https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:04:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877659 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 15:55:05 +0000 AmandaB8 1877659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD has always done the same thing.</p> <p>Our ped said as long as she was getting at least 20 oz a day, there was no worry. We just gave her 8 oz bottles and let her eat as much as she wanted to. </p> <p>At 8 months, she gets a bottle before each nap (3x a day), before bed, and 3-4 oz in the middle of the night. We actually wake her up in the mornings and sneak a bottle in while she's still mostly asleep too. :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877618 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 15:36:08 +0000 skipra 1877618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't read through all the responses but hopefully you already have some good advice. W was a particularly fussy eater from about 3 months on. He would not take bottles and fought nursing if there was anything going on around him. Talk about isolating! I think part of my problem was trying to fexed him too often and getting stressed out when he wouldn't eat. Honestly, if feeding before naps is what works then I would just stick with it. You can always sleep train later but you can't go without feeding her! The difficult part will be when she starts dropping naps if she hasn't gotten over this problem. You could try to keep to your current schedule, get rid of the swaddle, then when nap times change yoy keep feeding at the times you were previously which is no longer right before a nap. As for mornings, G doesn't want to nurse when he first wakes up but if I get him when he starts stirring but before he is wide eyed then he will nurse for a bit.<br /> Also, I think it was already mentioned but you could start solids early. W started cereal around 4 months and it was onevway to get some extra milk in him. We also thinned out some homemade purees with milk vs the water used in the store bought stuff. There are sippy cups for 4 months up too. Since W refused the bottle we gave him sippy </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877504 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:42:44 +0000 winniebee 1877504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok so T had some of these issues as a baby as well. Dairy intolerance, reflux, fickle eating habits. But he always gained very well so we were told not to worry even though I did. </p> <p>He dibbed and dabbled with his bottle all day until I figured out around 5 months that he really only wanted to eat when sleepy. At that point he was on 3 naps. I would always feed him first thing in the morning but would do it in his room, dark, as if it were a motn feeding. He would drink at least a few oz then sometimes more and it would be enough to get him to breakfast. (He ended up really liking solids so we rolled with it. He had 3 meals a day by 5-6 months and table foods by 7 months). He would always drink a bottle before morning nap (5 oz) them afternoon nap (5 oz) and sometimes would take a 3rd nap and drink 3-5 oz and then bed would drink 5 oz. he was always on the lower end of average for milk intake until probably 10 months when suddenly he couldn't get enough and loved his bottle (and we weaned all but the bed bottle by 15 months). As for feeding out and about we did do it but he drank best while in his car seat or something. As he got older he always would take a 5 oz bottle before naps but would take a bigger bottle before bed. So, it all sort of evened out when he dropped the third nap (3-5 oz when he woke, 5 before nap 1, 5 before nap 2, 6-8 before bed). By the time he dropped to one nap he was 15 months and off the bottle and like I said he did like actual food so we stopped worrying about milk intake. And fwiw he loved cows milk (outgrew the dairy intolerance by a year). Not sure if any of this makes sense. I don't know why he was like this. Part of it is that he was a really active baby and was very nosy and couldn't pay attention for very long. The other part is I do think his belly didn't love milk (or nutramigen). I know it is stressful but have faith that it will work out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877474 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:34:34 +0000 sailgrl18 1877474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>4 months was definitely the start of really distracted eating. DS would only eat in quiet rooms and mostly before naps. It's gotten better but he's a horrible bottle feeder and right now really only wants to eat if he's not being held. Have you tried putting her in a bouncer and feeding her that way? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877419 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:18:37 +0000 Adira 1877419@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know 4 months is around the age babies start getting REALLY distracted and just don't have time to waste doing something silly like eating. I'd probably just stick with pre-naps/bedtime feedings for now, but have you tried feeding her first thing in the morning without unswaddling her and keeping it dark with all the white noise on and stuff? I used to do that with Xander - didn't even change his diaper until he was done eating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877408 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:10:21 +0000 Madison43 1877408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: right now, she drinks 3, 8 oz bottle per day (one before each nap and one before bed), but that's a pretty recent development. For many months, she would drink 4-6 oz a before each nap and 6 oz before bed (easier to sneak in more when she's half asleep and ready for bed). Her nanny would be able to sneak in an extra 2-3 ounces after her afternoon nap and then she still woke up once overnight, which I used as an opportunity to give her another 2 ounces. On average, she drank about 21 ounces a day (like you, 24 ounces was a miracle). </p> <p>Also, I'm not sure this makes it better, but all the tomorrow problems you talk about are hurdles that everyone faces. Just because she's having feeding issues now, doesn't mean that those things will automatically be harder for her to deal with., you know.? