my 7 month old is exclusively breastfed. i went back to work when he was 4 months old, and my mom takes care of him and gives him my pumped milk in a bottle. he generally does not like the bottle and it takes forever for him to finish 4 oz. of milk. but, thank God for my super patient mom who is very persistent and makes sure that he drinks as much as he can. recently baby has been sick, and now he completely refuses the bottle. no matter how my mom tries, he pushes it away, turns his head, and starts crying. so i suggested my mom to try giving him the milk from a spoon, since he does very well with eating his baby cereal and baby food from the spoon. lo and behold, he drinks all the milk very happily when given to him with a spoon. so now my question is, is this ok? it's a little weird that a 7 month old baby drinks milk from a spoon, instead of a bottle... i think it's a little weird, but it works, so should i just continue? does anyone have any thoughts on potential problems or whether this is a good or bad idea?
thank you ladies for all your encouraging responses. i will not stress over it and get wrinkles. =) i'm going to pick up some sippy cups and try them. meanwhile i'll just have my mom keep using the spoon to give him milk. again, ladies, thank you for all your encouraging words.
He may be teething and sucking on the bottle just isn't comfortable. Have you tried changing the nipples so it's a more easy flow?
-M
I agree with the others...you could consider giving a sippy cup, or even a small cup with no lid a try. If that doesn't work, no worries -- the spoon is fine. Our nanny fed my second daughter breastmilk from a medicine dropper for several weeks until she finally adopted the bottle. She moved from the bottle by 11 months when she started drinking from a straw cup. Some kids just never really dig that bottle! (And this phase will pass.)
Hi C.,
You mentioned that your son just got over being sick. It is possible that there is still residual congestion or a low grade infection in his eustation tubes (the tubes that provide drainage from the ear into the throat). When this happens, sucking can be very uncomfortable, especially if your baby is being held mostly horizontally. You can try keeping your son more upright when feeding him with the bottle, it might help.
Another possiblity is that, since he's been sick he just prefers the comfort of the breast and is hoping to get that if he resists that bottle. You might want to try training him to use a sippy cup at this point. It will keep him from having to be weaned off of the bottle later on, anyway, and it's easier to draw fluid out of it.
Good luck!
Hey man, in the world of babies, the mantra is always "whatever works". He's eating, he's happy. Sounds fine to me!
Hi C.,
Have you moved up to the fast flowing nipples? Around that age, my daughter would fall asleep before she finished her bottle, and we discovered it was because she was ready for the fast flowing nipple, and I still had her on the medium flow one. Once I bought the fast nipples, she chowed down the bottle in record time. Maybe that's why he's getting upset, because the flow is too slow?
If he'll take it from a cup, that will make it easier for you to get him off the bottle, but if not, the spoon will work as well. My daughter refused milk from a cup at that age; she'd only drink water from a sippy. I agree with the other moms, whatever works for you is OK!
Why can't he drink his milk from a sippy cup? Does he have any expierence with one? If not, let him play with one. You would think, that if he is hungry enough, he'll eventually take the bottle.
Good luck!
I love ALL the suggestions!! Keep up the good work. With my son he was bottle fed after about 9 months old, and it took us three different types to find one that made him happy.
Also, check on the teething and since he was recently sick this also may be causing discomfort. My son used to get ear infections and would refuse anything but, a straw and cup during those weeks.
I think the MAIN thing is he get sufficient intake, daily.
Which thankfully, you and your Mom is very patient about, so make sure he does.
Also important, is that he not get dehydrated... so, by giving him his breastmilk this way, albeit time consuming.. you are making sure he is hydrated properly.
One thing you can try, is a bulb syringe. The kind used for dispensing medicine syrups. And, also baby birds are given liquids this way too. Or, you could try a sippy cup or a straw cup, as well.
If this is the only way he will intake his milk, then go for it. Maybe after he is recovered from his sickness, he will go back to the bottle.
But, the main thing is he get enough intake, daily and nutrition. AFterall, for the 1st year of life, a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition is from breastmilk/formula. NOT solids, not water, not juices. This is per my Pediatrician. AND feeding ON DEMAND 24/7... thus, during his growth spurts he will need to intake more and this is normal.
Another thing is, many times when a baby is teething... nursing/drinking from a bottle is uncomfortable....and they do reject it. So maybe he is also teething. Or maybe not. But just another aspect.
Another thing is... sometimes when a baby is rejecting a bottle/nursing... and is having a hard time with proper latching on or drinking... there is an apparatus that has tubes attached to a bag...like an IV thing. Then the mom wears it... and from the tube, the baby drinks/nurses. My friend, did this because her baby was not latching on or taking bottles. And her baby was losing too much weight and not getting enough nourishment. So, this was something she HAD to do, for the survival of her baby.
**Another thing is: at 7 months old... he should probably be drinking more than 4 ounces per sitting. MAKE SURE HE IS getting enough intake. Ask your Pediatrician about how many ounces he should be drinking at this age. YOu want to make sure he is getting enough.
Just make sure your dear baby is getting proper intake and proper amounts. No matter what method you have to utilize. I can't stress that enough.... as I baby-sat a baby once that did not intake enough and had swallowing problems ... and she got into the failure to thrive percentiles, and her overall development was poor. And her Parents did nothing about it. It was sad. All they said was "she just doesn't drink much... she's a small eater..." But, her baby physically and emotionally was not on par. And she had to go to the ER twice, for dehydration. Still, the parents never addressed her inability to properly nurse or drink from a bottle. When she was with me... I used to drip the milk into her mouth a little at a time... with an eye dropper. The Parents on the other hand, just kept expecting her to drink only from a bottle.
I commend you for using a spoon to feed him.... you are doing your best and doing whatever it takes to make sure he is fed and gets nourishment. You can try and ask your Pediatrician about that 'nursing bag/tubes' thing. Or, use a bulb-syringe or sippy-cup or straw cup as well. Whatever works best, so that your baby is getting nourishment. The first year of life, is a crucial time... and nursing/bottle feeding provides the 'building-block' nutrients for development.
take care,
Susan
Start introducing a straw. If you need tips, just contact me privately with any questions. I'd keep the spoon in and also introduce an open cup. You can take a paper cup and cut a "U" shape out of it and put the other side of the rim in his mouth to introduce the cup. This way you can see how much liquid is going in his mouth and his nose won't get in the way of the cup rim when you have to tilt the cup to get the last drop. Don't know if that makes since, but you can look up "nosey cup" and see if you can find a picture. They sell them commercially too. I have also used travel size bottles to cut out of to make the same thing. You just have to make sure the edges are not sharp.
If he takes it let him take it that way. Don't worry overly much, it will give you wrinkles.
TOTALLY fine! My kids NEVER took a bottle. Right from breast to sippie cup!
I've got a 7 month old too and she hates the bottle. Sometimes I've tried just pouring it into her mouth but that gives her a lot of gas and I think you run the same risk with the spoon feeding, but I think thats the only draw back. I've started trying to get her to drink from a sippy cup. Also, one last thought- make sure the hole is big enough in the bottle nipple. If it were a little bigger then it might not be so fustrasting for baby.
Comming from a mom who is currently trying to get rid of the bottle....Don't stress it! As long as your little guy is getting enough milk let him drink it from a spoon. Bless your mom for having the patience to do that!
Hi,
A friend of mine went thru a similar situation and they switched to a sippy cup. At 6 months old, the baby loved the sippy sup.
Good Luck.
Totally fine! Sipping from a cup works at this age to.
