Bottle Feeding the Spirited Baby

[jenniferr]

Hi.
My 8 mo old DD has been bottle fed for about the last 4 weeks (was bf previously). She's very spirited and I find it difficult keeping her interested in drinking her bottles. I've tried distraction (with toy, tv, etc.) which works for a little while, but then she starts trying to get away! She's still hungry and seems like she wants me to move with her keeping the bottle in her mouth! She can hold it on her own, but only when she's not moving. I'm also using the fastest flow nipple to speed up the process. Does anyone have any tricks up their sleeves?

Jenn

[grahamsmama]

This is how Meghan is too.  We have had to resort to what I refer to as the "bottle feeding olympics."  First one position, then another, then walk around a bit, then stand by the window and talk about what is going on, etc. etc.  I've found now, at 11 months, she is actually doing a lot better with a sippy.  I think she likes being more in control.  And with a sippy, there are handles, so she can hold it and move around a bit as she drinks.

[Deb_in_oz]

i hated feeding liv  it took so long to try to get food into her although certainly easier by 8 mo than at 4 mo... i always fed in her room away from everyone and everythign just so we could focus as much as possible on the task at hand.  we sat and she fed for however long she paid attention and ate, then took a 10 min break so she coudl play on the floor and get out the wiggles etc and then one more offer of the bottle. whatever she took then was it.  this was on the recommendation of a speech pathologist we were working with because we had many feeding issues 

i totally sympathize though.

[EmMUK74]

yeah, we had that and so we would feed in 5 or 6 stages letting her have a play inbetween; it was a pain because it meant feeding went on for ages and then would interefere with her solids, but at least she drank some!  she also dropped bottles quite early and I provided milk in sippy cups with her solids to get it into her.

good luck