11 Month Old Fights Bottle

Give her the formula in a spill-proof cup once kids get to a certain age they lose interest in drinking bottles.

Nita

Don't force her to take the bottle. THere is no reason she has to drink out of a bottle. And, you can switch her to whole milk. Or, soy if you prefer. My youngest had reflux and the transition to milk helped her.

Why are you giving an 11-month-old a bottle in the first place? Give her a sippy cup. This is not when you want to be reinforcing an attachment to a bottle. Just make a big deal out of her big girl cups-- especially since she's about to be a big sister. Tell her that the baby needs her bottles, and she needs to use big girl cups now. Maybe even take her shopping to pick them out.

Good luck.

Hey L.!
She has sooooo fought the bottle due to her reflux. Is she walking yet? I am a pediatric feeding therapist AND a mom of 2 who suffered with reflux. She could still be suffering with symptoms of reflux that you dont see. There is something referred to as "silent reflux" where kids dont actually spit up so the signs are more subtle. Definately give the sippy cup a try like all the former posts have recommended. She has imprinted that the bottle is "bad" and she is going to feel bad when she takes it. The bottle might be enough of change to get her drinking again. Is she still on her medication for reflux as well? Remember less is more. Dont let her over-eat or over-drink because that aggrivates the reflux. It usually takes a couple months after a child is walking for the symptoms of reflux to lessen. Transitioning to table-foods helps as well. They seem to 'stay down' more easily. Here is some of the info I give parents of my patients:
Reflux Precautions

• Elevation during feedings and after feedings for at least 20 minutes.
• No stomach compression- i.e. tight clothing, tight diapers, sitting upright on leg
• Avoid compression on left side especially. Can use a rolled up washcloth under left armpit.
• Use hand under child’s left armpit when lifting, shifting and holding.
• Bouncy seats are a good seating option.
• Don’t over-feed. Less is better.
• Burp them at shoulder
• Don’t forget elevation when changing diapers. Try to change diapers prior to feeding.
• Change diapers by rotating them side-to-side vs. lifting legs to stomach (compresses stomach.)
• Silent reflux-don’t have to actually see vomit for them to have refluxed

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have any additional questions. Good luck!
J. M.
www.jennifermcveyslp.com

Let her use a sippy cup. My third child could not stand a bottle at 9 months so I gave him a sippy cup and he loved it! And once he started with sippy cup he drank more!

What else is she eating? At 11 months I wouldn't think that formula would be her primary source of nutrition though I suppose it could still be as much as half. Just move on to a sippy cup and don't worry about her not wanting her bottle - that could actually be a good thing. Because I breastfed all 3 of mine, my children had sippy cups as early as 7 or 8 months and they never even had formula except as a supplement. It's possible she could be teething and just not feel good as a result. Try other finger foods as well. She could just be ready for something a little more interesting.

Have you tried a sippy cup? My baby doesn't like the bottle at all and at age 11 months your daughter may want more solid foods. You can also start her on whole milk (4oz a day). And see if it makes a difference. Formula tastes horrible! Try more solid foods. (chopped up small enough for little hands) and sippy cups and see!

she is ready to wean. count your blessings that she is doing it herself and that you dont have to take it away. make sure that you are feeding her three meals a day and one or two snacks, then say good buy to bottles, washing nipples and mixing formula. at this age, she can have whole milk in a sippy cup with all of her meals. mark this in her baby book, you will want to remember when your baby girl took one more step towards independence.

Try sippy cups, lots and lots of varieties. Seeing as she's almost at the age where most pediatricians recommend you switch from bottle to cups anyways, now might be a good time to try it. She may like the sippy cups more. Good Luck!

I would start her drinking from a cup. Not a sippy but an actual cup. Get those small dixie cups or other small plastic cup, put a quarter inch of liquid in it, and help her bring it up to her mouth. Give her small sips.

Hi My Niece baby was born with the reflux and he spit up really bad all the time she had to put cereal in everything he drank to thicken it so it would stay down. They doctors had him on Previcid and he felt bad all the time and did not want to eat and we actually felt he was not going to be with us long. So I did research and we have a wonderful Health Food Store here in NC so the lady there is my friend and she helped me out as well. ANyway we put him on Powdered Goat Milk and with his first bottle of the day she put "Baby Flora", A liquid vitamin, his cereal and a couple other things in the bottle. I also went to www.EarthsBest.com and ordered organic baby food and organic cereal until he felt better, he was sick alot the first 10 months of his life but the main thing was he came off of the Prevacid and that is when he started acting better and also the goat milk helped. He is 11 months now and wants to eat all the time and never throws up anymore he laughs and plays and is just such a joy to be around where before he didn't even feel like playing, so we are so happy. The goat milk he went on was www.Meyenburg.com we found it in the grocery stores also. Hope some of this will be of help. God bless and have a blessed day. P. Austin in Lincolnton NC

I would take this as a opportunity to introduce a sippy cup, esp since she is close to the age where you will be taking it away anyway. Also, maybe consider switching to milk or soy milk. My son was around 11 mos when he had just had enough and refused any more formula. I know the peds tell you not to switch before 1 year old, but some babies are just ready before others. :)

give her solid foods and a sippy. if shes fighting it shes done. time for her to grow up and eat like a big girl! she will eat if shes hungry try to wait until she lets you know shes hungry instead of going by her old bottle scedual. i found once she started eating solids her times changed a bit. good luck!

