4 Month Old Wont Drink Bottles

C. I have a 2 year old and a 5 month old. I would recommend trying a larger nipple I use to use doctor brown with my daughter (now 2) but with my son I use the avent and sometimes the flow is not fast enough for them so try the larger nipple the other thing is maybe he is not use to his formula he is use to the other one and he does not like the taste of the new one my daughter did that to me once. If there is no reason why you switched then maybe try a different formula I had great luck with Carnation Good Start. Good Luck to you....

I agree. Try going back to the Alimentum and see if he does good again . My son was on that formula which worked good for him. Nestle Good Start is also a very gentle formula and didn't give my kids gas like regular formula did. Good luck

Could he maybe he a little bit of a virus? My son would do that when he wasn't feeling great. I wouldn't worry about it unless he starts to loss weight. I bet it will pass in a week at the most.

Hi C.
A couple of things to check out. First check to see if hes getting enough throught the nipple. Maybe hes sucking and sucking but not getting enough and is getting bored and stops. Try moving to a fast nipple. Second I know when my son would refuse to take his bottle he was getting a tooth, especially when it was one on the top. He could just have liked the taste of his old formula and this is a little different. Good luck let us know what happens.
KT

My son is now one year old and when he was about was about your son's age he did a very similar thing and I found out that his stomach seemed to be upset with the formula. But it was inconsistent some day were good and some were bad. So I gave some of the infamnt's Mylicon to ease any gas that may be making it hard for him to eat, and that seemed to do the trick for me...and switching to a different level nipple may help too. he may be getting frustrated with not getting as much formula as he would like through the nipple.

My son did this and for 3 days I was at a loss for what to do because he didnt understand the concept of a sippy cup. The answer turned out to be straw cups (playtex makes some). He never went back to a bottle either.

Maybe he just doesn't like the regular similac, I'm sure you've noticed the difference just in smell from the Alimentum. Just try some sippy cups, like the nuby ones with the soft tip and you could be lucky enough to ditch bottles now instead of fighting that battle later.

I agree with most everyone else. Have you changed to the Level 2 nipples yet? If you haven't, it could be part of the problem. Also, I think that slowly weening him from the formula he is used to to the Similac would be the thing to do. It could just be the regular formula is upsetting his tummy too.

Also, definately check to see if he is teething.

Good luck!

You might want to consider trying different nipples. There are some out there that are designed to feel more like a mother's breast in the infant's mouth than a regular bottle nipple does.

There are also different textures, as well. My kids responded better to silicon nipples (clear/white) than rubber nipples (brown). Silicon also lasts longer if you wash them in a dishwasher and keep their shape better than rubber.

Best of luck to you!

C.-
My son also has had the same prob. he is only 2mos though. I'm not sure id similac makes a brand similar, but we switched my son to Emfamil Gentle ease. It's a purple can. The ingredients in it are partially broken down, so their tummy doesn't have to do as much work. The Dr. brown bottles seem to work great with my son. He still gets a little gas every once in a while, but not nearly as bad as he did before we got those bottles and formula. You might also want to try Infants Mylicon drops. They are safe even for the little guys. Hope that helps!! -D.

I am a mother of three. I've been there, done that with the bottles, formula, and breastfeeding. It has to be the formula. Your son probably doesn't like it or it upsets his stomach. Try switching to a different formula until you find one he likes. Should take care of your problem. Good luck!!

Hey christi, thats a tough one :-( now from my experience with regular simalac it makes thier bowels harder and its harder on their bellys, my son screamed because similac is too strong for some infants i used the soy brand its gentler on the stomach, it may be bothering his little belly-i hope I helped a little- R.

It seems as if he does not like the formula that you have changed him to. I would go back to the Alimentum and gradually wean him off of the forumla. Start mixing the Alimentum with the Similac until you have fully made the transition. Food is comfort for babies and a change in formula can be disruptive. If your son is still showing signs of discomfort and unhappiness at feeding you can always try another formula such as Isomil. Maybe he is lactose intolerant. Best wishes to you and your little one.

Sounds a lot like teething to me. When my son started teething it hurt him to suck on anything due to the increased pressure on his gums. Just a thought.

My first thougth was acid reflux. Both of my twins had/have it ... my son outgrew it by 1 year, but my daughter who's now 3 still is being treated for it. My twins each had a different kind of reflux. My son had the projectile vomiting right after a bottle and then endless crying and fussing for every waking moment - until he was medicated. My daughter has the "silent reflux" - the acid only makes it up as far as the top of her esophagus and then goes back down, hence, she never spit up, but she began to stop eating from the bottle, as young as 2 months old. For the first year of her life, we had the endless battle at feedings and I *dreaded* every one. She would turn her head away from the bottle, fuss and even cry when the bottle came near her - it just hurt her too much to swallow, and she associated food with pain. While your baby may be asserting his dislike for new formula, I believe that when a baby is hungry, he'll eat, no matter what is in the bottle. Eventually, anyway. The signs of drinking just an ounce or two and then screaming while on the bottle really could be a preference thing (formula, nipple size, etc.) but if after switching back to your previous formula and changing nipple size doesn't change your current situation, I wouldn't wait to have him tested for GERD. We went through 5 bottle systems (and ended up settling on Dr. Brown's after a feeding therapy session) and other various feeding methods before we had my daughter tested, and it was the GERD hands-down. Once both babies were being treated, it was like I had two new children in every way. If you do have your son tested and it's a positive, feel free to contact me if you wish. ~K.

Well, I had and still have this problem. My youngest son stopped taking a bottle completely at 4 months old. From what you describe it sounds like he has gas. Is it possible to switch him back to the other formula? My youngest practically lived on gas drops due to his gas. I won't go into everything that ended up being wrong with my son, because he's has a host of medical issues. The only thing I can really suggest is don't let it go and keep looking for answers. Talk to your doctor about new formulas. Good luck. I have sooo been there.

