Help with Feeding 5 Month Old

My sister-in-law had this same problem, they started putting one table spoon of cereal in for every once of formula. They also use the drop-in bottles, this way you get all the air out. Good luck.

Some babies will spit up all the time even after you try everything. My youngest daughter who will be 1 next wednesday spit up all the time, after she ate, after a nap, in between meals, when ever. She actually slowed down when she started eating solids, and today she may only spit up just a little bit MAYBE once a great great while.. Some babies are just spitters and will grow out of it. It gets very old, but they will grow out of it.

What others call "reflux" is actually a simple HIATAL HERNIA - which means the top of the stomach blocking the path to itself from the esophagus. It is the most common problem and yet people take pharmaceuticals for it - sometimes for a lifetime!

There is a simple move you can do with your finger to make the stomach move out of the way of the esophagus. Take your baby to a chiropractor who will understand this simple problem and solution. S/he will do the move for your baby and teach you to do it for him. When most people get this manipulation done once or twice it stops happening. For some, however, it has to be done somewhat regularly and for an extended period of time.

It is estimated that over 85% of "Acid Reflux" is a simple Hiatal Hernia waiting to be manipulated. Pharmaceuticals for acid reflux are dangerous... they actually can cause a lifetime of acidity as they override the body's ability to build bile for the purpose of digestion. Don't use them - get to a chiropractor.

My daughter spit up after every feeding too for the first 6-7 months of her life. We tried different bottles, different formula, but she always spit up. We also tried the frequent burping and she also screamed and was upset like your son. It was so stressful for both of us, that I finally just stopped the burping and always carried a dish towel when feeding her. I would give her a gentle back rub to get her to burp at the end of the feeding.
We just toughed it out and after she was on solids for a while she is much better! She'll be a year old next week and the spitting is a thing of the past.
Good luck!

Were you told to burp him every ounce? My daughter is a spitter too and we just do not burp her. She sucks down her entire bottle and we let her lay for a while - if she fusses a little then we know she is trying to get a burp out. (which is rare) I am not sure if that is any help, but it could be worth trying.

It sounds like he has acid reflux. Both of my kids have had that. They out grow it so it isn't a huge deal. But I think he would benefit greatly from you seeing your doctor and putting him on medicine.

My son (now 17 months) ate so fast and furious that he spit up all of the time up until about 10 months. I used the Prosobee from Enfamil after trying many others. It was
gentle on his reflux and really workd for us. When it came
time for feeding we always did it in our gliding rocker with little or no lights on to create a soothing atmosphrere. I also rubbed his hands or his tummy, and sometimes just hummed to sooth him... It eventually calmed
him down. He may have reflux (check with your doctor)which sorry to say takes time to go away. We had to position him upright to eat as well as sit him up in his carseat after eating. Watch the positioning while he is eating, and just keep burping. I also recommend taking extra shirts for him and yourself until it starts to let up.
I hope that this helps

How frusterating. I think you have gotten a lot of great advice here. I would not suggest adding baby cereal to the bottle. This is not reccomeded. Check with your doctor prior to doing this if you choose this option to try.

Ask his pediatrician about GERD (acid reflux).

I had one like this. There may be products out there now that would solve this, but at the time I didn't have anything. Here's how we dealt with it.

First I started to put rice cereal in his formula to make it thicker. Of course, I had to use a nipple with a slightly larger hole. That helped, but only a little because he would suck so hard that the bottle (those cheap plastic ones) would collapse. To solve that issue I poked a hole in the side of the bottle, toward the bottom. To avoid having the liquid dump out of the hole, I used a rubber band from a bunch of broccoli. It was a perfect fit and I could adjust the size of the vent hole based on how hard he was sucking.

I realized that his constant throwing up was due to the fact that he sucked so hard and intensely that he swallowed as much air as formula. I am glad I didn't know about acid reflux because I would have thought that was the problem. It wasn't. The problem was that he was so eager to eat that he ate too fast. The problem took care of itself when he started on solids.

Sounds like reflux to me! Talk with your pediatrician. They can help you figure out if it is reflux and if it's not they can help you with other ideas!

have you ever tried to use soy formula.when i started to use formula on him he would spit up everything it was like exorcist it was really gross but we had to use the liquid formula for a while then we were able to go to the powder but that was the only kind we could use for him i know it's a little more expensive but it really helped. i hope that works.

Maybe you could give him a security blanket or your fingers to hold on to while he's eating. My boys did the fist clenching sometimes also, so I would try to give them a finger or two to hold. You could also try the lactose free formula, that might help with the spitting up, also have you had him checked for acid reflux? Good luck

My oldest who is now 6 had this same problem for the longest time. The doctor told me she was eating too much too fast and that what couldn't fit in her little tummy was what was coming right back up. I too had burped her every ounce. If I didn't burp her like that then by nighttime she has so much gas build up that she would not sleep. I don't know if it is necessarily acid-reflex but maybe give him some cereal and then maybe he won't want to drink so much formula.

Another thing maybe your son is lactose intolerant and cannot have formula at all. My husband has told me that when he was a baby he could not nurse or have formula due to being allergic to the lactose in them. His parents had to give him goats milk. Your son does not sound like he is wanting to even drink the formula.

Does he have issues with pooping too??? If so then I would consult your doctor and find out what is really going on. This can be so uncomfortable for your son and that is what formula can do to a baby when they are allergic to it. I did end up using Nestle Good Start with my daughter. And now she is lactose intolerant and drinks soy milk. I had this issue at her age too and now I drink milk like it's going out of style.

I also like the idea of going to the Chiropractor to be adjusted. I have been bringing my son to one since he was not even a month old. I did so because my chiropractor suggested it when I told her I had a little one at home that was just over 10 lbs. as a natural delivery. She let me know that baby's go through so much trama during delivery. Also with my son being so big when I was pushing him out the doctor, nurse, and my husband all heard a popping sound and thought it was his collarbone. He is good now and no problems what so ever.