L.,

You might want to try putting it in a sippy cup. It may also affect her ears. What position is she in when she drinks her bottle? Childrens estachian tubes are short and the suction or positon may be hurting her ears. Does she have frequent ear infections? It might be time to check her ears and see if tubes would be an option. I hope this information helps you.

I wanted to encourage you because my husband and I went through the SAME thing with our daughter! I thought she was the only baby on earth that HATED drinking a bottle. We went to specialist after specialist and they couldn't tell us what was wrong. She was also diagnosed with reflux so we tried a lot of medicine and a lot of different formulas as well as breast milk that I had pumped. Around 11 months, I started her on a sippy cup. We went through about 9 different ones. She fought that pretty hard, too! But, after about 2-3 weeks, we found one that worked (Nuby). AND, we found a milk she LOVES (Very Vanilla Soy Milk by Silk). I actually have to limit her milk intake now! It's very wierd. She will drink well over 24 ounces now, when it was a STRUGGLE to get her to drink 16 oz. of her bottle! We praise God that we don't have to worry about that dumb bottle anymore! Good luck to you!

Hi, I had a little one (now 14 mo.) w/ Reflux (Prevacid was our best solution). We used Nutramigen which not only was very costly it tastes terrible. At 1 year I switched to Meyenburg goats milk. Since babies can take whole milk at one year I thought I'd try it. Goats milk is much easier to digest and is often used in infants when nursing is not an option. My little guy loves it and no more reflux. Best of all it comes in a powder for easy mixing and storage. I get it from Vitacost.com for approx. $8.00 a can after SH. Check it out all the benefits at http://www.meyenberg.com/ .

PS. My little guys eating has decrease and this is normal. I am reading What to Expect-the Toddler Years and finding most of my worries are normal behavior for a toddler. It is a must read for first time Mom's to toddlers.

Best of luck,
Val

Just a thought...Maybe she's teething and the sucking action hurts. Try a sippy cup or a regular cup. Good Luck.

I would try to switch her to a sippy cup that has a soft 'nipple' (lack of what it is really called). If she acts like that is no good then maybe get her ears checked for fluid behind the eardrum. Sucking could be causing her ears to hurt. But it might just be she is ready to switch to a big girl cup.

Good Morning!
I don't know if this will help but our family Dr. has always told me that if they fight the bottle, give them a sippy cup. Formula, water, or juice in the sippy cup is okay. This will also help develop "big girl" eating habits. In the next month your little one should be completely off the bottle, so think of this as a great start on her own! My 1 yr old took herself off the bottle at 10 months and I can't tell you how greatful I was. :) Best wishes.

Personally, and this is just me, if she is fighting the bottle, then I wouldn't give it to her. You usually take away the bottle at 12 months anyway and they are drinking out of a sippy cup by that age. Little girls mature faster than boys and my little girl was drinking out of a sippy cup at 6 months. She saw us drinking and she wanted what we had so we just gave her a sippy cup. She would never eat babyfood so I would just squish what we had and gave that to her.
If I were you, I wouldn't fight with her. Put milk in a sippy cup and and give that to her. Sit her in your lap at night and watch the disney channel or (mine likes noggin) and let her sip on her milk. Give her milk for meals. Juice and water during the day. Whatever you do, make sure you give her a vitamin ever single day and don't forget it. That will help her get what she is not getting from food. They are so little and tiny that it doesn't take that much to fill them up.... just a couple of bites so she will tell you when she is hungry and when she is full. Just don't fight. Take that as a blessing that you don't have to fight to get rid of the bottle.
She sounds pretty strong willed....so is mine. That is good. I like that quality. And if she is fighting so hard for what she wants, she will probably be really really smart and a go-getter and the kind to make things happen.... not just one that sits back and waits for someone to do things for her. Keep promoting that strong will and let her lead you.....to a certain extent of course.
She will get plenty to eat. Just make sure she gets her vitamin. If she has teeth or can get the gummie vitamins down, that would be wonderful.
Good luck.
Sounds more like you are lucky rather than unlucky.

