Is is possible that LO doesn't like taste of formula?

[jsorrow24]

I have been feeding my ds Similac Advanced with Iron since he was 2 weeks. But here recently, along with his transistion to 4 hour feeds, he doesn't seem to like the taste of the formula sometimes. Or I could just be misreading and he's really not hungry. But I figured he would be since his dreamfeed was at 10:30p and he slept until 6:30...I thought he would be really hungry. He drank 4 oz, when he usually would take 6. He has just started doing this. We figured 1st he was ready to move to 4 hours and yesterday drank all bottles at 4 hours at 7 ounces each! Except for dreamfeed he drank 6 and Friday morning feed he drank 6.

Can babies stop liking the taste or prefer another formula? I thought about switching to Enfamil to see if he likes it better.

Anyone got any suggestions??

[Cerys's Mummy]

I think it is possible my little one hates the ready made milk she takes a small suck on the bottle and then just spits the food out give her the made up powder formula and she loves it. I just don't think she likes sweet things cause the ready made milk is very sweet. The same for drinks she will drink camomile tea but not the baby juices you can buy. Could the problem be constipation my little one takes less at a feed if she is constipated. She is 4 months old and normally takes between 6-7oz per feed if she is constipated it drops to 3-4oz then goes back up once she has been. She has been prescribed lactulose by the doctor for when she gets really bad we filled 5 nappies once when she did not go for 4 days poor little thing.

[jsorrow24]

It was the ready made milk I was feeding him!! And he did not want it. So I mixed some of with the formula so it wouldn't go to waste.

Stacy, Jacob has started to prefer to wait to eat instead of when he gets right up. Mostly at his morning feed. His afternoon feeds and especially evening go very well and he takes his dreamfeed very well too.

Thanks for the advice!! 

Oh, Stacy...my ds will turn 3 months tomorrow. Are we ready for pu/pd? I still pat him to sleep and swaddle him which works so well. But I usually stay with him until he falls asleep which I am worried may become a prop. I want him to fall asleep on his own. He sleeps in his crib very well.

[jsorrow24]

The ready-made milk is pre-made formula. It's already mixed in a jug and all you have to do is pour into a bottle. It's also called ready to feed formula. Similac does this and I haven't even noticed if the other brands do. They probably do.

I didn't think I needed to do pu/pd. But I would really like to get him out of his swaddle at around 4 months. I guess I am just preparing myself for what's to come. Sshh/pat works well, I really don't sshh that much. The only thing I am worried about now is that his paci may be becoming a prop.

Naps today have not been so well. DH really messed up this morning. Ds woke at 7am (new daylight savings time). I fed him and he stayed up for around an 1:15 min. Usual 30 min nap and I went to help him extend. Well, dh says he would so I could get some sleep this morning. So at 10:50am my dh comes to the bedroom and I ask where is Jacob. "He just went to sleep, wouldn't go back for me" he says. It was time for him to eat again and he put him back down for a nap! So I had to feed him because it had been 4 hours and I didn't want him to sleep through his feed. Needless to say, ds was wound up again, but happy. So I waited another hour and now his nap is really restless and won't stay asleep without his paci! I am guessing overtired. But he hasn't been crying.

Anyway, other than that ds does very well. I guess I won't try pu/pd until sssh/pat stops working.

Thanks Stacy!

Jennifer

[LŠuren]

I still swaddle DS's arms and the rest of him is in a gro'bag. I don't feel he is ready to be weaned fro the swaddle yet. I sometimes leave an arm out during naps, so I will build in that.

[jsorrow24]

I guess I wanted to wean because we did not swaddle our dd very long and she was sleeping through the night at 3 months with no swaddle. We just used a  blanket bag. But I agree, he sleeps so much better swaddled and when he does break out it does wake him up. I think the sleep is more important too for my own sanity.

I do think the paci became a prop last night. He goes through stages where we  can go days where he doesn't want it and I can take it right out before he goes to sleep. But last night everytime I took it out, he would wake up and when it would come out he woke up 3 times in 3 hours last night! Finally at 3am I made him go back to sleep with out it and he slept the rest of the night.

I will be glad when he realizes he has a thumb he can use. lol

Jennifer

[jsorrow24]

One more thing Stacy on the paci. It's what I use to help soothe him, but I don't let him fall asleep with it. And I don't want him to after 3 months. Isn't PU/PD a soothing technique? So if I want my LO to soothe himself other than the paci, shouldn't I try PU/PD with a hand out of the swaddle so he can learn to use his thumb. It seems unfair to have him swaddled up and nothing to help soothe him. Is pat/ssh a soothing technique also or just sleep training? Also, if he wakes he won't know how to put himself back to sleep unless I am there to give him the paci and pat him then take the paci out.

Can I keep him swaddled and do pu/pd if I have to? I dont' mind keeping him swaddled and using the paci to soothe him, but it would not teach him to put himself back to sleep if keep using the paci? Should I just try pat/sssh without the paci?

[jsorrow24]

Well, not last night I don't think he woke because the paci was out. The other night yes, so I made sure last night he did not fall asleep with it. He knew when I took it out and I would just continue to pat/sssh so he would fall asleep without the paci. I would put it back in if he got restless and the pat/sssh wasn't working, just to soothe him and repeat the removal until finally the pat/sssh seemed to help him go to sleep.

He awoke at 5am, but he had busted loose from the miracle blanket...he's a strong little sucker.lol. But once I swaddled him back and helped go back to sleep with the paci and patting he slept for another hour, awoke but I wanted him to sleep a little longer at least until 7am. So I patted only this time and we had to wake him at 7:15. No, he wasn't hungry because when we woke him up at 7:15  he wouldn't until 8am.

I do not want to have to do pu/pd, I guess I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing for now and that it is helping him to fall asleep on his own. Thanks for all your advice.

[jsorrow24]

That's good to know! I was wondering if I was doing the right thing. I can tell when he is getting used the paci too much so then I try to limit it and take out so that he doesn't fall asleep with it. I do not have to give after a dreamfeed also. He is still fast asleep and stirs very little. Dreamfeed has worked great for us so far.

I have used to extend naps though...that could be contributing to his "need" for it. I only see him the entire day on the weekends since we work and I probably use the paci more than my aunt does who keeps him during the week.

I will try the extra blanket. I don't really like to because he seems to be a hot-natured little boy, just like his daddy. So I usually just put him in a onesie and the blanket, because even in that he gets pretty warm at night.

How old is your LO?

Thanks again for all your advice over the past few months. Talk to you soon! 

Jennifer