8 month old doesnt like solids or bottle

[@llli*nsa107]

Hi! My 8 month old son is very healthy as far as weight goes. I have been breast feeding him since birth. He refused the bottle since he became aware of his surroundings (around 2 months) and its been a struggle for anyone other than me to feed him. We tried everything. Eventually he took to the sippy but only via a combination of chewing and sucking. We just re-introduced the bottle 2 weeks ago and he seems to be latching just fine, but just takes a few sips (1oz) at a time and then wants to play or do something else. We have only managed to get an average of 3 oz in at a time, and that takes about half hour of playing to do so. He also doesnt want to eat solids – we started at 6 months with avacado, then banana, sweet potato, etc. I tried making it myself and then tried the jar / package food. He refused after maybe 1-2 bites. Then started refusing the spoon altogether. So I tried more of a baby-led weaning approach. He loves his snacks (puffs and yogurt chips) but doesnt do too well with anything else. I keep trying but he keeps refusing. I know he is gaining well, he is happy, and the first year is “supposed to be for taste and texture only”. But what to do? He ends up only taking a few ounces of milk (with a little oatmeal in there) at a time and eats more frequently throughout the day (and night). Trying to get him more on a “normal” schedule. He has even started to not be as interested in nursing except in the middle of the night. Any ideas?!?!??

[@llli*mommal]

Hmm, this all seems very normal to me. Do you absolutely need him to take a bottle? And when you say you want your LO on a more "normal" schedule, what do you mean exactly? Nurse during the day and not at night?

[@llli*nsa107]

thanks for your reply - I am back to work, so he needs to take some sort of milk from some source other than me - whether it is a bottle or sippy. I work from home now that he is born but dont nurse him anymore during business hours. When I say I'm looking for more of a normal schedule, I am thinking maybe nursing max of one time at night (he is in the 90 percentile for weight so I am thinking that should be plenty?). I currently nurse 2-3 times at night. Even if I keep 2 nursings at night, what to do about the solid foods?

[@llli*mommal]

Oh, if only nursing just once a night was "normal" with a baby who is less than a year. Because in my experience, it's not! Sadly. My kids were both nursing at least 5-6 times a night at 8 months, and I think a lot of other people's kids are, too. I would have paid quite a lot of money for a baby who only woke 2-3 times at night... And I don't think how much a baby nurses at night has anything to do with where he is in the percentiles. There are big babies who need to nurse a lot at night and small ones who don't, and vice versa.

I hate to say this to a mom who is working at something in addition to mothering, but I think you're fighting a losing battle when it comes to the night nursing. At least until a year. If the night nursing is really getting you down, though, I'd check out a copy of Elizabeth Pantley's book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" for a realistic look at infant sleep and some gentle strategies to encourage increased nighttime independence.

Is there a reason you can't nurse during business hours? To me- and I'm sitting behind a computer screen Maybe thousands of miles away, so take my thoughts on your situation with a big grain of salt- the easiest thing to do might be to nurse more during the day, not stress about the solids, and see if more daytime intake translates into reduced need at night. And you really shouldn't stress about solids- they're really just for play at this point, not for nutrition.

[@llli*nsa107]

Thanks again mommal - I think one of the reasons I want to cut down on the night nursing is to see if daytime intake increases. I have been feeding baby on demand for quite some time and was concerned that he is only drinking 1.5-3.5 ounces on average during the day per feeding - I thought it could be because of how many times I was feeding him at night. Its difficult for me to nurse him during the day now because when I try, he seems too distracted - another reason why I am trying the bottle more. He has a nanny during the day while I work, so she tries to feed him too. During business hours I am on conference calls 90% of the time and they are distracting to baby who just wants to pound on my keyboard! I also didnt know if the amount of nursing had anything to do with solid intake or if it is completely independent. Baby is very happy and smiley otherwise so I feel he is "getting enough" but it just doesnt feel like he is getting enough.

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

How much are you expecting him to drink at a time? I think that maybe that's where your perception is a little skewed. 1.5 to 3.5 ounces per feeding is very normal. Nursing several times overnight is normal. Why doesn't it feel like he's getting enough? You said he's in the 90th percentile and is happy, so that would say that he is getting more than enough.

[@llli*lizfairchild]

I agree with the others, he is totally getting enough! As for the solids, when I introduce a new food, I put it on the tray with food she is familiar with and foods she likes. Sometimes she will end up picking up a familiar food and the new food at the same time and try it that way, but often she will just be more open to trying new things when there are familiar foods on her tray too. My daughter is almost 10 months now and at 8 months she too was mainly into ouffs and those yogurt things. I think it has a lot to do with the frustration of trying to pick mushier things up. Now that her pincer grip is really accurate, she will pick up anything and at least try it. Also, she absolutely refuses to eat puffs now. So much can change in a few months! If you really want to cut down on the night time feedings, I would suggest sending your husband in to sooth and see if that works. We did that with my daughter and it worked really well! She wakes once a night for nurse and that's it! Mind you, if you are co-sleeping I don't think it will be easy to reduce night time feedings. And even if you aren't it might not be easy, but its worth a try I say! The bottle situation during the day sounds fine. Have you tried giving it to him in a sippy?