Question

My baby is 3.5 months old and has refused formula since around 2 months. Whenever I hold her and offer a bottle, she cries violently. She would rather sleep than drink. The same goes for water; she refuses apple water, orange water, and plain water. Once, she went for 8 hours without taking any formula at all. She is in good spirits and weighs 14 pounds. She is usually well-behaved, but she makes a fuss about drinking formula or water. I’ve tried many methods, including feeding with a bottle, using a spoon, and changing to a simulated nipple. None of them worked. I need advice.

Answer

Problem Supplement: The baby’s reaction to the bottle involves three steps: 1) crying hard; 2) using her tongue; 3) spitting out the nipple. Suggested methods include:

  1. If you are currently combining breastfeeding with formula feeding, stop breastfeeding as soon as possible and exclusively feed the baby formula.
  2. When the baby is drowsy, place the bottle in her mouth and bring her head close to yours, just like when breastfeeding.