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Do you think I'm fueling the fire? RE: Feeding Issues

Culkinator54Culkinator54
in Babies: 6 - 9 Months

Sorry this got so long!!!! 

DD has recently become a bear to feed, despite our efforts to feed her in a silent, dark, no interruption environment.  When we hold her to feed her, she'll drink maybe a half ounce, then spit out out at us via raspberry blows.  I bet she actually only ingests like 1/4 ounce.  Then she'll try to sit up, so we thought she wanted to be more upright.  Same thing...  Then, DH and I thought maybe we were trying to feed her too often b/c she used to eat every 3 hours like clockwork, so we started waiting longer thinking she wasn't hungry enough at the 3 hour mark, but it's the same thing.  I've tried forcing her to eat, especially after 4-5 hours, but it ends up all over her shirt b/c she'll suck some out of the bottle, then spit it out.  About 3 nights ago, she was sitting in her bouncer.  I don't know why, but I just sat next to her and offered her a bottle.  It had been like 3.5 hours since she ate.  She downed 5 ounces like it was nobody's business.  So now when I can't get her to eat when holding her (which is all the time), I just put her in the bouncer, and she'll drink a decent amount.  I have NO idea why this is, but I seriously need suggestions here!  Obviously I can't take the bouncer everywhere I go when I need to feed her.  It's driving me insane, and I'm getting so frustrated that I DREAD trying to feed her.  She eats her solids well (veggie in am, cereal at dinner).  We tried a sippy, and she kinda gets it, kinda not.  I'm at my wits end.  Help!

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Re: Do you think I'm fueling the fire? RE: Feeding Issues

  • mari_goldmari_gold
    Have you tried letting her feed herself? Around that age Zack started holding his own bottle at daycare. They prop him on a boppy, hand him the bottle and he drinks at his own pace.
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  • LilMissSunshineLilMissSunshine
    Have you tried moving up in nipple flow?  Iknow it seems like a reach but it might help.  I get so concerned about my LO - he alot of the times is much more interested in what is going on around him.  I've had to start laying him down to feed him and not hold him, except his last bottle before bed.
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  • Culkinator54Culkinator54
    Yeah, we tried that, too, but unless it's only an ounce or two, she doesn't hold it up well yet.  Plus, when she's in control, it's even more of an in and out of the mouth game with the nipple.  Same with the sippy.
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  • Culkinator54Culkinator54

    imageLilMissSunshine:
    Have you tried moving up in nipple flow?  Iknow it seems like a reach but it might help.  I get so concerned about my LO - he alot of the times is much more interested in what is going on around him.  I've had to start laying him down to feed him and not hold him, except his last bottle before bed.

    We're up to level 3, so it's definitely coming out fast enough.  She, too, is very intersted in what's going on and wants to play.  I think she likes the bouncer b/c she can kick the hanging toys and still eat, so she doesn't feel like she's missing out - clearly, my theory.  I just don't know if I'm creating a bad habit....

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  • ToraniTorani member
    Do you feed her by the clock or by her telling you she's hungry?  If you are doing it by the clock, she may not be hungry yet.  I usually let DS tell me when he's hungry, and if I try to feed him even a half hour before he wants to eat, he'll have nothing to do with it.  He usually eats every three to four hours, but I only feed by the clock when it's been more than four hours since he ate last.
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  • LilMissSunshineLilMissSunshine
    I don't think you're creating a bad habit - they go through so many changes and cycles, I do think in cases like this it's hard to get them used to one thing. 
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  • Culkinator54Culkinator54

    imageTorani:
    Do you feed her by the clock or by her telling you she's hungry?  If you are doing it by the clock, she may not be hungry yet.  I usually let DS tell me when he's hungry, and if I try to feed him even a half hour before he wants to eat, he'll have nothing to do with it.  He usually eats every three to four hours, but I only feed by the clock when it's been more than four hours since he ate last.

    When she was 3-4 months, it was by the clock b/c she woudl cry to eat every 3 hours like clockwork.  Now we wait until she cries.  I just sometimes really wonder if she's eating enough.  I mean, what's the minimum number of ounces she should be having at this age?  Some days I'm lucky if she takes in 20...

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  • sgrlsgrl member

    Wait, I'm sorry, do we have the same kid?!?!

    I've resorted to sitting on the floor with her and giving her sips periodically just to get her to drink SOMETHING.

    You might want to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection or fluid in her ears - that was a big part of Sadie's problem, but she still doesn't eat well even after two rounds of antibiotics. I'm hoping she doesn't still have fluid in her ears but I'm afraid she might. I do think it's normal for them to start being distracted at this age. I have no idea if you're creating bad habits. I worry about the same thing myself because I try any trick I can to get milk in her belly, but the desperation to get her to eat outweighs the fear of bad habits. Good luck! If you figure out a solution, please PM me!

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  • sgrlsgrl member
    Oh, hey, one thing that works for us sometimes is to wait until she's almost asleep. She's a thumb sucker, so sometimes I can pop her thumb out and pop the bottle in, and she'll drink while she's half-asleep because she's not trying to get up and go conquer the world when she's tired.
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  • MiniZigMiniZig
    I seriously could have written this post word for word.  We have NEVER been able to feed DD on demand because she could go HOURS without food and still only drink a few oz.  She is super independant and really does not like to be held when she eats.  She has to be in a certain mood to do it.  We got to the point where we stretched her bottles out to like 4- 4 1/2 hours between and told daycare to try feeding her in the bouncy, propped up in the bobby anything that would elevate her but not require you to hold her.  We also stopped worrying about how much she was eating.  She all the sudden cut back on bottles going from 32-25 in a few days.  We used to stress about it and then figured if she was hungry, she would let us know.  For some reason, she does much better at night though.  Especially with her bed time bottle.  It's like she knows its time for bed and she likes to snuggle up with a bottle, but pretty much only for that feeding.  Otherwise she is all over the place, sitting up, laying down, kicking her legs, grabbing the bottle.  We don't let her hold her own bottle either because it would take her forever to finish it.  She gets really distracted when she eats.  Sorry you are going through this!  It has gotten better and easier for us over the last few weeks. 
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  • sgrlsgrl member
    Oh yeah, her holding the bottle turns into her turning it upside down and shaking it!
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