My 9 Month Old Has All But Lost Complete Interest in Her Bottles! Should I Be Concerned?

cmhawkins1709

My daughter was 9 months old October 30th, and for the past month or so, has not been taking her bottles extremely well at the sitter's. The last two days, she has flat out refused all bottles except for her breakfast one, and the one right before bedtime. I've tried cutting down the oz from 8 to 6, and she still shows no interest whatsoever. She even seems offended by them, pushing them away and swatting at them. She's eating her baby food fine, her cereal fine, she does not act sick or in pain at all, and she's meeting all of her other milestones (she's actually a little advanced). What could be wrong? Should I be concerned? I don't want her to get dehydrated, and I fear she might be losing weight because of this sudden bottle refusal. I have an appointment at the doctor for her tomorrow, but I'm really worried. Could there be some serious underlying condition making her lose her appetite, despite the lack of obvious symptoms? 

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cmhawkins1709

She's got two teeth and she'd had them a while...don't see any new ones coming in. She just had tubes in her ears Oct. 22nd, and I'm used to seeing her have ear problems. She's exhibited no sign of that. She is formula fed...I was unable to BF because of a medication I was on. I've tried a sippy cup...same refusal strategy. I just don't know what else to try! ='/ I hope the doctor can shed some light on this tomorrow! 

mamom0103

My son did the same thing right around that age (formula fed as well). He ate all his food still but very little formula, dropped from 32-35 oz/day to less than 20 oz. it only lasted a week or so. Now he's picked back up a bit. We just added extra cheese and yogurt into his diet and tried more water in a cup, he still hasn't taken as much from the bottle but we're using this as a time to transition to a sippy cup.

cmhawkins1709

Here's what I wrote Doctor K (It's Long) and had her write her replies down:

On Monday, Lainey weighed 19 lb. 13 oz. Has she lost weight? (No, she gained. 20 lb. 4 oz)

She has been flat out refusing all bottles but the one in the early morning and the one right before bed (if given at home). To attempt to remedy this, I switched her from Enfamil AR to Enfamil's Toddler Transitions formula, which has not made a change in her appetite and has exacerbated her acid reflux again. Both the Zantac and the Prevacid she was prescribed when she was younger were completely ineffective, and the Zantac, in my opinion, made her even worse. I am afraid that her bottle refusal will cause her to lose weight and become dehydrated as she is beginning to take her first steps and will become more active in the following months. The sitter reported she only had 3 wet diapers yesterday, and today, she did not want her cereal. We even tried sweetening her formula and this doesn't seem to help either. Is it possible acid reflux or GERD is the underlying issue? What and who do you reccomend? Should she see a Pedi GI? Is it possible she's gotten tired of formula and is ready to start table foods? She has no other symptoms that I can identify. She sleeps well most nights, is exceeding milestones and has an overall happy attitude. Also, can you please take a look at the small skin tags on her arms and back? I have noticed them popping up a lot more recently and I'm not sure why, or what they are exactly. Thank you.

HER REPLY: I think this is normal behavior for her age. Try to do just three 6 oz bottles per day, and increase her solid foods. Offer table foods as well. If the spitting up is REALLY bad, we can refer her to a GI. I use Dr. Stephens in Louisville, but I actually think she looks good. Tubes look great, by the way. Also, the skin tags (Molluscum Contagiosum) - it's a viral infection like warts. They will go away with time. Could take 6 months to a year.

ashbee0223

Maybe try a few sippy cups to see what she likes. It can take some practice with them though. Be patient with her and if all else fails and she barely drinks try spoon feeding her the formula at meals and in between. That didn't sound crazy until I typed it out lol

vrj0522

LO did the same thing at that time. He would take an ounce or two and be completely done. It took begging and pleading for a good hour before he would drink the whole 5-6 oz bottle.  Then my mom came to visit and she made the hole bigger in the bottle's nipple (he was already at the biggest sized one). That completely solved it. He downed his bottle a lot faster, which I think he was starting to feel too busy for, and has since continued to drink his bottle without any issue.

At first I thought it was that he didn't want milk anymore but obviously my mom knew better. My niece and nephew both weaned from the breast at 9 months too so it must be a common thing for babies to have some development at that time and think they no longer need milk. 

I definitely agree with the sippy idea. It might be the change that she needs. 

cmhawkins1709

Update: She's back to taking them. It didn't take very long.

cmhawkins1709

cmhawkins1709

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