Just a few little issues...

A few different issues going on, advice would be great

Bottle time has become h*ll for the most part as the boys will drink a little then they want to chew on the nipples..they want to try to hold the bottles but when doing that they pull down on them and rip them out of their mouths...they want to play...takes forever to get a bottle in them now and just becomes a huge mess. How do I get them to just eat LOL I don't want to discourage them from gasping the bottles but really it is out of control LOL

Lucas I guess is not liking his car seat all of a sudden. Anytime he is in it, it is like he is trying to sit up and can't of course and then gets wicked mad and then screams the rest of the time in the seat...what do I do?

Dianna

 

Mine do this a little w/ the bottles- but usually only when they are done. What I've done is take the bottle out of their mouth for a few min. then replace. That usually works and they usually start eating again- unless they are just not hungry.

I have no advice for the car seat mine still seem to like it- as long as they are moving anyway!

 

Are they getting distracted? I know you'd like them to hold their bottles, but they might not have the coordination yet. Maybe try to swaddle them and feed? Do you feed on demand or on a schedule? Could it be they aren't hungry?

Is it time to move the straps on the car seat? Is it uncomfortable? Or maybe he's hot in it. Maybe start the car with the airconditioning on before you put them in there.

 

Mine did this with the bottles, its very annoying. I ended up taking the boys in a quiet dark room and at that age I swaddled them and then they would eat. I know you would like them to hold the bottle and I do think mine ended up doing it later becaues of the swaddle but I just wanted them to drink the bottle ( I was super paranoid about weight)

No advice on the carseat......is there a special that he likes that you could distract him with when he first gets in the seat? Does he do it the whole time he's in the seat or just at the begining?

Good Luck

Erica

 

As far as the bottles, it comes and goes in phases. I think around 3 or 4 months we moved to the faster flow nipples and that helped ALOT!! We still struggle with this from time to time though, the world is just too exciting and there is so much to do why waste time eating!!

My DD went through this phase with the carseat, there was literally nothing that made it better for her. She eventually outgrew it and now does fine in both the infant and convertible carseats. Wish I had more advice!!

 

I had those issues at 4mo as well. I have no advice, I just wanted to say it did pass and fairly quickly. Sofie learned how to hold the bottle and Maia learned that if she kept hitting it she couldnt drink it.
As for the carseats, I had to constantly swing them in their carseats or they'd cry. Now they are fine with both the convertables and infant seats.

Good luck!! Hope they pass fast!

 

We've had the same issues with the bottles on and off. I agree with the PP - you might think about trying a faster flow nipple - that might help. Also, if they wanted to play -- as soon as it started - I would take the bottle out of their mouth.... and hold it a bit away from them -- when they reached for it - I would give it back -- if they started to play -- away again (and so on) -- usually after one feeding the "playing" decreased significantly. Also -- if its their hands that are the problem -- you could try giving them a small toy (soft worked best for out boys) to hold on to an "play" with while they are eating.

 

(i feed mine at the same time in their bouncers)... i'd sing the same songs over and over , make mouth noises, hold a light up toy in my mouth, you name it. i went thru this for a few months!!! i also switched to a level 2 nipple. then when i finally made the switch to level 3, they finished their bottles in no time

 

I would also say it sounds like they aren't hungry. I would wait until they are really hungry to feed them

As for the carseat issue. My DD screamed for the first 4 mo everytime she was in her seat. We played music in the car that helped.(Baby einstein cd) also we had a toy bar like this Ours came from target. We had two different ones an that helped so they had something to do.

 

Mine do this too. Sometimes I'm lucky to get the first half in simultaneously on the boppies, then when they get really fidgety I alternate back and forth between the two by either holding their hands down with one hand and holding the bottle in with the other, or picking them up to feed. We have those podee bottles stored away. I keep thinking about taking them out again. Maybe if the bottle is out of reach, they will just suck on the nipple and calm down some. I don't know if they realize the reason the bottle keeps falling out of their mouth is because THEY are knocking it out. But I do think they would make the connection that they're not getting anything if they're the ones spitting the nipple out with the podee bottle. Good luck. If you find a solution, let us know!

 

I agree with the PP's about trying a faster nipple. It worked wonders for us. As for the car seat issue, we also had that problem with DD1. She would be fine in the seat until we got to the car then she would scream bloody murder until we got where we were going or she fell asleep (whichever came first). Eventually, after about a month, she outgrew it and now she's fine. Hopefully, this will pass soon. GL!

 

My girls have that issue as well. I have found that if I sit down right next to them and read them a book or play with them while they are taking the bottle then they do better. Sometimes I give them a little toy to hold or just look at and it distracts them from wanting to roll over and move around. If all else fails, I give them a break and try to give it to them again within the hour so it's still good. Good luck!

MJ

 

Sorry no advice with the bottles as we bf.

But mine also dont' like the carseats, we try and make sure they are as comfortable as possible, nothing poking them etc. Once we get them in the carseats if they are fussing before we actually get them in the car, we take the carseat and swing it back and forth in big giant motions, that usually quiets them down, or we rock the seat back and forth vigorously. which all works until you lock it in place in the car! Then ours would be fine as long as the car was in motion - which made going through a drive-through challenging! Now when they fuss I just make sure to have a toy with us that they can be distracted with, or perhaps a toy for them to look at on the seatback which is in front of them.

