I have a 9mo old little boy who recently came down with a really bad sore throat and refused to take a bottle or cup at this time. He would only drink from a straw. Now that he is better he still refuses the bottle. He is eating baby food and taking a vitamin supp. so I am not so worried about him not having the formula. But he would take a bottle to fall asleep and now he wont. He is waking up in the middle of the night 2 or 3 times and will just fuss. Tried to let me cry himself back to sleep but there is only so much of that before I am crying myself. Any sugestions would be great.
I agree with the others in trying a sippy or straw cup. My son never liked a bottle (although he was breastfed) and likes a sippy and straw cup while I am gone at work. Some babies just don't like a bottle! Also, he could be teething or some other developmental milestone is about to happen (or is) which affects their sleep. Try reading "No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley for ideas.
L., my son did the same thing, he had always hated the bottle. We bought one of the sippy cups that have the straw in the lid and that is what he prefers. He was 9 or 10 months old, so I would say that your son is ready for a big boy cup now. He is now 16 months old and still likes the straw cups. Even when he wakes up in the middle of the night, I just get his cup from the fridge and take it to him. I hold him while he drinks to make sure that the cup stays upright. I can tell when he stops drinking and falls back asleep then I put him back in his bed and put his cup back in the fridge. You might try it and see if it works. Good luck!
i went through something similar with my daughter, it was a texture issue, maybe try a different texture of nipple, something firmer to resemble the texture of the straw
Will he take a sippy cup? If so, let him take it to bed with him. I know that this is a big no no in the dental world and I really do understand why but sometimes we have to do what works. Just try to make sure that he doesn't fall asleep with the cup actually in his mouth and then go in and take it away after he is asleep. Maybe this will help him get back in the routine.
Try reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". Good luck!
A lot of the sippy cups out on the market have soft spouts now. I like the Nuby brand sippys as they are really inexpensive, leak proof and easily found in your local walmart. I don't think a child that young should be taken off formula, there is so much packed in the formula now, even the DHA that is found in breast milk...I don't think a supplement has that, also a lot of vtamins are not absorbed the way they should be so that they provide the nutrition they claim.
Good luck
The straw cups work well too!
( and even though I know probably 90% are guilty of it we really aren't supposed to put them down to sleep with a bottle anyway, babys are meant to be held while bottle fed, but I openly and with out guilt admit that at some point each of my babies went to bed with a bottle of formula or milk occassionally!)
Try using a sippy cup w/ the milk. He is too young to go without the benefits that the milk/formula will give him (even w/ the vitamin supp).
Sometime kids just wing themselves off the bottle. you could try one of those sippy cups that don't leak and see if he will take that. My Aunt had a boy that just threw his bottle away and he never wanted it again and I believe he was only 10 months old. I hope this helps.
