Hi Ladies,
My 7 month old son has been fussy during most feedings lately and has been pushing the bottle out of his mouth and pursing his lips/crying when we try to feed him. We do both breast milk and formula, both from a bottle. He's been using a bottle since he was 6 weeks old with no problems. I haven't switched formula and it doesn't seem to matter whether it's a bottle of breast milk or a bottle of formula. If we do manage to get it in his mouth, he'll eat. He acts hungry and reaches his hands our for the bottle and puts it in his mouth himself, but after about an ounce or two, he's either trying to sit up and is blowing the nipple out of his mouth or, most of the time, arching his back and crying and pushing it out of his mouth.
He has also been more clingy/needy the last week or so, and last couple nights he woke up around 10 and would cry and cry, even while I held him. He normally goes to sleep pretty easily.
Could he be teething? Or does he not want a bottle anymore? We have tried a sippy cup but he hasn't quite mastered it yet. We are feeding him 2 meals of solids per day -- breakfast and supper.
Do you have any ideas on what could be going on and what I can do to help him? Please help!
Definitely try a different nipple flow. My oldest would always get fussy about his bottle when it was time to change the nipple flow. I bet that will take care of the problem!
R.,
Is your son congested? That's usually the cause of babies acting thirsty but pushing milk away when they get it. They can't breathe through their nose because of congestion so it's hard to drink. It would also explain the clinginess, crying and irritability. He may be picking up a cold and doesn't feel well.
Good luck,
S.
It is possible he could have an ear infection. Have you brought him to the doctor at all to check for anything?
I didn't read through your responses so if I am repeating, I am sorry.
Take him to the doctor. Usually when this happens they have a sore throat or ear infections making it hurt to swallow. It could also be why he is being clingy.
I don't know if this is the issue or not, but it's worth thinking about. Our daughter responded like this for a few weeks and we couldn't figure it out either. Someone suggested up-ing the bottle nipple size. We hadn't even thought of it, but it worked!! She was frustrated with being hungry and not getting enough, fast enough. Don't know if that's the issue, but it might be worth a try.
My guess is teething. My daughter had the same problem (I nurse but also give formula bottles and she didn't want either. We had taken her to the doctor and he said she was fine but had three teeth trying to come in. She went back to normal eating in a couple days. In the mean time try to give foods with more liquid in them and making the cereal with a little more milk. Good luck.
Have you tried a faster flowing nipple? Now that he's older, a slower flow may just be too frustrating.
Hey R.,
I just went through a similar situation in the past week with my 6 1/2 month old. I was convinced it was teething because he was drooling like crazy or an ear infection since his older brother had tons of those! He wouldn't take his bottle or a pacifier which was terribly upsetting after having a baby who consistently drank 36 oz. a day.
Since he wasn't getting the fluids he was used to I was worried about dehydration and I took him to the Dr. a few different times, always ready care, so I got a few different responses, but eventually 1 that seemed to be correct. At each appointment he was checked from head to toe and other than a mildly sore throat and a mild case of Thrush, we was fine - certainly nothing to prevent him from drinking. When talking to the Dr., I told her how my little one has had lots of colds over the summer (from his school, his big brother and his dad). He still sounds a little "off" sometimes with an occassional "snort" or a horse sounding cry and it turns out that his sinuses were clogged, causing pain and pressure everytime he would try to suck his bottle or his pacifier. So we went on a regimen of saline spray and suctioning and within 48 hours he was back to drinking like normal.
I know it's a hard thing to go through especially when they can't tell you what's wrong, but keep trying and praying and it will all work out. Best of luck!
This happened to me. Thought it was teething, but when I went to the dr. he had a double ear infection. Dr reminded me that usually with teething they chew or gum the nipples. Sucking hurts the eardrum which may be why the bottle is being pushed away after a short time. Take baby to pediatrician just to be safe!
it sounds like you are doing just fine. are there any other developmental or other kinds of changes in his life recently? are there any changes in YOUR life recently? if you are stressed and anxious, your baby will sense that and it will be hard for him to feel completely ok.
what i would say is to just take your time and relax. the thing about babies is that they arent tainted by society and diet and all of that, so the good thing to note is that they WILL eat when they are hungry.
perhaps the nipple is broken? perhaps it is letting too much or too little milk in? perhaps it just doesnt feel comfortable to suck, for example, maybe its too small for his growing needs?
any time that there is a developmental milestone baby hits, sleep disterbances develop...
anyway, just be patient, this will pass, and try to figure out if there is a bottle nipple related issue..
There could be a lot of options, he could be teething, sore throat, nipple flow to slow, a phase in general.
This happens with our 6 month old and I guess I think it is caused from teething pain. Our two older girls did this when they were babies too, so I wasn't surprised when our son started it. It will pass, but maybe in the meantime you could try the Hylands teething tablets at bottle time.
Have you considered the flow of the nipple? If it is too slow for him he could be getting frustrated and giving up. My own son did this. We were so confused as to the problem from a normally great baby, until my mom suggested this. It solved all our issues! His fussiness could be because he hasn't been eating well, maybe try the next flow nipple (if the bottles you use have that.)
7 months is such a difficult age. Not old enough to tell you what is wrong and too young to try your patience. It is like playing hide and seek. You didn't mention anything about naps or lunch time. AT this age he might be ready for one nap in the afternoon or after lunch. He could be teething, you might want to give him a damp washrag that is frozen. This will help with the pin and hopefully help him take the bottle better. 7th month is such a trying age you might even try a few cheerios on his tray and see what happens. He could be trying to tell you he is trying to grow up. Try a few things at a time. Also, don't give into his wishes there are certain things that are necessary and must be given and eatenl Good Luck!
