6 1/2 Month Old Refusing Bottles at Daycare

Hi L.,

Each baby is different, as is each mother. My children could nurse and be satiated (full) in less than 5 minutes. While I have had friends whose children needed to nurse for at least 30 minutes in a feeding.

If you are at work for 6 hours. You probably need to figure that your child would nurse probably once or twice in that time period. Just make sure that you make up the feeding and feed them once or twice more when you are home. I do not think it is an issue, unless your child begins lose weight and your Dr. will be sure to keep you on track for that. At abourt 6 months, my son started to lose weight and I needed to take him back to the ped. office the next week for a weight check. He made the weight check, but only by one ounce. I tell you what, I was stressing out cuz the Dr. said I was going to HAVE TO supplement with formula! But since I nursed him as frequently as possible that week, we made the weight gain. The other reason I would not be worried either was because you only work three days a week, so your production should not really be affected. The way I see it, is your baby is only missing three feedings. Something that can easily be made up over the course of a week!

I also think it is a great idea to have daycare put breastmilk in the cereal or other food they are feeding him. I would not go to any great expense to try and find a new type of bottle or nipple. Just try and go with the sippy type of cup. The other thing you can remember is that many babies at his age sleep for longer periods than 6 hours in the night and they don't have any issues with their weight gain.

Best of luck with working and nursing. I loved nursing and found it to be a special time to spend with my babies!

Hang in there and good luck.

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Sounds emotional to me. Does he have to be at day care that many hours? Some parents need to have that, but others don't. Kids seem to go through transitions at 3, 6, and 12 months more than any other times.

Our first son was almost potty trained at 18 months and then we left him with my parents who saw him every day - and even had sleep overs - for a 2 week vaction sans child in Spain. (We called him twice each day on the phone.) When we returned, he refused to sit on the potty. He'd do it for my parents, but not us. The day he turned 3, we took him out of diapers and it was a power struggle for a week - but by the end of day 7, he was potty trained.

The point to this story - he was punishing us because he was angry with us leaving him.

Sounds like nursing him is a great idea to remind him that he is ok and loved. Most kids won't starve themselves. I would just talk to him, like you would an adult and explain the situation - they understand more than we give them credit for.

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Hi L. I'm a mom of 3 girls the youngest being 10 months. she has never taken a bottle and now is past the point where I'd ever give her one so I won't be trying to get her off of it in 3-4 months. so the only thing I could suggest is he is missing special time with you and loves the closeness and needing the milk because he's waiting to see you. or maybe the nipples are old and he needs the next size up so he doesn't have to work so hard? as my daughter has gotten older she has been drinking less and less and eating more and more so I would check with his doctor and ask how much milk does he really need. relish the breastfeeding it doesn't last forever. and maybe this would be a good time to switch to one of those nipple like sippy cups. hope this helps

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If he's eating solids than the breast milk can be included in his solids, too. As long as your son is not losing weight and diaper changes are needed (his diapers are wet and has bowel movements everyday) your son is doing fine. Many times as babies turn to toddlers you'll find that their eating habits change (teething, alertness, environmental stimulation, etc). It sometimes takes a couple weeks to adjust and just when you think you have it all figured out it changes again!

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I would give it another week before you start worrying. My 9-month old has gone through the exact pattern several times in the last few months, and I've tried all of the suggestions you've been given. Some may work, but I've finally concluded that it's just his normal growth pattern, and you may find next week he's taking 3 8oz bottles! Don't be so sure it's the daycare, even when mine is home on the weekends or with grandma, the pattern continues. I never know if he's teething, has a tummy ache, or is just too busy practicing his new crawling skills to sit still for a meal! I try not to get frustrated, all I can do is offer milk, he will eat when he's hungry (right now it's mostly at night because he's so busy playing during the day). Your son could be so interested in his new environment he's just taking it all in. Plus, this could have been going on since the beginning, when I'm nursing I have no way to know how much he's actually getting. Hang in there!

