Feeding FAQ: 4-6 months – Formula Feeding

My 4.5-month-old takes a long time to take a bottle and he often vomits at 6pm

My son has been a ‘perfect’ Gina baby for 15 weeks but always has been quite difficult to feed. Bottle feeding is getting consistently worse – he cries when the bottle is put in his mouth for 50% of his feeds, despite trying him in all positions and in a chair. Remainder of feeds are okay and he will always take a full feed when he gets started (which sometimes takes 30mins); it is getting him started that is the problem! The best time he takes the bottle is at his 10pm feed: there is no resistance and he takes this down really well.
Since getting a slight cold 3 weeks ago, he has started to bring up some of his feeds – mainly the 6pm one! He sometimes fights this bottle so I have started to feed him earlier to rule out tiredness and still give him a short nap at 4.50pm. Even when he takes the bottle and his solids okay, he will sometimes bring everything up when he is put down in his cot. After feeding he is usually happy but he can be a bit twitchy. As soon as we lay him down he is sick probably 3 nights out of 7. He will then take down more milk but I am concerned that he is starting to bring up solids as well.
He has had solids for 8 days and takes them really well – I don’t think bringing up his feeds are connected as he is really happy and not constipated; except when I am trying to give him a bottle. He is currently on a 3 hole teat, but I have tried with variable flow as well and haven’t seen any improvement.
Please help : how can I make him happier having his bottle and stop this teatime sickness?

It would sound as if your son is not always that hungry for his feeds. By four months this often happens and it worth waiting 15-20 minutes at feed times before beginning, rather than spend this time trying to coax him to start. Wake him at 7am and feed him at 7.20/7.30am, then move the next feed to 11.30am. See if he will take his feed better nearer to 3pm and then use the method below to feed him at 5/6pm. This extra 20-30 min spacing should help him take his bottle quicker.

To help your son digest his solids a little better at the end of the day when he is tired, it would be a good idea to split this feed. About 5.30/5.45pm give him 2/3rds of his milk feed followed by his rice. Although he will be tired, wait until 6.20/6.30pm for his bath, which should get him through to have the last third of his feed around 6.45pm. Let him sit in his chair for a good 10-15 minutes after finishing his feed before settling him for his sleep. If he shows that he is able to tolerate this better, then keep to these timings for a few weeks. As he gets older and will not be so tired in the evenings you can begin to move the rice back towards 5pm. Give him half his rice at 5pm, a bath at 6pm and his full milk feed followed by the rest of his solids. If the vomiting problem does not reoccur, then keep to these timings until he is six-months-old. Once he reaches six months he should be able to have all his solids at 5pm and full milk feed once he has had his bath.