It sounds to me like it's probably the change in formula. From what you're saying, the formula is the only change he's had in the past few weeks so I think that the new formula is the likely culprit. Perhaps it is giving him acid reflux, or hurting his stomach, or maybe he just doesn't like the taste. I would try some different formulas (or the one he was originally on) to see if that makes a difference. If that doesn't work, you could try using some different bottles. Perhaps he's just not liking the Dr.Browns anymore. But I suspect it's probably the formula. If neither of those things helps after another week or so, then I'd definitely make an appointment to see his pediatrician again to rule out acid reflux or something else that could be causing him to not want to eat.

Good luck!
L.

I am not a doctor, but from listening to what you are saying, I would for sure say its the formula. Try another brand first. If that does not solve the problem, you may have to go back to your "liquid gold"! I know its expensive, but it may be all he can handle. There are different types out there. Gentelse is a great one for sensitive bellys and its not as expensive as the nonallergenic.
Good luck- we had to do lots of trial and error as well.
K.

did the doctor check his gums for possible thrush or teething? both things can be pretty painful for your little one and might interfere with eating. BUT it could very likely be the formula...my nephew was a really picky eater and my sister tried about 6 different kinds before she found one he'd drink. My daughter could only drink Nestle Goodstart...which is really easy on the tummy compared to some others out there...changing formulas might help~cheer up, it will get better!

I am with the previous responder...it sounds as if it is the change in formula. Some times they adjust after awhile but sometimes they don't.

Hi There,

I had a similiar issue with my son. He started losing wieght and the whole bit. My son ended up havin acid reflux. We switched him to a soy based formula (Isomil advanced soy) and added rice cereal to his formula. We also had to start him on previcid. At first I thought it was the formula and the bottles/and nipples, but when my good eating soon just stoped and I had to struggle to get him to eat an ounce or 2 I knew something was wrong. You may want to do a bit of research and see if your child has any pf the other symtpoms of AR.

Good Luck!
AJ

Although it could be many different things (bottle giving him gas, teething, formula) it can be very frustrating...I know because my 11 month old went through the same thing around the same age...have you tried getting a faster flow nipple? My son became very irritated when the nipples were not letting out enough milk fast enough...maybe you could try that? I know we tried everything and I wish I would have known about this website a few months ago :) It worked or helped us when we changed the nipple flow to a faster one. We also tried several bottles...he used to have gas really bad until we started using the playtex air vent bottles. I love them and so does he. Good Luck!

If the doctor is stumped...woah. The first thing that came to mind was the speed at which the formula is coming out of the bottle...I always knew when my kids were ready to move up to faster speeds. They became so frustrated that they had to suck so hard to get anywhere. I am not familiar with this brand of bottles, but surely the nipples come in different speeds. My second thought was the switching of formulas...I started off nursing and eventually had to ween to formula for both of mine. I had the best success with mixing the breast milk with formula, starting with just about 4 to 1 ratio and over a 2 week period slowly increasing the formula and decreasing the breast milk until it was all formula. I remember being suprised at how easy it was. I expected it to take longer, but they just adapted quickly. Maybe if you put a little of the alimetum in with the regular stuff, he'll take it easier. Good luck. My heart goes out to you! Mine are 16 months apart...girl then boy. It's a challenge and they are the best of friends. Love it!
S.

dear C. have you tryed a sippie cup avent make one that the sippie part is soft my twelve year old did not like the bottle at all you said the mouth area is fine when was the last time you took your child in so no chance of strep or hand foot mouth dise i sure hope you can find peace in try the sippie cup they sell them all over i think i bought mine at babyrus good luck

I had a similiar problem with my little girl in the beginning. The doctor wanted to switch her to Neutramigin but WIC would not issue coupons being that it is too expensive. We ended up putting her on the Lactose Free Similac and she has been eating great ever since.

Sounds like your little one could have a sensitivity to milk!
Switch back to the alimentum! I KNOW it's expensive my daughter had to be on it until she was 11 months old and then we switched her to rice milk per her allergist.

I went thru this with my DD who is now 9 months old. She had acid reflux. We changed her formula to similac allumnetium and gave her zantac.

My son was the same way. I nursed him, so when I tried to go for the bottle, he said no way. I tried those Nube(?spelling) sippy cups and bottles and those seemed to help. His problem was that he wanted to everything his big sis did--he still does now at 19 months and she's 3! So since she had a sippy cup, he wanted one. The nube sippy cups are softer like a bottle so they seemed to work better than the regular kind.

Have you tried making a bottle mixed with both formulas? He might need to be weaned off the old formula and onto the new one. We always had to when we switched our kids to milk (to get them used to just plain milk so we could take the bottle away). We started out with a 3/4 f and 1/4 m, then 1/2 f and 1/2 m, then 1/4 f and 3/4 milk, then straight milk, then a sippy cup instead of a bottle.

Hope this helps,
S.'
Mom of 3 under 3

You might want to try putting him back on allimentum. My son drank allimentum and we tried switching him to a different kind and he didn't like it and it hurt his belly. If your baby was a little older I would say try to switch him again. I know how expensive that formula is and if you can't afford it see if you qualify for WIC. If you have a doctors note WIC will pay for allimentum.

I had almost the exact same thing happen with my daughter, around that age too (that is when I was trying to switch from breastfeeding to all bottles). Her problem was the formula, it was upsetting her stomach and making her scream every time we tried to give a bottle. We went to the doctor, and she suggested that we first try Enfamil Gentlease which worked perfectly. If that formula hadn't worked, the doctor would have tried soy next, and if that didn't work she would have used Nutramigen (not sure on the spelling) as a last resort. Good luck!