I seen some good advice and do what your instinct tells you to do. Hope this helps you. A.

Have your tried different bottles/nipples? Maybe the ones you have flow too fast or too slow. I think he cries during the burping because he is still hungry and is mad you keep taking it away. I'm not saying you shouldn't burp him, I'm just saying what he might be thinking.

He could be gassy from swallowing to much air. Changing bottles may help. Also avoid shaking the bottle before feeding it to him. Crying will also make him gassy, feed him at the earliest signs of hunger. Maybe burp him half-way through the feeding instead of every ounce.

That sounds exactly like my youngest who had reflux(pretty badly, too). Have you talked to his doctor about it? You didn't mention what formulas you've tried but Enfamil AR worked great for us. The AR stands for added rice, which helps it stay in the belly instead of coming back up. Also try feeding him as upright as possible and keeping him upright for at least 30 minutes after each feeding. Good luck :o)

I ditto the advice to see a pediatric Chiropractor! This is such a simple thing to fix...it's usually due to some kind of birth trauma - The Chiropractor can 'unwind' the child and adjust them if needed...results are almost immediate (may need a few adjustments, depending on the trauma - but it WILL work!)

Baby will latch on more easily and will stop spitting up as much as well.

:)
C.

Hi V.,

I had a different thought, I might not be right but something for you to consider. I take care of my nephew and when he was that age he would spit up all the time and be very gassy and it was actually the bottle not the formula. My sister switched to the drop in liners by platex and a faster flow nipple . He was working so hard to get the formula out of the slow flow that he was taking in a lot of air. This caused all the spitting up and gassy problems. Once she made the switch he was sooo much better. So maybe try other bottles/ nipples. I know a lot of people use the Advent bottles because so many people get free bottles/ samples but every kid I know gets gassy from those and people are always trying new formulas instead of trying new bottles. If this is a new problem I would definitely try a new bottle/ nipple. If it is acid reflux, start cereal, maybe that will help keep the food down. You can mix the formula in it. I prefer the oatmeal over the rice cereal. The rice cereal made my son so consipated but the oatmeal did not. Specially if your baby is having GI troubles, I think oatmeal is better. I know I am the only that thinks that because so many think rice is gentler but I don't. In the end you need to observe your son and go with what you think is best. Mothers really do know their babies best and you need to believe that and go with it.
M.

Gas drops! Thats what we had to give our son before each bottle He still spit up, but he was happy and wasn't stressed during feedings.

im sorry for your problems nursing :( i cant imagine the disappointment. for whatever reason, some people have trouble. sometimes its not mom, its baby, the tongue isnt working right... whatever... :( but anyway, im sure you dont want to talk about that.. but i just wanted to say im sorry and you are doing the best you can for your son!

i want to ask how long were you on each of the different types of formula? it takes a while for baby to get used to the different kinds... more than just a week or so, did you use them long enough? and in between times, was he constipated? that is VERY common. remember constipation is NOT lack of going poo, it is hard poo, straining while going, pain while going, reluctance to go. i read in "the baby book" by william sears that formula fed babies need 8 ounces of water a day. formula is mighty concentrated. that plugges babies up. also, when you start solids, theres nothing wrong with using a little milled flax in cereal to help prevent constipation. i once had someone tell me that they didnt want to do that all the time because then baby relies on it to be able to go poop, but thats the point - flax is HIGH fiber, and EVERYONE needs fiber to poop properly!! theres nothing worng with adding flax to every meal of every day if you want to! :D so just remember that when baby is constipated. use no more than a teaspoon, more or less depending on how baby reacts. if baby usually has harder stools, then it might seem wierd if they get squishy, but thats normal, and HEALTHY! :D

spitting up is hard. i would try the different formulas for a longer period of time. try a non-dairy version (dairy is the most common allergy in the WORLD) and see if that helps. ask your doctor or someone you trust (or www.askdrsears.com) and see how long you should wait on a formula before switching. i think its closer to a month, but ive never done it, so i dont know.

another thing, have you tried different nipples? some nipples have too strong of a let down and "drown" baby with too much formula at a time. does he seem to gulp or try to breathe? it really sounds like hes probably having this problem.. he would never be able to relax because the formula just keeps pouring out. always buy a slow nipple... that will also help him to be able to strengthen the muscles used for sucking... which will help him in about 2 months when you can start using a sippy cup to give water and a little juice!

anyway, i hope that this helps you... good luck

I wouldn't burp him every ounce... thsi gets him upset, which leads to crying, which leads to gasping more air into his tummy and more upset tummy = more spitting up.

Let him eat, and when he is done burp him. Also it takes a couple weeks to adjust to a new formula, and switching foods like that is really going to wreak havoc on his stomach, so pick one and stick with it. ITs kind of a myth that soy is easier on the stomach than cows milk based. Both are hard to digest because they aren't made specifically for a babys stomach/system. So he'll need time to adjust, and formula IS hard to digest, its just a fact that needs to be dealt with. He will probalby have a hard time with all formula because of this.. many babies do. Just on this post alone everyone that replied said thier kid had reflux while on formula. I do'nt think thats a coincidence.

ANYWAY, let him eat, then burp. Get him a blankie to snuggle with while eating, and make it relaxing. Some babies are jsut spitters, and its nothing to worry about. Ditto annette too about taking him to the chiropractor. I bet you'll see ad ifference immedietely.

Have you tried soy formula? Sometimes the milk-based is too hard on their tummies. After switching to soy with my oldest son, he was a whole new baby. Try the Target brand soy formula, it's what we used and it was a life-saver!