more important than weight per week is overall growth since birth (or more accurately from the lowest weight ? usually a few days after birth). How is your baby behaving? Has he met his developmental milestones?

If you want your baby to gain more weight the secret is lots of small feeds. How many times a day are you feeding him? Try to add at least two more feeds in during the day. Babies tend to take about the same amount of milk at each feed so the easiest way to increase the milk intake is to feed more often. Also encourage the baby to feed at night - babies can take a lot of calories at night.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
He is a premature baby by 4 weeks. His development is great, graping things, cooing, creeping, rolling, lifting his head very high. BUT he can not sit unassist yet. Not sure how to encourage him. He just reaches 5 months on 25th May. A very alert baby, everyone seems to say.
He also wakes up twice at night (before only once) to feed.
His birth weight was 2.85kg. Now he is 6.5kg at 5 months. Is that ok?
 
He is somehow not interested in feeding at the moment. his feed times are 5-6am., 8-9am., 11-12pm., 2-3pm., 6-6.30pm., sleep then up at 10pm.(sometime skip), 1am, then 5-6am.
 
Adahc,

My adiri bottles arrived today did not work. I did however go out for the day alone without my baby and my husband took care of her while I was away she cried . I think being out helped as I know I would give in to her crying.. it took one hour for him to feed her 30ml.. she then napped when she woke up she was cried for about one hour and just took the bottle.. Anyway this evening I gave her EBM and my husband was able to give her a full feed. I just kept to my avent bottles but with a faster flow.
So my suggestion is for you to go out for a full day.. and leave your little one with you husband.. its hard and I was feeling guilty about it all day.. but once she took the bottle again.. i feel alot better from now on I wil mix her feeds.
 
My LO went thru exactly the same phase of rejection of the bottle and someone suggested I try a different teat... My house looked like an Avent factory, but I then tried NUK Premium which she didn't like and then original NUK teats. She took this third option straight away and so then I had to buy all new NUK bottles and teats and ditch the Avent stuff! Hope this helps? Good luck xxx
 
remeber that if your baby is premature (my second one was about 4 weeks early too) you need to deduct the prematurity when assessing milestones.

so, if your baby is 5 months, then really, ihe's only 4 months. there aren't many 4 month old babies that can sit unassisted! your baby is just fine!
 
hi sarah
my baby too has taken to feeding only 5-10mins per nursing session! Now, often, she will latches on for only 10mins max and then pull off and if i attempt to latch her again, she will pull off and cry! Last time she used to be feeding 3hourly, now, it appears that she has become a "snacker" ie feed less but more frequently! I felt "tied to her" yet again, it's as if she's gone back to the early weeks of feeding 2hourly! She's turning 5months next week and altho she can hold her head up she still didnt flip yet. I've only ever seen her flip twice from tummy to back but never from back to tummy. Her birth weight was 3.325kg but she's now weighing 7.7kg. I'm worried her feeding frequently is a sign of her being hungry easily and "asking" for solids. I am trying to delay her till 6mths though. She is also waking up twice a night now whereas in the past it used to be jus once a night. Her feeding schedule last time used to be 8-9am (1st feed), 12++ (2nd feed), 3++(3rd feed), 5++(4th feed), 7++(nurse to sleep) and then she would wake once between 3-5am for a short feed. But now, she's doing this, 9++, 12++, 2++, 4++, 6++, 7++, and then waking at 2++, 4++.

Carang
My gal came out on 38th week (c-sect due to breech), that's 2 weeks earlier. So do i also deduct and consider her as preemie altho technically, 37th week is considered as full term?

adahc
seems that our baby is doing the same thing again. Haha.
 
Fenn,

The behaviour you are describing is really common in babies around four to five months old. By this time they know exactly how to breastfeed and can be very efficient at doing it - especially if other interesting things are going on around them.

Have you found your baby to be easily distracted when feeding? This is also something that happens at about this age. This can make breastfeeding in public more channelling. When my son was this age a friend suggested feeding him in the church - I found this worked well because it was dark and quiet and he would concentrate on the feeding more.

I'm sorry to hear that you find the short frequent feeds a problem. From the baby's view point it isn't and it doesn't mean that there is any problem with either you or your baby - it is just some babies like to feed this way.

Have you found that when you are out and about with your baby she is able to last longer between feeds than when you are at home? This is also very common as the baby grows older. I think it is because the babies get bored at home and a bored baby will ask for milk more often.

The range of when babies start to flip over is very wide and flipping from the back to the front is much harder than from the front to the back because they needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that manoeuvre. My last daughter didn't manage to do this until she was nearly eight months old but she started walking at nine months!

The best sign I know of that a baby is ready for solids this sitting up unaided. When a baby can sit straight it is easier for them to digest the food. For most babies this is around about the six months mark.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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no fennho, you don't deduct. your daughter is considered full term.

you only deduct if your child is premature. (anything before 37 weeks). we couldn't even have our daughter do her 1 year test until she was 13 months. she also had to have her vaccinations 1 month later.
 
Do you think in order to get my baby use to the bottle that I should start feeding her exclusively express milk via the bottle?? If not how can I train her so that she gets use to both? We had some success the other day when I went out all day but yesterday her feed will take over an hour. As my husband has to fly i have her for 4 days to myself in which I will BF her I tried this morning to give her the bottle and she just played with the teat or turn towards my chest. she tought it was a game and was giggling all the way through.. so next week when my husband is back I have to go out and cant bring her unfortunately. so again my husband will have her all day just feel bad coz everytime my husband feeds her it is such a struggle.
 
I'm at my wits end myself. All I'm concentrate on is to feed him as much as he wants( not much as he only feeds 5-10 mins these days)as often as he wants and ensure that he's gaining weight ok. and then hope for the best that this stage will pass soon.
 
cxflygirl,

Here are some tips that can be used if baby is reluctant to take the bottle:

* Try offering the bottle before the baby is likely to be too hungry,
* Instead of pushing the bottle nipple into the baby's mouth, try laying it near his mouth and allowing him to pull it in himself,
* Try running warm water over the bottle nipple to bring it up to body temperature,
* Try different types of bottle nipples to find a shape, a substance (rubber or silicone), and a hole size the baby will accept,
* Try different feeding positions. Some babies like to sit propped against the caregiver's raised legs; others prefer not to look at the caregiver and will take a bottle better if they are held facing out, with their back against the caregiver's chest,
* Try to feed the baby while moving rhythmically - rocking, walking or swaying from side to side - because this may be calming to him,
* Insert the bottle nipple into the baby's mouth when he's sleeping,
* Keep trying, but remember that the baby can be fed the mother's milk with a cup, even month old babies can drink from cups with someone's help.

The method I've found is most useful with older babies is to make it a very different experience to breastfeeding. So baby sitting facing outward or lying down away from you and holding the baby by himself (if he's not able to hold the bottle himself yet you hold it and let him put his hands over yours) seem to work best.

They would rather breastfeed than bottle feed so if you hold the baby in a similar way they will refuse the bottle - showing you their preference. Often babies will take a bottle this way from someone who isn't the mother but not from the mother - I think they smell the milk and want the real thing.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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