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My son did something really similar at that age. For about a week he refused bottles. Sometimes he didn't want to nurse too, but he was much more open to it than bottles. I still don't know for sure why he did it, but I think he was teething and it was uncomfortable. I would just keep trying until he takes it again.

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Are the nursery workers physically holding the baby while he eats or are they giving him the bottle to feed himself? You may have to show up unannounced just to peek in and see how it's being done.

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with my oldest, i was home with her for the 1st 4 months exclusively breastfeeding. then i went back to school. i would pump 16 ounces while away from her. but she would only maybe take 4-8 ounces. she would nurse more frequently throughout the night. we were co-sleeping, so it didn't interfere with my sleep. she eventually took the bottle more frequently and more amounts of breastmilk from them.

he is probably still transitioning to day care. just watch his behavior and his weight. healthy babies don't starve themselves. they just know what they want and where they want to get it from you (his mama!)

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L.,

Your son may be having seperation anxiety. As long as he is eating and gaining weight, there shouldn't be a problem. ONe thing you might try, although he is a bit young still, is to try a sippy cup. My kids were off the bottle by nine months, and he just might not want a bottle, being with other children. Does he feed himself? This is also a way to discover he is growing out of the bottle.

Make sure that there is liquid between the mouthpiece and the stopper. He needs to know that there is liquid there, and he will take the cup easier. (I have sucked on the cup just enough to start the liquid, or you can pour some into the lid).

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Hi L.,

I remember something like this on La Leche League magazine "New Beginnings". You might want to look up the last two issues and it will help you a lot on this situation. He might be too busy to eat and may be satisfied with the milk he takes and the solids he eats. Yes, let him nurse when you are home with him and offer no bottles when you are there to feed him. He NEEDS you and your milk from the source, not the bottle. The bottle is for others to feed him. Try looking at their website and look up the article. I wish I can remember what month it came out. I wouldn't worry so much. How many months is he? If he's 6 months or so, he's getting older and like I said may be satisfied. Plus he sees a lot of different activities that keep his attention. Good luck!

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My daughter (8 months) also refused the bottle at 6 months. My mother-in-law babysits for me, so she was able to spoon feed her the pumped milk. Day-care won't have the time for this, but the other trick my mother-in-law did was use the pumped milk to mix in the baby oatmeal, until it was very thin. My daughter would eat that from the spoon, and the day-care will probably be able to implement that in a group setting. I tried EVERy bottle I saw, and she refused everything. I even started sippy cups with water. She loved the soft sippy cups and would play with the water (drinking a mouthful, maybe). When I came home, she was desperate for nursing, but never lost any weight, and was never close to being dehydrated.
We always kept the bottles out, as an option, and at about 7 1/2 months, she started to take the bottle again. I think she was just so excited about the baby food, and the bottle was old news. As soon as the baby food was old, she was fine with both.

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HI L.,
My daughter started day care around the same time as well, she also did the same thing. I was worried, but the doctor said because she is on solids, she is getting most of her nutrients that way and at night while at home with me with nursing. since i am and was still breast feeding at night, he said that was sufficient. I also started her on the sippy cup and would put her milk in there to have with her meals at day care (good for helping her wean from the bottle) also, i would add the milk to her rice cereal or oatmeal or whatever she would be eating that day. It's a transition time for both of you...it'll get better. just so you know, my daughter only drinks bottles at home (when my husband has her) or nurses with me...we stopped it completely at daycare and just give her the cup, otherwise she would waste 5ounces from 6 ounces pumped. hope that helps a little.

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I haven't seen the responses yet, but have you tried a glass eye dropper or shot glass? I don't use bottles with my 5 month old because after introducing them, I found myself with cracked and bleeding nipples from his change, in just a handful of bottles as I mostly breastfeed. My midwife said she's seen this a lot once a bottle was introduced and I soon as I stopped using them, I healed up fine. I was worried that if I didn't give him a bottle, I'd never have my freedom, but this has worked out great. it takes longer and can be a little messier, but it does work. I'm just using the dropper right now and the trick is to stick it in the side, partway back int heir mouth so they don't push it out with their tongue.
GOod luck with whatever you find works best!
Cheers,
J.

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