My 8 month old is just getting over being sick with croup. He takes 5 bottles a day and in the beginning he was refusing them but would take his food. The doctor put him on a steroid for a few days and he went back to his normal eating. He usually has a 6 oz bottle about an hour after each meal and a snack in-between. Since he has been off the steroid he has started refusing each one after a few oz and some after a few sips. We have tried to wait until another half hour or later and end up dumping the bottle because the time has been too long and he has no interest in it. Any ideas why he would be refusing his bottle but if we offer him food he will take it?
Good Morning-
He may be trying to give up his bottle. My daughter stopped using hers around that age. I just gave her a sippy cup and now she has a son of her own and he gave up his bottle at 9 months. I do not think it is anything to be too concerned about, try using the cup and see what happens. Hopefully that will work.
S.
I would say this is the perfect time to get him off the bottle for good and just give him a sippy cup. They say to have kids off the bottle by one year and that's hard. Trust me! Good Luck
Hi R.,
I am new to this site but wanted to respond to your message. When my youngest grandson was 7-8 months of age his mommie had already introduced him to the sippy cup and he took right to it so she quit giving him the bottle at all. He began to eat better and still got the formula he needed til the age of 1 year. Good luck and God Bless.
W. P.
Possibly an ear infection?
Try progressing to a cup if he will not take a bottle. The main thing you need to watch for is if he is dirtying enough diapers. You do not want him to get dehydrated. If he is eating babyfood he may not be hungry enough to finish the formula. Try juice or something a little lighter if you feel he needs the fluids. Hope this helps.
My sister had a problem with her son not wanting to drink from his bottle. She switched the brand of bottles she was using and he started taking it again.
maybe he is allergic to something in the formula you are giving him. My son is allergic to peanuts and the first time I gave him peanut butter he spit it out, it prickled his tongue!!!
First try switching to another kind of formula like a soy base or something, if that does not work I would say that perhaps he is just ready for food and has grown out of his bottles early!
I hope something in here helps!
Keep me updated R.!
J.
Systemic steroids can suppress adrenal function and slow down carbohydrate and fat metabolism. He might not be hungry because of this. In a few weeks this should normalize and he might feel hungry again.
Or he just feels he is a big boy and doesn't need the bottle as much anymore and get enough from solids. Let me know how it is going.
Dear R.,
Maybe you need to switch formulas. Ask your kid's docter if something is wrong with the formula and ask if you should switch to a new one.
C.
hi there
any time my son refused to nurse or drink from the bottle he had an ear infection. The med. might have masked it for a little bit, but did not get rid of it. just a thought...try to give him drinks from your cup....or if he'll do a sippy of some kind.( he may be too small for that yet, mt son didn't do those until 10/11mo.s old) Just to keep fluid in him will be helpful. good luck...J. j
Steroids make you eat more. Talk to the doctor, he may have a solution or want to check the baby out again
When my daughter was that age we had similar problems.
Sucking on a bottle was uncomfortable on her sore throat. She went to a sippy cup, was happy with it, and continued with that, using the bottle for just a few token sips in early evening for that psychological connection. After a short time she would throw away the bottle and she was completely satisfied with the sippy cup.
I had to take steroids for a test I was having done and it messed up my whole system, made my period late that month, made everything taste metallic, so it's probably going to get better once it all wears off. Maybe now is the perfect opportunity to try a sippy cup just to see if he would like to try something different.
Hi R.,
I was on steroids as a child. They totally mess up your system, even on just a week's dosage. Foods taste different. Things I once liked, I wasn't even able to handle the smell anymore. Also, steroids make you ravenous. So, your eating habits change. Sometimes this is temporary, sometimes permanent or at least long term.
You might be able to wait it out, but you may have to think about finding something he likes. If he needs the bottle for nutrition, try testing different formulas.
Sorry I couldn't be more help!
M.
The suckling action probably caused pain when he took the bottle during the time he had the croup. Have you tried using a sippy cup? They even have bottles that converts over to a sippy bottle( a bottle w/a straw in the nipple & bottle ) which requires less sucking action)Baby Depot at Burlington is wonderful for carrying all types of bottles & cups. The brighter side is that you don't have to worry about weaning him off the bottle later. I pray for his health & your strength during this time.
R.,
He might be congested and unable to breath while drinking the bottle or it might not be coming out fast enough for him, he might be telling you he is ready to get his fluids from a cup. Nine months is a great time to wean to the cup. If he is eating solid food and can feed himself he is probably getting most of the nutriants he needs that way, just not the fluids. He might like the control of being able to feed himself and to drink out of a cup. Try a sippy cup with two handles. It does take a little getting used to for both of you, but if he can drink from it great, he will be taking care of something most parents have a really hard time with, weaning from the bottle. If that doesn't work, check with your pediatrican for other suggestions.
Have the ears been checked. The sucking on the bottle can hurt his ears. If his ears are clear, then just try a sippy cup. You are fortunate if he is giving up the bottle and will drink from a cup.
I don't know much about the bottle and croup as my kids are breastfed but I DO know about croup. Having taken my 1st child to the emergency room many, many times in the middle of the night with croup. They would usually give him a shot of steroids and/or prescribe steriods. The use of steriods in such a small child made me nervous. The best thing that has happened for my children and croup is that a friend sent me some information on Lobelia extract and treating croup. You would find it in a health food store and it is known to cause the muscles of the esophagus to relax. You give the child a few drops depending on their size. I have used it on both my children and I have not had to take them to the emergency room since. It also prevents a reoccurance the next night in my children. I would look into it if I were you. It was the best thing to happen to our family for croup. Sorry I can't help with the bottle issue but maybe the steroids have something to do with it.
I would try getting him to drink from either a sippy cup or a regular cup with a straw or without a straw.
It sounds like he's ready for food. He may like the feeling that the baby cereal and oatmeal gives his tummy ~ They typically make them feel more full. Or if you have been giving him baby food realize that there is a HUGE difference in taste between the baby food and formula. (We would want the baby food too)
As long as he is still eating I would recommend taking him off the bottle. If you force him to continue with the bottle you may have a harder time breaking him off it later.
If you still want him to get the nutrients of the formula try putting it in a sippy cup and see if that makes a difference. You may want to do half formula mixture (formula and water) and half milk if he still will not take the formula.
When a baby drinks from a bottle (sucking) they must suck-swallow-breathe; suck-swallow-breath; suck-swallow-breath and so on for the whole bottle. It is continuous. Because of the croup which affects the breathing part-he may get short of breath and just stop drinking. You might try to pace him a little- hold the bottle while he is drinking and then pull it out every few swallows so he can fully catch his breath. That might help.
Also, maybe its time for cup drinking. My daughter lost interest in the bottle at 9 months and preferred the cup. If you are worried about him not getting enough formula-try some by cup. Good luck.
Will he take a cup? If so, try giving him his milk in that. Otherwise, if he will eat food I think that is fine. I would only be concerned about his fluid intake.
I just thought of this maybe his milk is too thick try giving him juice or water in a bottle.
Hope this helps,
L.
