Bottle Baby in Waco, TX... Won't Eat Food!

Just remember he WON'T starve!!! But One thing I would like to suggest is putting only water in the bottle @ night now. He might be getting some teeth soon if not already. And you don't need any problems with baby bottle decay. Good luck, stay calm and take a deep breath. :)

My son is also terribly finicky when it comes to eating. It sounds like your son is quite a bit more finicky than mine, but I just want you to know that you are not alone. Every child really IS different and will develope in their own time. Do not let other people blame you or judge you for this. It's none of their business anyway. You seem to have tried all of the things I tried, so I really don't have any additional words of wisdom for a 10 month old. Once he is past one year, you may want to consider only offering table foods and nothing else. He won't starve. When he gets hungry enough, he'll eat. remember we are talking about 'battle of the wills' here. You are the adult and you know what's best for him.

Also, please do not force feed your child. I used to force my son to take just one bite, convinced that once he tasted it he would realize it was delicious and eat all of it. This never worked and only deteriorated his trust in me when it came to eating. It is important that your son trust you to not force unwanted things in his mouth. Just a bit of hindsight to share with you.

Also, you mentioned you give him a bottle at night. Do you mean before bed time? Or in the middle of the night? He's well into the age now where he should not be hungery over night. If he's waking through the night, try comforting him in other ways than feeding him. If he still wakes through the night once he realizes there will not be a bottle, I highly reccommend Dr. Ferber's book. It works miracles.

Put two ounces of baby food in the bottle then water it down to make six ounces. try this for a while and then thicken it up when you feel like it. keep that up and adventually he will start wanting it with or without the bottle. there are bottles that are made for feeding baby food, the whole in the nipple is larger. the doctor probably is not worried because as long as they are getting thier nutrition it should not be a concern. some childrens stomaches develope slower and it might be to much for his stomach right now.

Girl, don't worry about it. The best advice I received was from my mother-in-law and it really was just a quip. "Have you seen any people in college drinking a bottle or wearing Pampers?" Well, here's two things you can think about: My daughter didn't want to give up the bottle until she was almost one and my pediatrician was all about getting her off the bottle, but said if she wasn't losing weight, then all we could do was try. Then she got sick and had to drink Pedialyte--I thought, you know I think I am going to try and put it in a sippy--not just any though. I picked up a sippy from Wal-mart which had a silicon top...much like a bottle and took all of my bottle related items and threw them out...and held my breath. It worked. I also tried to give her a few different types of cups and let her kind of pick her favorite...I didn't think it would ever happen! Then, there's my sister-in-law's baby girl who is already one and still on the bottle--won't take any kind of food unless it's in the bottle--well, every baby is different and what she does is what you and others have suggested--put some food in their bottle along with their milk and slip in a little other food when you eat together as a family by just offering it on their highchair along with their bottle/cup and eventually they will catch on. Doctors know a lot, but don't know your baby as well as you do--do what's comfortable.

Hey, J., I became a single mom at 33. It's the best thing I ever did. :D

Anyway, about the food. I'm old fashioned and believe that a baby really can receive all the nourishment they need from breast milk or formula for the first year. Don't stress yourself about the food.

I guess in your situation, I'd try both the bargaining technique as mentioned by the previous poster AND I'd put more types of babyfood into a bottle with a Y-cut nipple along with formula. This is how my BFF had to feed her little one for quite a while because she NEEDED the extra calories but wasn't interested in the spoon because it was TOO SLOW. She had no patience for it.

Best of luck to you.

What about diverting his attention by walks outside without the bottle, romping play pretending to be different animals, etc. Give big hugs for the exciting times.

Possibly the responsibility as a single mom has added some insecurity.

My daughter lives in Waco, adores babies, etc. She writes curriculum for the World Hunger Organization, so has a flexible schedule. She is getting married in April, so has that going on also, but I know she would love to help you. She's been an elementary school teacher, but is being available for her future stepson who is 4.

Another playmate might bring in some excitement, so you could distract until meal time.

I'm new to this group, and I'm not sure how you go about it, but if you are able to get my email address, email me.

Blessings,
R.

