Refusing 4pm bottle all of a sudden

[Skadiver13]

Hello, my lo is 7.5 months old. This is his easy currently give or take 15/30min here or there.
wake 6
eat 6:30 6-7oz Sometimes 8 on a very good day this morning only 7
7:30 Solids 3Tb of fruit/veggie puree. That's all he'll eat
S 9:30-11
E: 11 8oz
S:2:30-3:45
E: 4 (2 days ago he'd eat a full bottle 8 oz.) last 2 days wont even touch it. Now I added lunch in  yesterday but it was 1Tb of apple and today was 2 tb of prunes. But that was at 12.. It's 4 you'd think he'd be hungry by now. I don't know what to do. Last night he at a full bottle at bedtime woke 2 times in the night but refused a bottle which he's never done before. He'd only had 20oz yesterday before bed.
E:6:45 7oz
S: 7:15
Would wake once in the night to eat a bottle. If before 2 I fed a full bottle if after 2 I'd feed 4oz to hold him over till his AM bottle. It's most often after 2.

I'm at a loss..

[*Kara*]

Any chance he is teething hun?

I doubt the solids at noon could be the issue as you said, it was 4 hrs previous and the quantity not that much really.


Any change since your post?  He is too young to move to 3 bottles... Though, my DD was doing 6 ozs for her first 3 bottles at this age.. and then 8ozs at BT.

[Skadiver13]

His 2 teeth popped through and he doesn't refuse any other bottles. Ate it fine yesterday, but refused again same bottle today had no solids for lunch. No signs of teething.

[*Kara*]

Hmm, I might try dropping the 11am bottle down to 6 ozs to see if that makes him hungrier for the PM bottle. 

Did you offer any solids when he refused the bottle at 4pm today?  If so, he could be holding out for the solids

[Skadiver13]

He really doesn't like solids, Getting to eat even the 1.5oz in the am is a challenge. He refuses all foods except stage 1 puree's and even then he'll like it one day and vomit/refuse it the next.  But no no solids today after lunch. He only had 3tb (1.5oz) of mango this am. That's about all I get him to eat in a day. i'm so hesitant to drop bottles oz's because he drains them and is only 25th% of body weight. We struggled for 6 months to get him to each more than 4oz a bottle and now he's up and he's STILL feeding at night. I'm afraid if I drop Day time bottles he'll want to eat more at night? He'll down an 8oz bottle if I let him at night. I've been limiting it to 6 if before 2am or 4oz if after.  I fed him just now and he ate 7oz. I have NO idea what that'll do to his bedtime bottele at 6:30.. dreading that. Maybe tomorrow i"ll try waiting 10min and then trying to feed him? Maybe he'll realize he's hungry if he's been up for a bit? I mean it was 4.5hrs there is no reason he wouldn't be hungry. I feed him 6/7/8oz at 4 and he'll down another full bottle 2.5hrs later at bedtime?

Maybe I should try weaning that night time bottle?

[*Kara*]

Hugs Siobhan - his reflux could play a role in his dislike of solids... Given the issues that you have had thus far, I would be really tempted to stop solids for now and just go with formula... try solids again in a few weeks. 

RE: the night feed... I would leave it TBH.  Many babies just are not ready to stop a NF until they are well established on solids and that may be the case for him.  The only time I would suggest weaning it is if it is effecting that first bottle of the day (like baby refuses to eat for at least 2 hrs when they wake in the morning) or they only take a couple ounces and start snacking for the day...   I think your plan of limiting it if he wakes after 2am is good.  I did the same thing with DD

[Skadiver13]

I think you are right about the solids affecting his reflux, so I just kind of go with the flow. I did try to stop the solids, actually I did for a week or so. He takes them well in the AM so that's what i've been sticking with. My ped is really pushing to start adding more meals. She said it doesnt' need to be a lot but that he really needs to start weaning soon as at 12 months he'll need to be on a good regiman of solids. It's a bit like getting scolded to be honest. I'm not pushing him to eat. If he tells me he's done I don't push it even if he's only had a tablespoon, but I guess I"m hesitant to stop offering all together? As for his AM bottle the only time it seems to affect him is when he wakes at 4am, I try only giving him 2oz but that doesn't really fill him up enough to sleep so it sometimes affects his AM bottle but that's rare. If I wait about 30min before feeding him he tends to eat his whole bottle, or at least 5/6oz of it which i'm happy with.

[*Kara*]

As for his AM bottle the only time it seems to affect him is when he wakes at 4am, I try only giving him 2oz but that doesn't really fill him up enough to sleep so it sometimes affects his AM bottle but that's rare. If I wait about 30min before feeding him he tends to eat his whole bottle, or at least 5/6oz of it which i'm happy with.

I remember this all too well!  I tried to wean the feed if it was as late as 4am and failed horribly!  I would just feed at that time and then just postpone his AM bottle as you have been.

During the day, I would go ahead and keep him on an 8 oz bottle if he will take a whole one... as for solids, let me see if I can get a list of reflux-friendly fruits/veg etc for you

[*Kara*]

Found this bit of info that gives some suggestions for what is best for refluxers

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/introducing-solid-foods-to-a-baby-with-reflux.html

[Skadiver13]

So this afternoon I waited about ten minutes after his second nap to try to feed him and he ate so that's good.Will try again tomorrow and see if it works. thanks so much for the links. So he has done well with sweet potato, sweet peas, peaches, prunes and loves mangos. sometimes he'll do well one day on a food but the next vomit. he hates anything with texture. he hates bananas and squash and does not do well on pears or apples or carrots.

[Skadiver13]

Ok so I lowered the amount of his second bottle to 6oz and he ate about 4/5 oz the next bottle (at 4pm) so that was good at leat not flat out refusal.  However for the last 3 days he's now been only taking 3.5/4oz in the AM. He's been eating 4oz at 2am as that's all I offered so you'd think by 6:30 (30min after he wakes) he'd be hungrier? Maybe it's a gass issue?

[*Kara*]

Nope - could be a sign that he doesn't need the NF anymore   I would reduce to 3 ozs and see what happens!

[Skadiver13]

I hope so. But DH told me he took 4oz last night at 2:30am and then took 4.5oz in the am which still isn't a lot.. But he sucks that bottle down at 2am and seems to be hungry??

[*Kara*]

But he sucks that bottle down at 2am and seems to be hungry??

This does make me wonder if his reflux is flaring a bit during the day... common for refluxers to eat better overnight when they are more relaxed... has he had a med check lately?  Teething?

[Skadiver13]

He's on zegerid. I guess he could need an up. He's still in the middle doseage range of 12-24mg/day. He gets 20mg/day. The higerh end is 24-26mg/day
http://cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz/medicaltreatment/dosageschedule/?wpmp_switcher=desktop