Our DD is 8 months old and I'm not sure if this is a phase. In the last couple weeks she has not been drinking as much. She is bottle fed and had been taking 4 7oz bottles/day now we are lucky if she'll take 3oz per feeding. She's eating solids well but will not take the bottle. Her diapers are wet and she's having ok BMs, and not losing weight or lethargic. She's her same happy smiley self. She is teething though, the bottom teeth seem like they are getting closer to the surface. When should I get concerned?
Thank you for all your support! It is reassuring that she's normal! I'll try not to worry, but I do it so well! Since I've posted the question she's been drinking like a fish!! Go figure!
this is what I was told by my kids doctor, they eat when they are hungry they aren't like us, where we eat even when we aren't hungry. so i wouldn't worry about it unless there's dehydration problems.
Don't worry unless she's losing weight. If so, check with the pediatrician. Babies often change their eating/sleeping habits when teething.
SAHM of seven
So long as her "output" is fine--poop and pee--I wouldn't worry about it. As she eats more solids, her intake of formula will decrease.
Also, it may bother her gums to drink from a bottle--have you tried a sippy cup or just a regular cup yet?
If you think she's teething, I wouldn't worry. As long as she continues to do well otherwise, it seems likely that she will return to drinking normally once her teeth come through. My son didn't want to drink out of the bottle much when he was teething either. Except he would fuss because he actually did still want the bottle. Once his teeth came through, he went back to normal. She probably will too.
As long as she seems healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. Now might be a good time to bring in the sippy cup and get rid of the bottle.
A.,
My daughter is 7 months and started the exact same thing about 2-3 weeks ago. The only decent bottles we get in her are her one for bed at 8:30pm and than we give her another 8oz at 12:30pm. Other than that they are 3oz maybe 4oz.. She will take her food just fine. I am not worried at this point because her diapers are still soaking wet. I will only become concerned if the diapers become dry. She also poops just fine too....
As long as you are offering the bottle after she eats her solids, she is fine. Are you introducing a cup with her meals? This might be the time to start trying.
When my girls were babies, I would do this in the bathtub (when they could sit up)...mealtime in the bathtub. I came up with it on my own. It did not require the same amount of laborious clean-up time that mealtime in the kitchen required. Learning to drink from a cup is mind-numbingly messy...perhaps try a sippy and keep mealtime in the kitchen? I don't have anything else.
It sounds like she is fine, but I would ask your doctor to calm your fears if you need to. My daughters wouldn't take the bottle if they had an ear infection, but they would be a little fussier than normal. When concerned always check. :)
Do not worry - but give her plenty of high-water content foods: watermelon, cantaloupe, and veggies galore. We get our water from both drinking and food. Actually, we get ALL of our water that flushes our digestive system from food.
I would submit to you that formula is actually not really water - although it's "fluids" for sure. But it is loaded with sugars and fillers. If I were you, I'd be glad that my daughter was weaning from formula so young.
Real, whole food is better for her all the way around. And you can easily switch to milk now, providing her with more nutrients and protein without all the fillers and sugar.
Nice name!! You don't see that spelling very often.
Have you tried a sippie cup? She might drink some from that. My 1st born would only drink from a regular cup and didn't want formulas at 9 mos. I would sit and feed her from a glass.
A. Wa
get concerned if she shows any signs of dehydration.
now might be a good time to introduce the sippy cup too.
You may want to check with your pediatrician on this, but if she is eating solids well, she will naturally decrease her formula intake since that is no longer her only means for food. I think between 16-20 ounces a day along with solids is about right, but again, you may want to double check that...
As long as she is eating and wetting her diapers, I wouldn't worry about the drinking. She is likely getting mobile more and more, and just doesnt feel the need to drink so much. Also, the teething is very likely a big part of the reason that she isnt drinking. When a child is teething, her gums itch something fierce, and therefore, any liquid that touches them will make the gums itch even more. I know it sounds weird, but it is possible.
If she's eating a lot of solids and still having wet diapers I wouldn't worry about it. My boys slowed down on the bottles once they started solid food. Especially my youngest. He wanted nothing but table food by 9 months and was down to 2-3 bottles a day and sometimes wouldn't finish them. Babies will eat when they're hungry and stop when they're not. As long as she's eating *something* and still having wet/dirty diapers I'm sure she's fine.
I wouldn't be concerned. She is getting her nutrients from the food you are feeding her instead of the bottles. That is wonderful! She is growing up. :)
