my 10 month old has decided all of a sudden to stop drinking his formula

Heidi - posted on 10/15/2009

Try a sippy cup.... the ones with the silicone nipple just like the bottles seem to be the easiest to transition.

Tracy - posted on 10/14/2009

Hi Louise,
No need to panic my daughter was very much the same as your little boy. She to was in the lowest percentile and she is now 6 years old health and happy. Some children around that age start to creat there own growth chart percentile and that is what they tend to follow for their growing years. My self I have learned after 3 children not to pay attention to percentiles in most cases they create more head aches for parents.
Your little boy may want to drink from a big boy cup and may just want to eat real food. My daughter we could not even feed her jar baby food she did not like it, she wanted to eat what we were all eating. Once she started eating food she liked, she started gaining weight and staying on the path of her new percentile.

Iona - posted on 10/14/2009

my son is 2years old and is still drinking formula milk but my cousins baby is 9months old and stopped drinking it as well but if your son is eating everythink thers no need to panic

Jeannine - posted on 10/14/2009

sick babies act sick. well babies act well. some of the best advice i ever got as a new mom. how does your baby act? if your baby acts sick, go get a second opinion. if your baby acts well & is peeing & pooping normally & their urine doesn't look concentrated & dark & their poop isn't hard, forgetaboutit!

CAROL - posted on 10/13/2009

MY DAUGHTER SHANNON WAS A NEW BORN WHEN SHE WAS THROWING UP ALL OF HER SMILAC I TOOK HER TO CHOP AND THEY PUT HER ON PEDIALYTE THEY RAN ALL KINDS OF TEST AND HAD TO CHANGE HER SMILACK I WAS GIVING HER IT WITH IRON SOME BABIES JUST CAN NOT HANDLE IT I JUST MADE SURE SHE DRANK PLENTY OF WATER.

Claudia - posted on 10/11/2009

Hi,
did you try giving him something else than milk to drink? my son had a similar problem and i gave him for a while a different buttle with different drink. try to dilute a Gerber and add some rice powder. it worked for me.
good luck

Laura - posted on 10/11/2009

my boys switched to milk at 10 mos, i started pushing the cup more then as well.. they didnt like the formula in it (cant blame them, gross).. so i switched to whole milk, and water with juice.. they are fine, and im psyched that getting over the bottle wasnt a big deal, your girl will be fine..

Christie - posted on 10/11/2009

Don't worry about it! Kids go through a wax and wane of eating and drinking. So don't freak out either when they don't really eat much for a couple of days! Both my boys are also in the lowest percentile for weight but there is no need to worry unless their height is not going up. Remember he is starting to want substance not liquid so bring on the finger foods Mom!

Cindy - posted on 10/11/2009

He is ready for a big boy cup. hold it for him but dont worry. he might be ready for whole milk but as the dr first. My daughter is a breast fed baby but when she turned 1 i started giving her milk in a sippy cup at first it was a no go. now I heat up the milk in the morning and she drinks it. During the day cold milk is fine with her. I mix with cereal & coffee (just a splash of decaf) or I use chocolate mix.

Jazmin - posted on 10/11/2009

My baby girl is turning 10 mths tomorrow and today was the first time she refused her bottle on mid morning fed and I got really concern but after reading stories from everyone I feel a lot better.

Thanks everyone :-)

Sharon - posted on 10/10/2009

first off don't panic....if you are giving him the nutrients he needs other wise during the day...fruit, veggie, meat, etc. then it's not a big deal. Some babies just do not like the taste of formula after a while and prefer milk. My daughter was like that at 10 months....she would refuse her formula until we added a 2 onces of milk. Eventually we just kept adding milk 2 ounces at a time until the bottle was fully milk instead of formula and she was a much happier baby. We made sure to do the "color thing" like the peditrician told us....basically the one fruit, one veggie, one meat, etc. thing for nutrients.

Hanna - posted on 10/10/2009

It has been a while since I had a 10 month old (my daughter is 3), and I don't remember when it is okay to introduce them to cow's milk - but as soon as it is, try (gasp) chocolate or strawberry. It helps them drink more, and especially since he is in the lowest percentile for weight - he can afford the extra calories!

Jada - posted on 10/10/2009

Start giving him small servings of food and start him on a sippy cup. He is 10mths so he will be just find. I have a 3yr old and a 181/2 mth old. Babies will let you know when it is time to try something different or they are ready to go to the next level of growth by refusing some things. If he does not respond to the feeding changes take your baby to the doctor.Give him a chance though , some times it takes alittle while for the little ones to adjust. My 3yr old was under weight too he is finally cathing up your baby will too.

Bev - posted on 10/10/2009

Louise if he is already on solids then no need to fuss too much. A lot of little ones decide they no longer want the bottle once they are eating 'proper' food. Try to get him to have juice etc from a feeding cup. Your Doc has given you good advice there, remember a child will eat when it is hungry - same as the old definition : What is a cardigan ? Something the child has to wear because Mum is feeling chilly ... LOL

Samantha - posted on 10/08/2009

my son stopped at 9 months... totally out of the blue too. what i did to make up for the formula nutriants is i put extra formula in his cereal. this is totally normal.