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877372 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:58:58 +0000 Anagram 1877372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: also, re: naps. We had the same issue since LO wouldn't eat while awake even, until 10.5 months. But I went back to work, and I had to out my LO in daycare and despite all her issues (and we had days where she would only eat 3-4 oz in an 8 hour day), we all survived, the daycare ladies caught on and found ways to feed her. And sometimes? I DID go to the birthday party or the play date, even though my LO would not eat and would skip a whole feeding. By that point, her weight had stabilized, so I figured in the end it would be fine. And it was, although we definitely had dicey days. </p> <p>Just hang in there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877356 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:54:34 +0000 Anagram 1877356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: you know the exact same thing happened with us...and also didn't grow out of it until 10.5 months. She was also a very late solids eater, for the same reasons (associating food with pain I guess?). She literally would not open her mouth for a spoon or try a finger food until she was 7 months and she just sort of nibbled until after 1 year when FINALLY she became an eating machine.</p> <p>Now she's a total pig and eats everything at 14 months and drinks straw cups and bottles, no problem.</p> <p>Just wanted to give you hope, because you caught your LOs issues much sooner than I did-- she will likely grow out of this phase faster than my LO did. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877328 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:46:40 +0000 Kemma 1877328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you tried cup feeding with your LO? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877222 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:06:52 +0000 ElbieKay 1877222@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: If they are really your friends, they will understand. My closest friends do. Sometimes acquaintances do not, but I have learned to shrug them off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877195 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:59:06 +0000 Mae 1877195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: I think the allergy (possibly in combo with the reflux) was the underlying cause. Once we got her on a hypoallergenic diet she started improving within 4 days and within a week we didn't have to feed her sleeping anymore. But things have just never been the same since. I feel like she just doesn't like eating anymore due to it hurting her for a while without us realizing it :( </p> <p>@Madison43: you give me hope that even if it doesn't improve per se, it is workable long term. I think I just live in fear of things getting worse again. And I see so many potential obstacles. Swaddle weaning. Nap training. Solids. Introduction of water/straw cups. Cutting naps. I try not to stress about things that are tomorrow's problems... but it's hard not to think ahead and worry. When your LO got down to 2 naps/day how much was she drinking with her 3 bottles? That just seems like so few bottles/day!</p> <p>@ellewoods84: i know this is a short period of time but i just feel like people in our life are getting less understanding of our inability to ever leave our house. my friends with kids seem to just cart them around and I'm all.... are you kidding me? of COURSE i can't go to a birthday party! lol. I guess I just wish I had the option of skipping a nap. Like I can deal with the overtired crankiness and whathaveyou if it was a good reason. But skipping one nap = skipping two meals. And she already only eats 5 times/day so that would just seriously cut down on what she ate for the whole day :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1877012 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:05:49 +0000 ellewoods84 1877012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No advice, I am sorry you guys are still dealing with this! Looks like some previous posters have some good advice though. Hope it gets better soon...but, if it makes you feel any better, we pretty much don't ever leave the house either because we are definitely still at 4 naps a day and I am so paranoid that if I mess with her naps, it will make her night sleep even worse (like that is possible). So...maybe just with time, things will get easier? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876998 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:01:16 +0000 Madison43 1876998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: yeah, instead of swaddling one day, we just put her in a sleep sack, sat in her chair to have her bottle and went from there. It wasn't so bad. By that point though, our reflex issues were behind us, she just really did not have any interest in taking more than an ounce or 2 if she wasn't getting ready to sleep. Way too distracted for that. A bottle just became part of our nap routine and so I guess I didn't feel any more trapped than anyone else in nap jail :wink: Once she consistently got down to 2 naps and 3 bottles a day, I felt much more free. She has had no problem with solids and loves to drink water from her straw cup. Once we identified her lactose intolerance/allergy and fixed it, I think it was just her very strong preference to eat before naps. She was physically capable of drinking at other times, she just wouldn't. Does that make sense? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876921 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:35:25 +0000 Mamaof2 1876921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I wonder if there is someone else out there who can help - like an Oral Motor Specialist or something .</p> <p>There must be an underlying issue - I would be going crazy!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876899 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:29:18 +0000 Mae 1876899@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: Yep I talked to the ped about solids. She said we can start any time but they're not going to have nearly the calories of formula. Also sometimes babies have tummy troubles when starting solids and that may compound her not wanting to eat issues, so I'm a little scared to try them. Since things are okay for now I was hoping to ride this out a bit longer and hope she'd just grow out of it by 6 mo and start solids then... but its definitely on the table for an option to try earlier! </p> <p>@Foodnerd81: nope no new gi. Hated the first guy and she started eating awake so it doesn't really seem like a medical issue so much as a behavioral issue. I guess if things continue like this too long or get worse we could look into a feeding clinic... I just keep holding onto hope things will get better on their own I guess. She has shown continued improvement, taking bottles easier and easier and more and more oz (before i was considering it a victory when she willingly ate 20 oz, now she usually eats 24!). So I guess I still hope they will get better. but I'm getting impatient!