| Author |    Topic Search  Topic Options | 
 
  | Tricia   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Christchurch
 Points: 174
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Topic: Battle of the bottle! Posted: 22 January 2008 at 6:01pm
 | 
 
  | 
   Does anyone else have to battle to get their littlies to drink their bottle?
 Rohan is nearly 8 months old now and is on three (sort of) bottles a day plus solids.  The morning and afternoon ones aren't so bad but the evening one I split into 2 x 100ml so he can half before bathtime and half when he goes to bed.  If I leave it all until after bath he'll fall asleep and not take it.
 
 I've just spent over half an hour getting him to drink about 50ml!
 
 He doesn't like water with his solds so I'm concerned that if I let him not drink his bottles, he won't be getting enough fluids.
 
 I don't think that it's the formula as he will drink it quickly if he wakes for a night feed or the morning one as well.
 
 Any suggestions?
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | Sponsored Links | 
 
  
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | cuppatea   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 05 February 2007
 Points: 7798
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 6:51pm | 
 
  | 
   Have you tried giving him the whole feed before his bath? Do you give him the bottles before or after solids? and do you give bottle and solids at same time or a gap in between? Might be an idea to mix the order around till you find what works best.
It could also just be a stage, i'm having a bit of the same trouble here where he will drink a bit (enough to stop him being starving) and then gets distracted by everything else around him, is especially bad when we are out and he has new stuff to look at.
 One good way to get water into him might be to give ice cubes to suck on, I do this with Spencer in his fresh food feeder (but a bit of muslim and elastic band would do the same job).
 
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | Tricia   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Christchurch
 Points: 174
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 7:14pm | 
 
  | 
   Will try the ice cubes - ta!
 He is on the following routine
 
 200ml bottle at 7 am
 Banana and muesli at 8am
 
 Lunch - tin and banana at 11.30 - 12
 
 200ml bottle at 2.30
 
 Dinner - tin and banana at 4.30 - 5pm
 
 100ml at 5.30 - 6.00pm
 Bath
 100ml at 7pm
 
 It's the one before bath that's the biggest struggle.  Tonight he fell asleep just before he finished his 100ml after his bath so I don't think he would last for 200ml.
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | cuppatea   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 05 February 2007
 Points: 7798
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 7:29pm | 
 
  | 
   This is Spencer's rough routine (changes a bit everyday)
 6am 180ml bottle straight back to bed
 8am get up
 9am 180ml bottle then porridge and fruit
 Sleep at 11am
 1pm 180ml bottle then lunch (3 icecubes worth of meat/veges/fruit)
 3.30pm Sleep
 5pm 180ml bottle then dinner (3 cubes worth of meat/veges/fruit)
 7pm top up usually about 80ml then bed. (sometime he has bath sometimes he doesn't but will have bath then top up)
 
 I usually give him about 10mins between finishing his bottle and having his solids as that has seemed to stop him spilling so much.
 
 With giving the food after the bath i would try giving it to him whilst he is wrapped in the towel and then when he starts to doze off get him dressed which should wake him up a bit and then give him the bottle again.
 
 I would also, if you are worried about him not having enough milk, give the bottles before the solids, if he has eaten and then is offered a bottle only 1-1.5hrs later he may just still be filled up.
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | kebakat   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Palmy North
 Points: 10980
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 7:46pm | 
 
  | 
   Does he like feeding himself? We give Daniel a bottle of water and prune juice (cause he gets constipated) and we just give it to him and leave him to it. Sure some of it doesn't go in his mouth but a lot does. It's just a skinny bottle so that he can grip it.
    | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | Mum2ET   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 30 August 2007
 Location: Whangaparaoa
 Points: 3850
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 8:01pm | 
 
  | 
   I am still breastfeeding Ella, but at the moment I am having a bit of trouble trying to get her to drink enough milk (although it is a bit difficult to tell). What I have found that helps is getting her to feed in a darken room (no toys to distract her) and letting her drink as much as wants at the start of the feed and then 30-40 mins later offering her some more milk (80% of the time she will drink some more). When she goes to her caregiver twice a week, I get her to do the same thing but with the bottle and it does work then as well. I also offer her solids about 1 hr after she had her milk (the first go). It does get annoying through, when you know that should be hungry and they aren't drinking/eating enough....particularly when they wake up in the middle of the night demanding a feed | 
 
  | 
     Mum to
Ella (5) and Tom (2)
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | pekemoemum   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 24 October 2007
 Points: 173
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 9:01pm | 
 
  | 
   Tyde has always battled bottles too.
He has 3 a day. of between 100-150mls each bottle.
 He has one after his first morning nap (about 10.30or 11), and one at about 3pm.. I do a dream feed for his last bottle as he drinks that the easiest. If I try to giv it to him before bed he fights it....
 I have found Tyde really likes the drink bottle with the straw in it and drinks water really well from that.. (tried his formula and he didn't like it!).. so you could try a cup/bottle with a straw in it... ??
 good luck!
 | 
 
  |  | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | Tricia   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Christchurch
 Points: 174
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 9:53pm | 
 
  | 
   So how much is enough liquid for a day?
    | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | mummy_becks   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Points: 14931
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 22 January 2008 at 10:31pm | 
 
  | 
   I'm the opposite with Josh. He drinks and drinks so much. And he loves water. For 8 months I think 4 200ml bottles is good and maybe a little bit of water. | 
 
  | 
     I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
     | 
 
  |  | 
 
  | yummymummy   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Auckland
 Points: 2161
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 23 January 2008 at 1:39am | 
 
  | 
   I think the general rule for fluids is 90-100ml per kg at around 1 year old - I think.    Keep in mind other fluids too, not just formula and water, maybe giving him some cold soup or a bit of juice with the water. Ice cubes or a fruity ice block. Also some fruit & veggies are mostly water like watermelon - maybe try those.
 I spoke, about a month or so ago, to Plunket as Gina wasn't much into her water then, and was told that unless bubs is unwell they are not too worried about fluids and that babies will drink when thursty.
    | 
 
  |  | 
 
  |  |