6 Month Old Not Wanting Bottle

I noticed that when that happened to my little girl she was typically teething, so I started putting the Hyland's Teething Gel on her about 15-20 minutes before a bottle and it worked like a charm. Sometimes I would also give her a cold teething ring to chew. That would help to numb the gums a little bit. Have you tried sippy cups? Maybe you can introduce one that is proper for his age, and altenate between bottles and sippy cups. We've done that with my daughter and it has worked as well. Besides, it'll make it easier to wean him off the bottle when he gets older since he won't be so attached to it.

GOOD LUCK!
J.

Try cutting back on his solid food. If hunger isn't the issue with him, try giving him a sippy cup. My daughter stopped wanting her bottle suddenly one day. We tried a sippy cup and after a couple of tries, she took right to it.

Hey T., I went through this w/my daughter. She was 10mos. old @ the time. I took her to her Dr. and the doc said to just give her regular milk and supplement w/iron drops. She's almost 14mos. now and healthy as an ox. I would def. check w/the doctor 1st since your son is so young. Hope this helps!

Hi T.,

He is more than likely teething. I have three boys: a four year old, a two year old and a 6 1/2 month old....although my 6 month old has yet to even take a bottle...he refuses...all of my boys did the same thing above and shortly thereafter had teeth coming in..my six month old now has two teeth...

I hope this helps !

I agree with some of the others. Try a sippy cup. Sounds like he's realized that food tastes good.

Is he eating more? Is he drinking anything other than from the bottle? If so, cut back on other drinks and offer him the bottle before you feed him since at his age--he should be still getting his primary nutrition from BM or Formula.

They eat when they're hungry. Don't worry. My son always lost his appetite when he was cutting a tooth. Maybe your little man is getting one :)

T., a 6 month old baby is old enough to take a sippy cup. What are you offering in the bottle? Formula? Juice? Water? I'd start offering his drinks in a sippy cup. Maybe he is teething. That would explain the decrease in appetite. As long as he's gaining weight, don't worry. Babies DO go through phases where they start refusing things they once enjoyed. Just keep offering...but try a sippy cup.

Is he teething? Sometimes, it will hurt to suck on a bottle if he has a tooth coming in. Maybe try Orajel right before you put the bottle in his mouth, then maybe he'll suck on it a little bit. I would call the pediatrician if that doesn't work just to rule out any infections. Does he have a temperature?

T.~

Yeah I would agree with several of the moms who suggested calling your ped. But in the mean time why not offer a sippy cup, with juice or formula. My son had a hard time drinking from a sippy cup when he was teething, but the first sippy cups have the flexible spout which he loved chewing on. They have the spill control valves, but most of them you can take out, or just try a sippy stray cup. Best of luck!

Will he take formula through a sippy cup? Maybe he is not wanting an actual bottle/nipple.

My son has always gone through spurts where he didn't eat even half of his norm and then a few weeks later he would hit another spurt were he ate 2-3 times the norm. After going through this MANY times (he's now going on 3) I can tell you that when they are teething, feeling ill (even a slight cold), or just going through a growth spurt they just don't eat like normal.

Just know that when your child is hungry they will eat. A child will not starve themself unless something is medically wrong. As long as they are getting some nutrients I wouldn't be alarmed. I would give my son Pediasure once a day because it has a ton of nutrients in it that they need. It also made me feel better because I knew that eventhough he wasn't consuming a lot of food his body was still getting what it needed. Just be aware that it may deplete their appetite a little more so I gave it to my son just before bedtime.

He is probably teething. You may try to offer him drinks in different, creative ways such as cups, sippy cups, give him water or juice....this will jog the appetite. As long as he drinks and doesn't get dehydrated.

Hi T. - I have not necessarily experienced that but could it be that he is teething? He could also be sick. Sometimes when they are sick they don't really want to eat. When is your next doctor's appt?

Isn't it a little early for solids? Maybe his digestive system is telling him this food takes longer to digest ergo the rejection of more feedings? Phone your pediatrician and ask.

My older daughter stopped taking her bottle at 6 months because the little girl she played with all day had a sippy cup and that is all she wanted. If he sees his big brother gets a sippy cup he may want to follow his lead. I would try that.

Try feeding him cold bottles or rice cereal with cold formula. If he's teething, the cold will feel good. If he's not teething, he may just be wanting more food instead of formula.
Best of luck and don't panic :)
Jen
Mom of 3 boys - 4.5 yrs, 2 yrs, 8 months

If he has any signs of being sick I would check with is doctor. If not, he may just not be very hungry. He won't starve himself, and if he's eating some solids he may just not be as hungry. If you think it's the bottle he doesn't like you could start introducing a sippy cup.

look at his tongue, maybe he has thrash. if so he will reject his bottle cause the nipple will hurt his tongue. if you can not tell get him to his pediatrician probably need to do that anyway cause he is not getting enough formula. i am assuming he cannnot hold a sippy cup and drink correct--if not then he is not getting enough formula. go see the doc.

appetites ebb and flow, doesn't yours?
babies don't starve themselves!
they also sometimes don't want things in their mouths at certain stages of teething
I never fed food before a year so I can't address how that goes
I just recommend offering him on his usual schedule and not stressing
maternal stressing around feeding leads to food issues
kids need to have some choice and influence over their own schedules or you are teaching them not to listen to their own bodies
is your tummy always hungry the same way at the same time?
: )
good luck
S.

I would call your pediatrician. This happened with my son when he was about the same age and it turned out he had an ear infection and white spots on his throat. The dr. said that was why he wasn't drinking, because it probably hurt. My son never got a fever or anything that would indicate an infection. Hope this helps.