GL - our babies are definintely better now then they use to be in the carseats, so hopefully yours will get better to.

 

Samantha does the same thing. When she does this- I stop feeding her. I figure if she is hungry, she wouldn't play around.

Car seat- my girls HATED their infant seats and would cry almost the entire time they were in them. At first I just thought that they were high maintenance when we were out and about. We ended up switching them to convertible car seats at 4 months and they love them. We haven't had them cry in the car since. It's such a relief because they seemed to just whine and cry every time we went anywhere before and I was frustrated thinking that I would be stuck at home.

 

As for the bottle issue, try giving them a toy to hold on to while they are eating. They have found that they have hands and are looking for something to do with them. They are exploring their world and so you can't really fault them for that. They just need to learn that we don't play with our food! LOL! Try the toy thing and I would take the bottle out of their mouth when they want to play. Even setting it down on the table, shows them that mom is the one in control of eating time. When they are ready to eat then give it back. Make sure you are telling them what you are doing it and why, I.E., " You can't have your bottle while you are playing with it. When you are ready to eat, mommy will give it back." When you give it back say something like, "Good, I am glad you are ready to eat now. Here is your bottle." These are the "tricks" I was taught while working with infants at daycare. It really does work. They understand so much that is said to them. They need to know that you are the one in control and that you are the one that determines what they can and cannot play with.

As for the carseat, try getting some kind of toys for them to play with. A mirror on the backseat where they can see themselves is great. Maybe try a different type of carseat. Maybe they are just more interested in looking around now. They are curious. That is awesome! Encourage it, mom... you have smart babies! :good:

Good luck!

 

We are using fast flow nipples...We try to stick to a schedule, every three hours, but if they want to eat sooner, we feed them sooner or if not hungry at 3 hours, we don't force it. I don't know if they are distracted or not.

The seat, it is not just the car seat, bouncy seat to. Anything he can try to sit up in, he is trying. In my husbands arms the other day he went from laying to sitting up on his own, so guess he is just trying to figure out a new skill, and since almost sitting up in the carseat, figured it is a good place to try, I don't know. He just seems to get so mad when he can't get in the position he wants, I don't know.

Dianna

 

QUOTE(Dianna @ Jul 15 2008, 12:30 AM) [snapback]876520[/snapback]
A few different issues going on, advice would be great

Bottle time has become h*ll for the most part as the boys will drink a little then they want to chew on the nipples..they want to try to hold the bottles but when doing that they pull down on them and rip them out of their mouths...they want to play...takes forever to get a bottle in them now and just becomes a huge mess. How do I get them to just eat LOL I don't want to discourage them from gasping the bottles but really it is out of control LOL

Lucas I guess is not liking his car seat all of a sudden. Anytime he is in it, it is like he is trying to sit up and can't of course and then gets wicked mad and then screams the rest of the time in the seat...what do I do?

Dianna


The bottle thing was a frustrating phase for us. For me what worked was to feed them separately in the nursery where there was little distraction. They did stop after a couple of weeks and we went back to feeding them out in the family room.

As for the car seats, are the straps too tight? Do they need to be moved up a notch? Is he too hot?

 

I think you and I are twin-mom soul mates. Mine do this too. I think the bottle thing is a distraction issue. One of mine stops doing it if I stand up to feed him (hard on the back, but it gets the job done for us). The other one calms down a bit if I feed him in a room with a ceiling fan (he is mesmerized by ceiling fans)--so if you have a ceiling fan, you might try that. Other suggestions about toys, etc. might be a good option--I think the key is to get them to focus on something.

Theo has never been a big carseat fan, and basically anytime you either lay him down or put him in the carseat or a bouncy, he tries to sit up and gets mad. I think he wants his body to do more than it can right now--so I figure it's a phase he'll move out of when he does have a bit more control over where he is and what position he's in. He just started rolling over (back to front only), and now he does it constantly then cries because he's stuck on his belly/face. So I think he's going to be the brawn in the operation (Finn is definitely the brains right now, LOL). His carseat attitude has improved temporarily every time we've adjusted the strap height; so you might try that if you haven't already.

Good luck!!!

 

My ds has been on a bit of an eating strike the last few days and it is a fight to get him to take 3oz! He just plays with the bottle-but the middle of the night downs 6 no problem...it is frustrating!
I was going to suggest the faster flow nipples but I read you already did that.
Sometimes I wish they could just tell us what it is they want! Always have us guessing!!!
My dd tries to sit all the time too-she is going to have abs of steal-I always say she is doing pilates!
Sorry your little guys are giving you hard time-hope they are nice to you soon!

 

The straps on the car seat are where they need to be. Don't think it is an issue of being hot. Maybe like it was said he is wanting to do more than he is capable of at this time.

Will try the ceiling fan idea. I try when I can to feed them separately if I am home alone, goes much smoother, but not always possible.

Dianna

 

Mine do the same thing with the bottles...I just help them hold them (reposition their hands) but I pretty much just let them do it themselves. If they fuss I'll step in and hold the bottle for a second until they are holding it again.

I don't have any advice about the car seats though, mine are starting to want to sit up in them too!