My baby stopped drinking bottles cold turkey

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:19 pm

I’m at a loss, I have no idea what happened or switched to cause my baby to refuse drinking bottles anymore.
He’s 10 months old. I’ve exclusively breastfed and pumped until around 8 months. For the past two months or so I’ve been giving him some formula as my supply is going down. So sometimes he has breast milk bottles at the babysitter and sometimes he has formula bottles. And when I’m home I breastfeed him. But last week he all of a sudden one day just refused to take any of his formula bottles. I don’t have enough breast milk to pump for enough bottles or to breastfeed him when I’m home and he wants to nurse because he’s hungry.
It’s not like I’m starting to give bottles and he just won’t take to them. And he’s been drinking his bottles of formula for close to 2 months already. I have no idea what changed that he just won’t drink his bottles of formula. I really don’t have enough supply of breastmilk to satisfy him and to give him enough fluids.
He’s been super kvetchy the last week, I think because he’s not getting the milk that he wants.
I called his doctors office and one of the doctors there just told me that it’s ok in the meantime to give him water temporarily but he’s barely even drinking that too. He doesn’t look dehydrated at all but I’m still really concerned and I don’t know what to do.
Any advice?

amother

Nectarine ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:21 pm

when my baby did something similar turned out it was an ear infection get him checked

amother

Pear

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:27 pm

When my baby did similar I wracked my brain and finally decided to go up a nipple size and that was the bingo! Perhaps try that. Sometimes when it’s too hard to suck out the milk they just don’t want it altogether.

amother

Maple

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:54 pm

Try offering it from a sippy cup, straw cup
Or miracle cup

amother

Magenta ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 5:26 pm

Is eating enough solids? A lot of babies can transition entirely off formula at that age.
(I know that's not what the websites say. According to the formula every child is miraculously ready to stop formula at exactly 12 months of age. No earlier or later. Obviously in real life, children are different and many are ready earlier.)

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 7:21 am

I already tried those suggestions…
Still don’t know what to do… 😭

momofone613 ↓

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 7:25 am

Could be fluid, or beginning of ear infection. Stomach bug?
Is he eating solids? Maybe he's just not into bottles because he has food now.

imaima

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 7:53 am

amother OP wrote:

Will he drink from a sippy cup?

amother

DarkViolet

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 8:02 am

Is he eating any food?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 10:01 am

He’s eating food well.
He likes to drink from a cup so I tried putting the formula from the bottle into a cup but he refuses to drink it. He likes to drink water but he’ll only drink around 2 oz…
I don’t know if it’s good to give Juice at this age so I haven’t tried that yet.

↑ momofone613

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 10:06 am

Call your ped. Office and ask. I'm definitely not an expert.
But sounds ok to me. If he's eating and drinking that's good. He's just not hungry or interested in formula. But from what you said here, that he's eating well. Then he's doing well.

amother

↑ Magenta

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 1:57 pm

amother OP wrote:

It's never good to give juice. But with your pediatrician's permission (Or without if your confidence enough), you can start him on milk, soy milk, ripple milk or whatever other drinks actually have nutrition.

amother

↑ OP

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 2:42 pm

Thanks for all the advice, I’m going to call the pediatrician tomorrow.

amother

↑ Nectarine

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 2:47 pm

You really should get his ears checked not taking as much fluids is first sign of ear infection

Calmwater

Mon, Nov 11 2024, 5:41 pm

it might be he has thrush defiantly have that check this out too..
or maybe try different bottle..