</p> <p>@Madison43: glad (sorta? but not really bc sucks for you) that i'm not the only one! so when you swaddle weaned she'd still eat before naps? that makes me hopeful! how do you like... live your life? do you just resign yourself to never really going out for that whole first year until she's off bottles? Also will she take water in a straw cup now that you do solids with her? I'm a little worried even once she starts eating she'll refuse any liquid while totally awake. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876832 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:09:06 +0000 Madison43 1876832@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were in the same exact boat. My daughter would only ever take a bottle before her nap, swaddled with zero distractions around her. We did alimentum not nutrimigen but otherwise the story is the same. Honestly, I just went with it and at almost a year, she still only takes a bottle before each of her naps and before bed. She's also never been hungry when she wakes up in the morning and even now, doesn't want breakfast until she's been up for 30 mins or so. A couple of things made my life easier. Once the alimentum worked it's magic, we could put her down after she fell asleep without any issue most of the time and around 6 months, she started to need less help getting to sleep, and in fact didn't want to be rocked or shushed anymore. We swaddle weaned cold turkey around that time and, absent a few roughy days, she did fine. Not much help, but just wanted to say that I can relate and that it will get much much better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876796 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:39:27 +0000 Foodnerd81 1876796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I'm sorry you are still having trouble with this! I second @Mamaof2: 's suggestion of talking to the ped about starting solids sooner. I forget how it ended up exactly, but do you have a ped or GI doctor that is helpful now? I remember you had some issues with the first one. </p> <p>Still, I'm glad she is eating some, now, but I agree that something will have to change. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876750 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:10:17 +0000 Bluebonnet 1876750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No advice, just sympathy. That sounds really, really tough. Hopefully someone else has some good advice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876736 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:02:41 +0000 Mamaof2 1876736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would normally never suggest this but have you thought about solids? I know Peds say at 4 months you can start with some - maybe she would do better with that than a bottle? I'm not saying to replace the bottle but maybe to get some extra calories in her </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bottle-fed-baby-will-only-eat-right-before-naps#post-1876728 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:57:09 +0000 Mae 1876728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So a lot of you probably remember that we've had a rough road feeding our LO. I don't want to get into the whole history-- but basically it comes down to reflux, food allergies (dairy/soy) leading to switching her entirely to nutramigen, and a long battle over food refusal wherein we spent several weeks having to feed her only while she slept bc she screamed every time we tried to feed her while she was awake. </p> <p>At this point I'd say that things are... okay. They are sustainable. She's eating enough. But she's still a challenging eater. </p> <p>Basically she ONLY wants to eat right before a nap. Even first thing in the morning when she hasn't eaten for 11 or 12 hours, if you stick a bottle in her mouth she just turns her head and refuses to eat. In order for her to eat it has to be just before a nap. I swaddle her up, sit down in the glider in our room, turn the fan and white noise on, and she (usually) eats great. If she isn't swaddled, if the fan isn't on, if there is anything else going on in the room (tv on, someone talking), she won't eat. If we're not in the bedroom in the glider, she won't eat. If she isn't tired, she won't eat. If she's TOO tired, she won't eat. </p> <p>I'm pretty good at reading her sleepy cues at this point and I SAH with her so feeding her this way is do-able and she's eating without screaming and eating enough so I'm happy(ish)... </p> <p>But I'd really like to break the habit of her only eating in this exceedingly specific way for several reasons. First, she is 4mo and at some point in the next month I think we'll have to swaddle wean and I don't know how that will affect her eating. Also I think we'll end up sleep training at some point and that may complicate things. Also she has reflux which means she has to be held for 20 min after eating, which will complicate the sleep training since I can't just feed her and set her down. Also we're trapped in the house all the time because I can't feed her anywhere other than home ever and I also can't let her get overtired because then I know she won't eat and i'll have to wait through another nap and another awake period before she'll eat again. </p> <p>I still offer her food in other circumstances regularly. When she wakes, mid-way between naps, in our room but not at the "right" time, downstairs without the tv on, etc. Sometimes she'll take maybe an ounce, but then she's done. </p> <p>Has anyone dealt with anything like this? any tips to move her towards being able to eat at other times/in other places?</p> <p>ETA: the old adage of "a baby won't starve themselves" is not actually true for us. She's gone like 10 waking hours without eating before. And at this point if we do miss a chance to feed her (usually bc she gets overtired then refuses to eat before her nap), she still naps, then wakes up super cranky and clearly hungry but STILL refuses to eat until right before her next nap. So just "let her get hungry enough" does not seem to work for her. </p>