Struggling with bottle ..5 months old?

Question

My baby boy will be 5 months on Sept 2. We went to the doctor last wednesday for his 4 month appt (shots and physical). Doctor said he is doing great. He was doubled his 8lb15oz birth weight (now 16lb5oz) and looks great. He also told me to wait a month before I start feeding him solid foods (canned fruits and veges) so he wouldn't develop any food allergies. I have been feeding him rice cereal for a month now and he LOVES it! Ok, so here's the problem... Since he went to the doctor he has had very little interest in his bottle. At first i just figured it was because he had gotten his shots and wasn't feeling well, but now i think its a coincidence, its been almost a week and he gets MAD when i try to give him his bottle of formula. But if I stop and give him cereal he'll eat it. I do prepare his cereal with formula instead of just water (approx 4oz of formula), but I am concerned hes not getting enough nutrients especially since the doctor said his primary source of nutrition right now is still his formula. He will take the bottle 1/3 of the time with no problem(4oz-6oz), but the rest of the time, about after 2-3 oz he gets mad and doesn't want it anymore. So what should I do. We have tried several different styles of bottle. We started my older child on solid foods when she was 5 months old should we start him on them? Thanks for any advice!

Answer 1

My daughter fought me on bottles since day one and I never got milk in so I couldn't breastfeed. I have basically just fought with it this long and let her eat when she wants and put formula in anything I can to get it in her. It does go in spurts though. She would take a bottle for a few weeks then not for a few weeks. She is now 9 months old and 21 pounds. She will not take her bottle much anymore and will only take water in a sippy I was told to hold off on juice cause of so much sugar. My doctor said to just mix what I can into her cereal and food and let her have her regular food with her sippy of water. Just do what you can and try not to stress because pretty soon he will be on more food and you can not worry so much about the nutrition of the milk.

Answer 2

If he is fussing at the bottle then he is done.  Make sure to feed him his bottle first and then at least an hour later offer the cereal if you want.  My daughter goes through periods where she eats more and eats less, it's totally normal.  When she arches, acts "mad" it usually means she is done.

Answer 3

he should be drinking 28 to 32 ounces of formula a day regardless of how much food you feed him. We didn't even start any solids, even cereal till almost 6 months because the doctor advised us not to, and because we heard of babies who snubbed the bottle once they had some solids.

I would back offer the bottle first, and once he drinks it, he can have the cereal. Formula or breastmilk is the main source of his nutrition, and he needs it. If you mix the cereal with 4 ounces of formula, count that into the daily count of formula..so if he drinks 3 six ounces bottles and eats 2 servings of cereal with 4 ounces of formula, that would make 26 ounces of formula a day and that's not bad as long as he is thriving!

Answer 4

I think it might be due to a change..I am having a similar issue with the bottle right now with my 4month old..he screams whenever he sees it! lol. but will take it sometimes..we need to add pedialyte to every bottle in order for him to take it..this is another reason why I won't start solids, not even cereal...sorry I couldn't help, just wanted to let you know other people are going thru similar issues!

good luck

Answer 5

why do parents give in to their children??? If an infant gets "mad" its because its an infant! you are the parent and that child is the way it is because if its direct influences, you! Don't give in. If a baby is full of cereal its not going to be hungry for formula, you cant force feed a baby. Parents these days are why there is an epidemic of obesity! You should listen to you your doc! no more cereal if he wont take a bottle, the formula is WAY more important than cereal.

Answer 6

My son is 5 months old as well and showing less interest in eating than he was.  He's almost cut himself out of a feeding.  He is getting cereal, but just once a day.  I think it's just a thing mine is going through...but time will tell.  He's still growing and seems pretty happy.