I have recently started watching 2 more babies in my home during the week. I have had one for over 2 weeks and he is about 3.5 months old. He drinks only breast milk and eats 3 bottles while he is here from 8:30-4:30. His milk consumption is about 15-18 ounces during that time. Then I have another baby who is 11 weeks old and eats formula. He normally snacks on 3 bottles a day but will only eat 2-3 ounces at a time. Some background on the situatuion is his mom and dad traded off staying home with him until last week. I had him all last week and now have started in on his 2nd week. He eats Similac formula and they use Nursery water to make it with. The family provided his formula, bottles and water to use for his milk. At home he eats between 3-6 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day and gets up once or twice a night. So, this past weekend he ate between 17-20 ounces both Saturday and Sunday during the times that I have him. We have tried so many things to solve this! We have discussed how they hold him, do they burp him in the middle of feeding, when does he eat before or after nap and so on. Also today I tried using one of his dad's t-shirts draped over my shoulder/chest area for the smell factor and that didn't do anything. I have also tried feeding him in the boucy seat or swing thinking that he didn't want me to hold him. He is eating at home in the am around 6:30 and he will eat 4 ounces. Then when I try to feed him between 8:30-9:30 he will eat about 2 ounces, then around 11-12 he will eat 2 ounces and then sleep for about 3 hours sometimes longer and then when he wakes up he will eat about 2.5 ounces.
To be clear...at home when he is with his own mom and dad during the day he eats every 2-3 hours and he usually eats a 4 ounce bottle and sometimes a 6 ounce bottle. So to compare at my house from 7-4:30 he eats 6-8 ounces total and at his own house from 7-4:30 he eats 17-20 ounces total.
Has anyone who does in home childcare or sends their child to in home care dealt with this before? Does anyone have any advice? Last week I thought that it would just take him a week or so to adjust, which I understand that may be the case still, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! I am just a worried mommy who cares so much for all the children who come to my home!
I don't have a suggestion but Linda B. said something about floride in the 'Nursery' water. Most city tap water has floride in it, so I wouldn't think that would bother him, especially if that is the same water that his parents use.
God Bless!
I may be wrong, but doesn't the Nursery water have Flouride in it? If so, you'll want to discourage them from using that all the time...he could be having a reaction to the flouride...I always used distilled water for my formula bottles. I tried my kids on one of those waters with flouride in it and it just made them irritable and curbed their apetites...worth a check.
Another thing I'd recommend is just making him a 2 oz bottle...could be he's overwhelmed at a full one...if he asks for more, make it up or just pour it in from a full bottle. I also agree with the demand feeding...waiting for him to ask for it (i.e. cry or teach him how to sign for bottle).
In my experience this is very common. Some babies do it, others don't. I have had problems more often with babies that are getting their bottles propped at home. Sometimes moms won't tell you they are doing this. If the child is used to being able to hold it in their mouth, sucking lazily when they want and falling asleep with it, that can be a problem for the provider that is trying to feed in another way.
Another problem I see with some of them is that they see and hear the other babies in the house and they want our attention. That can make some babies a bit competitive for attention. So when we hold them they are so busy playing and making eye contact that they don't want to concentrate on eating.
Also, sometimes it's a matter of timing. Maybe he just isn't hungry when you are trying to feed him. Try giving him attention without any bottle at all. Stretch the times out between bottles and see if he will eat better.
Whatever the problem is, this will pass :) He won't starve. But it will cause his sleeping and wake schedules to change for mom and dad.
I was going to suggest the daddy/mommy smell but you said you tried that.
Suzi
Sounds like the little guy is getting his bottle to early. I would try making him hold off for at least 3 hours between feedings. My son just went through the same kinda phase, snacking instead of finishing a bottle. I think I was feeding my son too soon between feedings. Hes almost four months old and finally eating every 3 hours, 4-5 oz.
My daughter was difficult to give bottles to when she was an infant....there was only of the providers at her daycare that was able to get her to take more than just 2-3 oz at a time. I would try to show them what helped us out at home with positioning her (she liked to drink laying flat on her back....goes against everything we taught about feeding babies!! But never one ear infection!!) She had plenty of wet diapers though and was gaining weight....and I would try to make up for how little she would take when I had her home in the evening. She barely spit up, unlike my son who would eat crazy amounts and then always spit up part of it.
I just encourage daycare to try every 2-3 hours.....with my daughter if you waited until she cried for food, then she was impossible to feed!!! Now that I think back over things, she may not have been very hungry b/c of constant problems with constipation. Her appetite seemed to improve greatly after we finally went to using Miralax daily (per her pediatrician).
Hope that helps a bit!!!
N.
