This is my first time posting so forgive me if i do anything wrong! I have a DS who is 8mths old and we need some serious advice on getting him to take a bottle & eat more solids ( or any some days ).
I will have to return to work in a month and he flat out refuses, even if he sees me getting one near him he arches his back and screams!
You could try getting someone else to give him a bottle, if you leave for a mock outing and a carer tries it may be easier, sometimes they just think why they hell would I have that when you are right here. Maybe not even a bottle, have you tried a sippy cup, try with or without the valves though, sometimes they are to hard to use. Let them play with it and become familiar to it. Is it ebm or formula, sometimes the different taste is offputting as well.
Food is for fun until one, as the saying goes. The most important part of their diet this this age is milk, so don't be concerned about the volume or regularity that he eats. Just offer healthy bits and pieces and see how he goes and always offer milk before food. Good luck!
At 8 mths there is no need to introduce a bottle. He will be able to drink fine from a sippy cup (maybe even a straw cup). Tell us a bit more about his normal food intake and the amount of bfs he has.
You will probably also find he will more readily take either when you're not there with him. He's not silly, why settle for second best, when Mum is right on hand!
At 16 months my DD2 will still not drink from a bottle, but as Jennifer suggests, she will drink from a cup.
To encourage her to eat solids, i offer food first then boob. She was a pretty slow starter but is well and truely into it now! Have you tried baby led solids with him. Giving him soft finger food so that he can feed himself? Some babies are more responsive to this way of introducing solids.
At 16 months my DD2 will still not drink from a bottle, but as Jennifer suggests, she will drink from a cup.
To encourage her to eat solids, i offer food first then boob. She was a pretty slow starter but is well and truely into it now! Have you tried baby led solids with him. Giving him soft finger food so that he can feed himself? Some babies are more responsive to this way of introducing solids.
Yeah, DS never had a bottle. Have you tried a sippy cup or maybe a straw cup? Sometimes you ahve to try a few different types to get their interest.
And it may be that he's just not really ready for much solids yet. Have you tried giving him things he can feed hiself, like pieces of steamed veg, soft fruit, bread...?
Worrying about your baby taking a bottle or cup is a really common concern for mums going back to work. I went through the same thing, and so have many people I know. The good news is that the babies don't starve themselves - when mum is not there and they are thirsty, they do drink. Sometimes they drink less while mum is away and make up for it with more breastfeeds when they are back with mum. That's fine too - they are still getting enough milk overall.
I agree with Jen that it is much easier to skip the bottle and go straight for a cup. Neither of my boys would take a bottle either so cups were my saviour. Either a sippy cup or a straw cup should be fine. Even if he doesn't drink from it the first time, he will when he needs to.
As for solids, he is still really young and some babies just aren't ready for much solid food yet. My first DS was nearly 1 before he really ate. Just keep offering (finger foods are a great idea - and remember that meat is an important early food - there are threads on here about Baby Led Soldis if you want some more information, or you can google it) and he will eat when he's ready.
All the best hun. I know going back to work is a really stressful time, but it does mostly seem to be easier than we expect
Thank u all so much for your advice. It is finally nice to have somewhere to ask questions without feeling like i am being juged or doing it all wrong ( haven't got the most approachable Child Nurse )
He has between 4-6 feeds a day and sometimes 2 a night. He has always been a fussy eater and in the beginning we had a hard time establishing due to DS having a severe Tounge tie, after alot of tears, nipple cream and trips to the Docs/Nurse we decided to have it snipped at 3 months which fixed the problem instantly. Due to both of us pushing through this barrier I don't really want him to wean just yet, but need to be able to leave him in care occasionally!
I will try just the cup and forget the bottle for awhile and see how we go. As for the solids he will eat anything he can hold i just wasn't sure if that was enough for now. However from all of your replies it sounds like i should relax a little and let him do the driving!!
They're smart little creatures these babies of ours hun. Letting them drive tends to work pretty well!! I am so glad that you are feeling better about it all. I am sure it's all going to go well for you.
My first DS was born with a tongue-tie too. It sure makes for a bumpy start. We were very lucky to find out about it early and have it snipped at 3 weeks, and like you that was the end of our troubles!!
HELP!!!!
I have a DS who is 8mths old and we need some serious advice on getting him to take a bottle & eat more solids ( or any some days ).
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