My son of almost 5 months is refusing to finish his bottles without a struggle
My son, who is almost 5 months, has begun to fight his bottles over the past week, except for the one given at 11pm. He takes 4-5ozs and then stops for winding [which he initiates]. I then struggle to get him going again. He goes rigid, screams, pushes the teat out with his tongue and pushes the bottle away with his hands. Eventually he will take it, but it takes about an hour. He never cries for his bottle anymore and he never seems hungry, not even for his bottle in the morning.
I tried weaning him at 4 months. He started with baby rice at 11am for a week and then I moved this to 6pm. At the beginning he enjoyed his solids but then gradually started to fight this so I stopped a few weeks ago.
Am I feeding him too much? Before we introduced the rice he was taking 7oz bottles with no fuss at all.
He is fine at other times, and sleeps with no problems. I though he might be teething as he quite often has rosy cheeks and his hand is constantly in his mouth. When I put my finger in his mouth he grabs it and tries to bite onto it vigorously and with great effort. This is becoming upsetting as every feed is a struggle of wills.
At present he takes 8ozs at 7am, 11am, 2.30pm, 6pm and 3ozs at 11pm. He will take 2-3 ozs of cool boiled water at 4pm. He weighs 18.7lbs.
My son naps at 8.30-9.15am, 10.30-11am, 12-1pm and 3-3.45pm. He is settled at 7pm and wakes at 6.30am.
By this age many babies are not as ravenously hungry for feeds as they were when younger. There are two ways you can tackle this problem to make feed times more enjoyable for you. Your son is clearly showing that he is not hungry after 4-5 ozs so you could try giving him a 20-30 minute break before offering him the second part of this feed. Change him and let him have some kicking time on the floor. The other way is to wait another 20 minutes before beginning his feed and see if he is more able to take a full feed without such a fuss. This may work well in the morning, if you allow him a little play before feeding him nearer to 7.30am.
His naps throughout the day seem to be quite short. Being too tired to take a full feed could be yet another reason why he is protesting after half a feed. If you split the feed at 11am into two, with a break in the middle, he may settle better for his lunchtime nap.
It would be sensible to see if you can improve your son’s feeding before attempting solids again. A baby ready for solids needs to be taking 4-5 full feeds [8ozs each feed] a day and not being satisfied with that, either immediately afterwards or long before his next feed is due.
Teething could also be playing a part in his behavior. His gums may be tender and some babies seem to find prolonged sucking uncomfortable. By breaking his feeds down into two halves he may be more able to cope. A lot of babies also seem to prefer their milk at a lower temperature when teething begins. If you feel that his gums are bothering him, try giving teething granules or gel 15-20 minutes before a feed is due as this could help him be more comfortable.