Gemma - posted on 10/08/2009

if he is drinking it in the morning and at night then dont worry too much. my son was the very same, would refuse it from 8months, so during the day i would mix baby juice with water and would drink that but wouldnt drink from zippy cup either, had get kids size normal glass and cup and also 1 those school bottles with a straw this helped alot as seemed wanted to be as the rest us due to watching us all.
if doing breakfast in the morning make it up with his milk or any of his solid food i.e. mash potato, mixed it up with his milk too. i did find my son would eat lots of cheese also, which gave him his calcium he needed, so could try that too. if was making likes scrambled egg with melt in bit cheese also, he loved the taste, and yogurts are another form calcium, once getting plenty that during the day then not to worry, he's just wanting to be like others as see you all haven other things in the day that he wants to try too. my son even was eating cooled down chips with each end cut off, small bits food into small sizes, piece toast into slices and feeding himself by his hands. just leave him explore and he will find his way. good luck

AnaLiesa - posted on 10/08/2009

My oldest decided the same thing around 8 or 9 months. She also was a really good drinker; although it was only soy. (she'slactose itolerant) And again she is in the lowest weight class. The doctor suggested to try giving her soy milk once or twice a week in a bottle and if the change of flavor didn't agree with her, switch to a sippy cup.

Not even a week later, she was drinking perfectly from a sippy cup full of soy milk. :)

It is different with every child, so make sure to ask the pediatrician first.

Jennifer - posted on 10/08/2009

Is there a chance that he has an ear infection? Babies usually don't want to suck if their ears hurt. In the meantime teach him to drink from a sippy cup or a cup with a straw. He'll still get the fluids he needs.

Gloria - posted on 10/08/2009

Don't freak. Really, baby is fine, since he is eating solid foods. Both of my children stopped drinking formula a 12 months. Your baby is only a few months ahead. I would just make sure he has enough solid foods and plenty of reg. milk.

September - posted on 10/08/2009

Quoting Louise:

he will take the bottle first thing in the morning and right before bed, but during the day he refuses. I have been trying the sippy (bought 3 types) but he refuses that too. Thankfully he eats solid food otherwise I would be completely freaking out.

Keep offering the sippy cup. He will take to it soon. Try the Advent brand. Our son loves those one.

September - posted on 10/08/2009

Don't worry. Our son who will be a year on the 26th did the same thing at 10 months old. I also was really concerned but quickly got over it after a trip to see his Ped. It's normal for babies to become less interested in their formula right around this age. Our son loves water so he drinks a lot of that. He is not too big on whole milk yet which was something that his Ped. told us to try but he will take water. He does still eat 3-4 4oz. bottles a day and about 7oz. of water which I was told was fine. Our son is on a daily vitamin. You may want to look into that for your son. Just be sure to offer lots of fluids. Water is the best :) Good luck and try not to worry...it's normal :)

Kimberly - posted on 10/08/2009

Mine did the same at 10 months. She had a virus which caused her to have diarhea for a week and my cousin told me this happened to her son so she switched to soy formula for a couple days to make the poo normal again. After making the switch back to regular formula my child no longer liked it but would drink the soy without a problem. I used the soy for 2 months until I switched to homo. I spoke with my doctor about it right after and she said that was completely fine to do. She said she has seen it a lot where babies suddenly just stop taking formula because they dislike the taste of it. I asked her at 10 months if it was Ok to switch to homo milk but she pleaded that I wait till a year and continue with the soy for the last 2 months.

Amy - posted on 10/08/2009

you can give him whole/homogonized cows milk. there is no need to wait till 1 year. my ped told me to switch between 10 and 11 months. and maybe he just doesnt want the bottle anymore. try the sippy cup. i think they make sippy cups for babies as young as 9 months, even 6.

Katy - posted on 10/08/2009

i wouldnt worry he is nearly at the stage where you would take it away anyway, just give him juice or water during the day then at 12 months give him warm cows milk he will be fine. try the bottles with the beaker top

Kelsey - posted on 10/08/2009

try giving him 3.25% milk . that's all my son will take and he is 10 months he just stopped taking his formula... the doctors told me just to give him milk as long as he is eating solids Your good try it ...

Michelle - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter is nine months old and is also very small. Her doctor gave me the go ahead to start whole milk with her, and she is since doing great. I give her as much formula as I can get into her and then she tops it off with whole milk. I would listen to your doctor, he may just not like the taste of it anymore. Which my doctor said does sometimes happen.

Louise - posted on 10/08/2009

he will take the bottle first thing in the morning and right before bed, but during the day he refuses. I have been trying the sippy (bought 3 types) but he refuses that too. Thankfully he eats solid food otherwise I would be completely freaking out.

Jameica - posted on 10/08/2009

Well that's right what your Pediatrician said!!! My girls when they were around his age couldn't drink milk, and their doctor told me to give gatorade!!! Also mix baby cereal in his formula!!!

Julie - posted on 10/08/2009

Will he drink from a sippy cup or a regular cup? Just keep offering the formula in some form, and don't offer any juice or anything else, and eventually he will drink it because he will be thirsty. My son gave up the bottle at 11 months and switched to just sippy cups. How long has it been since he stopped drinking? My son always kind of went up and down in how much he would drink, some days just a couple ounces here and there, and some days almost 8 ounces at a time.