L., maybe it is time to take the bottle away from your daughter. My youngest son was weaned from his bottle at 10 months old, under the order of my pediatrician. Like he told me, a bottle is ONLY to nourish a child, until it gets old enough to eat and drink real food. As soon as they are doing well with that, what further need do they have with the bottle? My son took a sippy cup really well at 10 months old, he loved it. They make them now in all kinds of colors and themes, so getting one that will draw her attention would be easy to do. He also drank from my glass well, when I was drinking something and would offer it to him.
This is pretty common in babies, as some of them just DO NOT like their bottle. Most had rather have the "binky" pacifier. And that is a much nastier habit when they get older, especially for 2-3 year olds, which I have seen sucking them. My grandson didn't give his up til he was going on three. He loved his "binky." Cried for it and would search the house over, crying until we gave it back to him. He dropped it on the floor constantly, and picked it back up and right back in his mouth before we could get to it to wash it off. Same thing with the bottle, as some babies are allowed to hang onto them all day and carrying them around so it will be handy for them during play time. Providing a bottle until they are eating and drinking is one thing, but after there is no real reason for it, then it only becomes a "terrible" habit.
I was rather glad, for these reasons, that my son was weaned from it at an earlier age. He adjusted really well. Maybe you could just try her on the sippy cup, or even let her drink from a glass, with your support of course and WITHOUT ice in the drink. She'll love it!
As far as her eating less, do you feed her from the table yet or do you just offer her baby food? It is ok to be feeding her from the table, offering her lots of fruits and veggies, as well as soft meats, mashed or blended.
I'm not saying to take her completely off her baby food, but you could offer her some mashed potatoes to go with a jar of her favorite meat variety, or mash up some of whatever you are having, and mix it in. Something to give her more taste options.
I hope this helps. Good luck and God bless, R.

I know you're not supposed to start regular milk quite yet, but have you tried it? Also, you could try using powder formula and mixing it at double or one and a half times the regular instructions - to make every bit count. There are toddler follow up formulas now as well, if she doesn't like the milk. Is her pediatrician concerned with her growth? Is she actually losing weight? Most of my own kids had the dexterity to handle a sippy cup at this age. She may like that better. OR even a regular cup that you help her hold. I used nutramigen for my first son - he had a very sensitive stomach - but that stuff smelled awful! Take her to the pediatrician or wait for that 1 year well child check up, but write down your questions and ASK, ASK, ASK until you feel more comfortable about what's happening. At this age, most of my kids were on regular people food. Here's their favorite way to eat big people oatmeal:
Old fashioned quaker oats cook according to package. Then add butter, sugar, whole milk (or heavy whipping cream), and maple syrup. Let that cook another 5-7 minutes so that the oats are really soft.
Another big hit was yogurt. We buy the yoplait whips versions. The consistency is more like mousse than yogurt. The kids love that stuff as much as pudding! The yogurt has "good" bacterial cultures that may even help her digestion.
Last thought, if she'll only eat little bits at a time, let her eat all day. We call it snack grazing - LOL - crackers, strips of sliced cheese, cheerios, cut up banana, soft-cooked noodles - anything she can feed to herself. Best of Luck MOM!

She may be ready to give up the bottle, which would be great for her teeth at this age. She may also have an ear infection or be teething, either of which the pressure created from sucking the bottle will irritate. If she's not pulling her ears and not teething try switching to a sippy cup. At 11 months she should only be getting 16-20 ounces of formula per day anyway and getting ready to switch to whole milk. She may just be giving you the cue that she's growing up and done with the bottle!!

Good luck,
Jess

will she take the same drink from a cup? If she is drinking well from a sippy cup, count your blessings and let her ween herself. The rule in our home was always if you want a bottle you have to be held or on a lap, as the child grew more independent then it very easy to ween each the bottle.

I would try a sippy cup, but I doubt that is the solution. You need to take her to see a gastroenterologist to make sure that the reflux is being treated effectively. Babies can still have reflux and pain from it without there being any outward signs (silent reflux/esophagitis). You don't want to make eating an unpleasant experience, and it will become so if she hurts when she tries to satisfy her hunger. If there is pain when she eats, it won't matter what you give her or how it is presented. My little girl was failure to thrive as a result of esophagitis and didn't eat well until she was treated with prevacid. She never spit up. The only sign of the reflux was that she ate less and less. I know how frustrating it is to battle with feeding. I wish you the best!

L.,
This may be a blessing in disguise. I know that must be hard to believe. Usually your pediatrician will want you to stop giving formula at around 12 mos and move into whole milk. You are only one month shy of that and I would check with them, but perhaps you can try to have her start taking whole milk. If you are uncomfortable with not giving her formula, maybe try it in a sippy cup or mix it with the whole milk. Many parents have a difficult time transitioning their child to whole milk and maybe your daughter is ready to move onto bigger and better things! Good luck.
L.

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sounds to me like she is cutting teeth! try putting her formula into a sippy cup. it might help. if that doesn't work- call her dr ASAP!

It's time for a sippy cup. Take her to Wal-mart and let her pick out a couple. (There are some that have straws in them also, so if you've taken her out to eat and given her a drink like that, that may be the kind to lean her towards. But I would let her pick because in the summer, kids need plenty to drink.) Be thankful she doesn' want her bottle, most people fight to get a bottle away from their kids.