4 year old still on bottle, will not eat any food..help me please?

Stephanie - posted on 07/11/2012

i wouldnt give him anything for a couple of hours then when hes hungry just keep offering normal food he will be upset and not willing to start with but givin time and patiance he should hopefully acceapt it , sit down at dinner time with the family and tell him to sit down with his food to , just keep doing this till he knows hes not getting another bottle, i would also contact a doctor for advice
good luck x

Mia - posted on 07/03/2012

Well, Cherish gave you a really helpful answer and as a child psychologist I find only one thing to add - you may need to do some work to figure out what the root of the whole issue is if you are unaware of developmental/mental/physiological delays or problems. Not to concern you, but it is highly atypical for a little boy over 4 to still want a bottle if there is not some underlying problem that could either be something he was born with or was triggered by an event or circumstance in his life. Even if there are developmental issues you need to figure them out QUICKLY and get him on a diet plan that is right for him because you don't want him to get malnourished or for his condition to worsen. It may take quite a commitment on your part to endure the process of specialists that you may have to see. I would like to suggest that you take him to a child therapist or psychologist in the beginning to get a full assessment and support throughout the process. I also want to encourage you that you will figure this out and everything will get on the right track!!!! I have a friend whose now 8 year old had similar "symptoms" at age 4 and she finally figured things out around age 5 and everything is better though her 8 year old is on a smoothie/liquid/very soft food diet.

Cherish - posted on 06/26/2012

Hi,
Is your son developmentally "typical"?
Does he chew food?Does he suck his bottle or not really?
My son did not chew food until he was 5 ish.He used to let the food sit in his mouth until it got squishy then sort of swallow it (laying down) or let it fall out of his mouth.
He was on the bottle until he was 8.When he drank his bottle he would lay flat on the floor and kinda bite the nipple but he never really sucked.We found out his soft palette touched this tongue when he was sitting up,that is why he laid flat to swallow.

My son has developmental/medical issues tho...If your son is developing "normally" and you are certain there is no medical reason for him to not eat,then yes take AWAY the formula,only WATER in the bottle and when he is hungry,he WILL eat....again unless he has medical or developmental issues,then that is a whole different ball of wax...lol