Question
My baby is three and a half months old and has stopped eating formula and drinking water since two months. As soon as I pick her up and hold the bottle, she cries fiercely and refuses to take it. She would rather sleep than eat. She also refuses to drink water, whether it’s plain water, apple water, or orange water. There was a time when she wouldn’t take any formula for a consecutive 8 hours. The baby’s mental state is good, weighing 14 pounds, and she is usually very well-behaved except for her fussiness about eating formula and water. I’ve tried many methods, including feeding with a bottle, using a spoon, and switching to a dummy nipple. None of them have worked. Please help.
Answer
Additional Information: The baby deals with the bottle in three steps: 1. Cry vigorously; 2. Push the nipple with the tongue; 3. Completely avoid the bottle. Please consider the following suggestions:
- If you are still practicing mixed feeding, please stop breastfeeding as soon as possible and switch to formula feeding only. Although it’s not ideal to stop breastfeeding, it’s better than letting the child go hungry;
- You can place the bottle in her mouth when she is drowsy, positioning her head close to your body, similar to breastfeeding.