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January 2016 Moms
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Bottle feeding becoming a challenge?

brideofgracebrideofgrace member
in January 2016 Moms
So, my daughter just turned 5 months. She is used to getting about 4- 5 six oz bottles per day. However, recently when i've started feeding her she seems distracted by anything and everything and I'm having a very difficult time keeping her focused on the task at hand (eating). Any suggestions? We are not starting solids till she is at least 6 months. 
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Re: Bottle feeding becoming a challenge?

  • grkgdss00grkgdss00 member
    My DD started doing this around 5 months also (she'll be 6 month in a few days), but at the breast which I found is even more difficult cause she's constantly popping on/off to look around and doesn't want to face me - too boring. I've resorted to feeding her more bottles so at least the bottle can follow her gaze and I can see how much she's getting. My advice would be to feed her in a quiet room with no noises, TV, dogs (my dogs are what my LO is most interested in), etc. You could also try wearing a necklace she can play with while eating that keeps her attention.
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  • JanuarysBaby1JanuarysBaby1 member
    I have the same problem with my LO. She is 5 1/2 months and I feel this been going on for quite some time! As pp mentioned, a quiet room with not so many distractions has helped, not totally, but a little. I've also noticed holding down her hands while she's eating has helped as well. Sounds strange but I think it helps her concentrate more. She's always fussing with her hands! 
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  • fishee333fishee333 member
    Yep, my LO gets pretty distracted too. The biggest distractions are my cats and DH. I think keeping her hands busy helps - holding her hands or letting her play with my shirt. A quiet, boring room definitely helps.
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  • KFrobKFrob member
    fishee333 said:
    Yep, my LO gets pretty distracted too. The biggest distractions are my cats and DH. I think keeping her hands busy helps - holding her hands or letting her play with my shirt. A quiet, boring room definitely helps.
    ^This! The cats!! LO "discovered" them a few weeks ago and is definitely plotting how she can get her hands on them during bottle time. 
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  • stephanienjerstephanienjer member
    We are all over the place. Luckily, since we've pace fed since about week 4, we're used to taking 20-25 minutes for a bottle. Now, she just paces herself by getting distracted, instead of us doing it! My big issue is the MESS that comes with a distracted baby! Formula. Everywhere. The other issue is that we have our first tooth poking through, and I think the sensation is different now. We're only a few days in, but I see her trying to eat from the side of her mouth, and obviously, that's a no-go. I find that if I can get her hands on the bottle under mine, she stays more focused. Also, every once in a while, I will hold up the burp cloth with the hand from the arm under her head to block her vision. Kind of like blinders.  :#
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  • teachmegs817teachmegs817 member
    I'd say find a quite, place to feed if possible, that does not have a lot of distractions around you. I know if you're out of the house and in public or at another person's house, that might not always be easy to do. DS doest get distracted, but he loves his food so much that I think he keeps most of his focus on that, lol. 

    Are you worried that she's taking to long to eat? Or that she's making a mess while she's doing it? I guess if DS were to become a distracted eater, I'd be frustrated about it, but only if it was doubling or tripling the time it usually takes him to eat. An additional 10-15 minutes to eat a bottle, I wouldn't stress too much about. 
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  • Knottie84607381Knottie84607381 member
    My girl is getting crazy distracted on the boob also. On and off so many times but when I think she's finishes she plops right back down. She loves looking at anything that makes light so it's hard to take away all distractions!
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  • ChrissyD1203ChrissyD1203 member
    OP, I was also going to wait for solids until 6 months but around the 5 month mark, baby lost interest in bottles and breast and  only showed interest in what we would eat (like she was going crazy trying to grab for real food). So, we started solids earlier.  It was very very clear she was ready for them.  One month later she is enjoying all her new foods and is back to liking breast and bottle again too!
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  • l4rkl4rk member
    I still feed more-or-less on demand, so I actually just end the feeding if she's pops off more than a couple times. My girl seems more into snacking than full meals anyway, so I know she'll be eating again in a couple hours and can have more then if she's hungry. 
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