They won't drink!

Around 7 months we changed the boys schedule to a 3 bottle (9oz) and 3 meals a day with snacks here and there if they wanted them. It was going well bc they seemed to drink more than when we offered 4 7oz bottles. They are teething (top 4) but they both refuse the bottle so much, even after motrin and oragel! I'm at a loss! I've tried sippy cups...but they still haven't really gotten the hang of those and I do add it to their solids to make sure they are getting a little extra here and there! Ugh! I'm ready to pull my hair out though! They will eat maybe 4-6oz in the morning (after sleeping 12hrs!) maybe 5oz in the afternoon and then again maybe 5-7oz at bedtime! I havent increased their solid intake at all, they usually eat around 6oz of solids at a feeding and I've tried decreasing that to no avail.

I'm at my wits end! Is it just teething?? They don't act hungry so breaking it back into smaller bottles doesn't seem like its going to help! Its just so frustrating! Help!!!

 

It could just be teething or that the solids are filling them up so they want less of the bottle. It is frustrating. I never thought when I had kids that eating and sleeping would be two of the most frustrating things I would encounter!

 

My twins started doing the same thing around that age, and they were just too busy to sit and drink a whole bottle without getting bored! I started offering more in sippies, so that they could drink smaller amounts more often. By 10 months, they were off bottles altogether!

 

When my boys were teething they despised the bottle. They also couldn't figure out sippy cups. Our pedi had us add an extra scoop of formula per oz. So it was 1oz to 1scoop instead of 2oz to 1scoop. It double the amount of calories they got in the same amount of time. It worked pretty well for us...at least they didn't lose weight.

 

we experienced the same thing at 9 months. it was so frustrating! they pretty much stopped bottles altogether, and i was freaking out. i tried decreasing solids but they still didn't want the bottle, so they were eating next to nothing... the pedi said it was fine, just to make their solids count. so we started doing a lot of whole milk yogurt, any meats they would tolerate, mac and cheese, anything calorie and nutrient dense and they have been just fine.

 

Glad to know I'm not alone! I did buy some new sippy cups today bc they seem to like the Take n Toss ones but if they throw them they tend to spill easier so we'll try that! So frustrating! I think I'm just obsessed with them drinking enough bc they were so small when they were born...its ingrained in my head I think!

 

:hug: sorry the lo's aren't drinking much it! Your situation sounds just like what ours has been for a while now. Sounds like you are doing all that you can..Hopefully the toothies will show up soon and they will go back to there old routine!

I try and get no less than 500ml down them a day and it is a struggle! The girls seem to constantly be teething so they just don't want the teat anywhere near them unless it is to chew on lol Sorry no advice but i feel your pain!

 

I feel like I keep offering this same advice, so I feel like a broken record :lol: but if they don't like a sippy cup, try training them with a straw. My two like to throw the regular sippies, but totally are into drinking anything with a straw.

Repeat of how I did it:
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First I started with just a regular straw and something they would really, really like (my Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade). I put my finger over one end, so there was just a little liquid in the other, put it in a baby's mouth and took my finger off. After a couple times of this, they figured out that straws can mean good things. I would hold my finger on the end until I could sort of feel them sucking, and then I would let go.

The next day, I used a mixture of water and juice (just a little of this: http://www.firstjuic...m/flavors.html) and I put it in one of the Playtex Straw cups, with no lid, so they got used to the sight of the cup. Still using the same straw as before, I did the same method, but I gradually moved my end of the straw downward. What I mean is, at first gravity would just let the juice fall, but as my end moved parallel, and then towards the floor, they actually learned they needed to suck it. Once they could suck, I put the Playtex lids back on, and they got it pretty quickly.

I think it took about a week for them to figure it out. I used the juice/water mix for the whole week so they were motivated, and then just moved to water. I'm hoping milk will be an easy transition too.

Also, I like the Playtex Twist and Click cups and we haven't had leaking problems beyond a few drips. They're pretty easy to clean and put together.

 

You know bekkiz I do have some straw sippies that JT likes but he still doesn't drink enough out of it for me to put a whole feeding in it. I will use your training advice though, thats genius

 

Yeah, Im going through the same thing so i know how frustrating it is!!

My lil one (i call her lil cause at birth she was 4lbs 15oz) is teething and yesterday she did NOT take the bottle! her last full bottle was @ 6pm and didnt get another full bottle til 6am, she had 1 or 2oz in between!!! I barely slept!! i was so scared! but at 6am she drank 7oz.

wow a mission!!