Time to start being firm. He is most likely not eating because he is full of milk. Cut down the amount of milk you put in his bottle. If he asks for more, make a trade. He eats a serving of baby food fruit, or some cooked carrots and he gets more milk. At ten months old he can be bargained with, you take the bottle, offer the food and then give a sip of milk. He has to know that you mean business! You are the MOM after all. Once he starts eating, he will wean himself off of the milk because he will be full of food. Milk is a great food, but if he doesn't start getting some fiber in his diet, he will start getting very constipated and develop some more serious problems. Not a bad idea to get him to a pediatrician just to rule out health problems if the above doesn't seem to work...go to a free clinic if you don't have insurance! Either way, hang in there and good luck!

First of all...CALM DOWN!!! Obviously each child is different, so why would they all develop at the same time? Be patient with your son and understand that he truly wants to make you happy. You have to give him goals that he can actually achieve. Your son is right on track. I just went through this with my daughter a few months ago.
Only give him the bottle at mealtime. (Be ready for the tantrums, but you have to break that comfort habit immediately.) Also, stop putting food in his bottle. That makes no sense if you're trying to get him off the bottle. If you haven't been giving him cereal yet, start there. For example, make his bottle as usual and mix some cereal in a bowl for him. Start thick and then add more formula as you need until you find a consistency he likes. Keep in mind he'll be a little messy at first. Do this for a couple of days and remember to be consistent. Then, introduce a new food every once in a while. I would not recommend giving him table foods yet. (You have to walk before you run.)
As for getting him to the sippy cup, this is what I did for my daughter... She is ALWAYS super hungry at breakfast. So, one morning on my day off, I gave her her milk in a sippy cup. At first she pitched a fit, throwing her cup on the floor, crying, you name it. But, since I had all day, (and earplugs) I kept giving her the sippy cup. Finally, she got fed up and tried the sippy cup. That is when I just cheered for her. I clapped, smiled, waved my hands and said "Yay!" just like a cheerleader which she just loved! So she kept trying. She managed to drink almost half of her milk and then got a little worn out. So, I put the rest in a bottle so she could finish it. But I kept telling her, "Good girl! You're getting so big!" It took a few weeks for her to do the sippy cup at every meal, but she got there.
As for the foods. It's all new to your son. He might need to see you eat them so that he knows what to do. Eat your meals together. At the same time and in the same place. Consistency is a must. If you're not consistent, you cannot expect your son to be consistent. He's learning from watching you.
My doctor reminded me that at 10 months, my daughter would still be getting enough nutrition if she was still getting her milk at the regular times. My daughter is 15 months now and we still have good days and bad days in regards to eating food. You'll go through the same thing and that's normal.
I highly recommend a website called Babycenter.com. They have great e-newsletters and they also send you "milestones" information regarding your things your child will start doing at each age. It goes week by week which is awesome. Just remember, BE CONSISTENT. Good luck!

Don't panic, my sister is going through this with her breastfed baby. She is one year and will not eat more than a few bites at a time. Her situation is a little different in that the doctor is concerned because she is not gaining weight. He told her only breast/bottle feed after solid food was offered and to start slowly replacing the feedings with a snack or meal- another mom posted that he will not starve and she is right- he may get upset at first but he will not starve. In fact if he misses a bottle or 2 he may be more hungry when you offer solid foods next. Also, make sure he is eating with you so he sees what you are doing and will want to follow your lead. As far as getting rid of the bottle, I would take one transition at a time and it might be more important for him to start eating solid foods first and the bottle will be easier to get rid of when he's taking it less because he's eating solids.

Good luck and don't worry too much especially if his doctor is not worried.

J.,
there is no written rule that says he has to be off hte bottle by one........ yes, all moms would love for the beautiful baby to be on a sippy cup by age one, but all kiddos move at their own pace. I think as long as the dr is not concerned about this issue, either should you. I dont believe that he is bargaining with you, he just may not be ready to accept baby food. I would keep tryin to get him to eat it, but dont force the issue. it is possible that if you make to much of an issue out of it, he will refuse it even more. it is very stressful when your little one isnt moving the the schedule you want or hoped they would, but keep your chin up, he just might surprise you one day and eat everyting. :)

Why is it so important to get him on baby or table food? Is he losing weight or are there other health issues? If not then I wouldn't worry about it. My son was almost exclusively breastfed until past 10 mos. He just wasn't ready for baby food. My pediatrician said as long as he was drinking plenty of breastmilk/formula and not losing weight then there was nothing to worry about. He will eat food when he is ready. If you are really concerned talk to your pediatrician.