DS Started Refusing Bottle at Daycare--help!

teachingmommy

I also posted this on the 6-9 mos., and then realized I'd probably get some great advice here. Here's the concern:

Since the end of September, DS has gotten really finicky about his bottle, and for the past three weeks at daycare (which is fortunately just 2-3 days a week since I am PT), he will not take a bottle at all (he nurses like a champ at home, though). 

This is starting to become a terrible experience, for both him and the workers. He's had some ear infections and has also been teething, but he's teethed before, and the ear infections seem to be doing better. Plus, he sucks on food and his pacifier, so I'm not sure that sucking on a bottle is a source of pain. I just need to get him to take that bottle again, but he has decided that he hates it.

Have you had this sort of thing happen before? It makes me SO sad when I leave him now because I know he's probably having a bad day 

chels0120

Have you changed types of bottles at all to see if another style may work better? Or perhaps a sippy cup? When the DC workers give him his bottle are they holding him? Maybe he isn't being snuggled in like he is with nursing and doesn't feel secure? Sorry I don't have more suggestions! That's hard!

TriciaandSean

Try transferring him to a straw sippy cup and see if he takes to that.

teachingmommy

We've tried a sippy cup He's been drinking out of the Avent bottles since he was a newborn...not sure what's different now.

teachingmommy

Also, I haven't asked the DC workers if they're snuggling with him. I've somewhat "drilled" them already, but I have no shame at this point.

brewcitybride

I'd try a sippy cup. Some babies start sippy cups around this age and never look back.

tweedle29

I had, and to some extent still have, this problem with DD.  She has been going 2 days a week for about 2 months, and the situation has gotten slightly better. She will now usually take three 3 oz bottles at dc.  Recently, we figured out she really likes her bottles warm.  It starts to cool down at about the 3 oz point, and they have to reheat it. Then she will take the remaining two oz. So maybe it has something to do with the temperature of the bottle?

NY-allie

I've had this problem with DD.  Most days I'm lucky if she takes 2 4oz bottles (I'm gone 9 hrs).  On good days she'll take 4 bottles.  I went ballistic once when I showed up and she had only gotten 4 oz all day and they hadn't called me (she switched rooms partway through the day and there was a staffing miscommunication).  Thankfully they've worked with us to try and solve the problem.  

We leave very specific instructions including having daycare call us if she hasn't taken 2 bottles by a specific time.  We also have written instructions on the temperature, how she needs to be held and who can feed her.  I basically gave them permission to open her mouth and put the bottle in there because that's what it takes to get her to eat there (once its in her mouth she'll eat it).  Also since she won't eat for certain people (including her main teacher) they'll bring in a teacher from another room (who DD loves - one of the 3's teachers) to feed her. 

teachingmommy

tweedle29:

I had, and to some extent still have, this problem with DD.  She has been going 2 days a week for about 2 months, and the situation has gotten slightly better. She will now usually take three 3 oz bottles at dc.  Recently, we figured out she really likes her bottles warm.  It starts to cool down at about the 3 oz point, and they have to reheat it. Then she will take the remaining two oz. So maybe it has something to do with the temperature of the bottle?

 Crazy--I had this SAME situation before the absolute refusal started. It had to be a certain temp., but now he's just not interested. 

teachingmommy

NY-allie:

I've had this problem with DD.  Most days I'm lucky if she takes 2 4oz bottles (I'm gone 9 hrs).  On good days she'll take 4 bottles.  I went ballistic once when I showed up and she had only gotten 4 oz all day and they hadn't called me (she switched rooms partway through the day and there was a staffing miscommunication).  Thankfully they've worked with us to try and solve the problem.  

We leave very specific instructions including having daycare call us if she hasn't taken 2 bottles by a specific time.  We also have written instructions on the temperature, how she needs to be held and who can feed her.  I basically gave them permission to open her mouth and put the bottle in there because that's what it takes to get her to eat there (once its in her mouth she'll eat it).  Also since she won't eat for certain people (including her main teacher) they'll bring in a teacher from another room (who DD loves - one of the 3's teachers) to feed her. 

This is helpful. They haven't called me during the day, but then again I haven't asked. I guess I figured, "What can I do?"

 I do, however, feel a bit miffed when I arrive and get hit with this bad news right when I pick him up. Maybe it's because I'm a FTM, but the drive to pick up DS is really starting to stress me out because I'm expecting bad news.

On a side note, I did some more experimenting tonight, and I found out that DS will indeed drink apple juice out of a bottle now. I have NOT wanted to introduce juice this early, but I was desperate to find out if it was a bottle issue. Apparently, it's not. Maybe he just has to have milk from mommy. If so, we need to break this. And, why hasn't it been an issue from the beginning? Hmm...wonder if I could just mix some apple juice with milk...?

MrsKM82

Could it be the nipple flow? Sometimes moving up a size/speed for example slow flow to medium flow might help. He could have drank the apple juice easier since its thinner. Just an idea :