I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!

[*Mona*]

have you tried changing the teat to the faster flow one?

[~*Sugar*~]

Well...i have had some success since yesterday.I was using playtex ventair bottles and have not been happy with them for several reasons which i wont bore anyone with now.I wanted to change bottles but since i spent quite a bit of money on them i was reluctant to switch and have to buy new but i couldnt stand it any longer and yesterday at the grocery store i bought a playtex dropins bottle with a different type of nipple then the one i was using and all day yesterday i had no issues with Lucas and his bottle.He drank 6oz at each feed without the squirming and wiggling and so on.Dont know how long this will last but i am enjoying it while it does and if it keeps up i dont care how much it costs i will be purchasing a few more of these bottles with this new nipple!!!

Fingers crossed!!

Christina

[Lippy Chick]

I keep meaning to look back at this and post. 

It is a very frustrating time and quite upsetting too, when they're just screaming every time you bring the bottle anywhere near them.

To encourage you, it will pass and every baby has a different reason for going through this.  Some babies will have medical problems, but it seems such a co-incidence that they seem to do this at around the same age.  I'm guessing you have very alert babies. 

My health visitor was great and told me it was developmental and that at around this stage they are becoming so interested in the world around them that feeding is the last thing they want. 

However, to throw another issue into the discussion.  We wondered if Alice was getting bored of feeding a couple of weeks ago and we wanted to move to follow-on formula.  We are using the playtex drop-in system.  Unfortunately the formula was too thick to go through the fast flow teat, so we decided to go back to  our tommee tippee bottles with a fast flow teat (had been using medium flow).  She screamed just like she did before we took her off them.  She was much more windy too and would take an hour to feed again, with much squirming in between etc.  So changed to a different follow-on formula and went back to the drop-in playtex bottles and she was fine again. 

I agree with Christina, we had exactly the same positive reaction when we changed to the playtex bottles from the tommee tippee bottles initially and she's been fine ever since.  She's not a great feeder, but she is taking 7-8 ozs in every feed now and takes it fairly quickly.  The change was immediate and she is much less windy on these bottles now too.  So I will definitely be recommending them to all who want to bottle feed and also those who don't want to bottle feed but end up doing it.

Just to reiterate, this time will pass, hang in there, it does get easier.  Then we have potty training and the terrible twos to deal with.  Hurrah

Pauline

[grahamsmama]

Meghan had a much better time with the drop in system too.  She still doesn't take very much at a feeding, but it is a lot quicker than it was.  OT- Pauline, is there a cross cut nipple for the drop in system, like what you'd use for adding cereal to a bottle or a thicker formula?

[Lippy Chick]

Yeah, it's called a Tri-cut teat.  We bought two of those recently, to try them and she couldn't get anything out of them, so we've gone back to our normal fast flow teats.  I did try them with a non-thick formula, so don't know what it would be like with a thicker formula or cereal.

[~*Sugar*~]

Well my fun didnt last.Lucas is back to squirming and wiggling during his feeding again.On the bright side he is drinking more...instead of 3-4 oz with the occasonal 5oz...he is more consistent and drinking 5-6oz every feed now.So i can live with the squirming as long as he gets more formula.Also i did go out today and get more dropins bottles and packed away the old ventair ones that i hated!!! Next week is his 4 months needles...so i am sure everything will go haywire after that...*sigh*

Christina

[* Paula *]

Christina, do you think your lo could be teething?  If so have you tried rubbing some teething gel on his gums a few minutes before a feed.  My DS used to squirm when he was teething as the teat was rubbing on his gums, and was causing him some discomfort.

[Lippy Chick]

About the whole teething scenario.  Apparently Alice has been teething since she was 3 months.  Because she dribbles (which is a normal developmental step) or puts her hands in her mouth (which is again a developmental step) everyone suggests she is teething.  I'm fed up with people telling me she's teething, she's now 7 and a half months and there's still no sign of them.  We did try a teething gel, just in case, it made no difference at all.  Sorry to sound like I'm ranting, but I do get fed up with it being the answer to every problem.  Of course, your baby will end up popping a tooth now, in the next few days.   

I think this is developmental, as so many babies seem to go through it at around the same age and come through it around the same age.  It will pass, I promise.
Alice was the best with her 4 month jabs than with any other.  Although all babies react differently, but I do hope it doesn't have too much impact on you both.

Pauline

[* Paula *]

I completely understand what you are saying about teething Pauline, but when a baby is teething, it does not just bother them when the tooth cuts through but also when the teeth are actually moving in the gums.  When DS cut his last 4 teeth, he showed so many signs of teething as was in pain with them, and they took nearly 6 months to come through.

Christina, just a thought, is your DS still on a 3 hour / 3.5 hour easy? Do you think that perhaps he is not hungry enough at that particular time, and could be ready to exted eating times?

[~*Sugar*~]

Sorry for not replying...my 13 yr old had a 5 day weeknd and a huge projest to work on so my few minutes of free time have been spent helping him out.

Anyway...Yes i did think teething a while ago and tried teething gel and it worked for about a day and a half....so i stopped giving it since it didnt help.Although he does drool a lot and chew on his hands all day long but no crying or any other signs hes in any pain.

Also he was on a 3 hour easy and we just switched to a 3.5 hour easy about a week ago and no change.I was wondering about going to a 4 hour but since i just switched i was waiting a while yet.But i have to say we switch to 3.5 with no,and i mean absolutely no change in anything.He is still napping and sleeping ok and doesnt cry before the 3.5 hours for a feed or anything....it was like i didnt change a thing.Weird.

[orbmom]

Two things I noticed about my guy.  First, he absolutely will not eat before he is hungry, so I had to put him on a 4 hour schedule at 2.5 months.  It has caused some problems getting onto an EASY routine, but I know we'll work it out as he gets older and has more A time.  Second, if he doesn't have a BM daily, even if he isn't constipated, he will not eat much.  He does the squirming thing and it takes forever to feed him.  I guess if he is even a little backed up, he gets uncomfortable.  I give him 3 oz of juice/water daily or every other day to help.  Last week, I did not give him juice for two days (forgot that I had not done it the day before) and sure enough, it was back to the squirming this weekend.  I don't know if that is helpful or not, but I just thought I would share my experience.  I went through several weeks of stressing out over this issue too. 

[~*Sugar*~]

My lo gets a drink of water everyday as well to keep the poop coming...lol.He does go on his own but its every second or third day and for a little one thats too long but the water really helps.

He is still doing better on these dropins bottles...usually drinks 6 oz each feed now....might take me a while to get it in him but its better then the 4 oz he was drinking.

[orbmom]

I know how aggravating it is.  One night ds refused most of his evening bottle.  I took a walk with the dog and just cried in frustration because I knew he would probably be restless at night without a full tummy.  My first child drank the same amount every time on the 3 hour mark until she was six months old, like clockwork.  It was so confusing to me that he could be so irregular.  Finally, he is taking 6 oz bottles and an 8 oz in the evening.  I am not sure if it will last, but I am glad to be on to the next issue lol.

[~*Sugar*~]

Well...now Lucas has his first cold.Not drinking well because he cant breathe and drink at the same time.Poor little guy 

[yaya]

marking my place here,, DD is 4.5 mos and is also going through a hunger strike