When Baby Refuses Bottle

Just when you become accustomed to your baby behaving a certain way, suddenly their habits change and you find yourself dealing with a whole new set of circumstances. You may have been fortunate enough to have a baby that takes lots of naps during the day but now decides not to take any more naps at all. Or, like us, you may have a baby who suddenly decides that drinking from their bottle is too boring for their newly refined sense of self.

It can be tricky to figure out your child’s needs, particularly around the one-year mark. They can’t talk yet and tell you what’s on their mind. At the same time they want to experience more independence and begin learning skills (like walking and crawling) that they may not be fully prepared for. Before you know it you’re picking dirt out of their mouth even after you thought your floor was spotlessly clean.

When the baby refuses to drink, you have the tough job of figuring out whether they have become sick, whether they’re in pain because of teething issues, whether they are just being picky and need to be given a “sippy” cup, or whether they need to be left alone to play.

How to tell when your baby’s refusal to drink is serious enough to call the doctor

1. If the baby has a high fever (39.7/103.5 or more) take them to the emergency room immediately.
2. If your baby has a more mild fever, is sleepy or hard to wake, and refuses their bottles take them to see their doctor.
3. If your baby hasn’t passed stools for more than two days and is irritable, they could need help to soften their poop before they get a blockage. Take your child to the doctor soon especially if they are showing signs of pain when forcing.
4. Check for rashes, bug bites, ticks. Check everywhere – chest, back, arms, legs, armpits, groin area, scalp. A bug bite or infection can sometimes cause enough discomfort to preclude eating.

Coffee Shop Can’t Spare a Cup of Hot Water

The day started as usual with my son and I heading out the door to run some errands.

Diaper bag: check.
Bottles: check.
Car bottle warmer: check.

About 20 minutes before bottle time I plugged in the car warmer and dropped in the bottle only to discover that my crappy $35 warmer has gone on strike and is not going to heat up my bottle. Thankfully it’s about that time when mommy needs a coffee, so to the drive through we go for our large café mocha and bagel with cream cheese.

“Please drive up to the window and I will give you your total there.”

I pay for my things and ask the man at the window if I could have a cup with hot water because my bottle warmer isn’t working. He says he has to get his manager and asks me to wait. The manager comes to the window and after rudely telling me that this isn’t a baby store tells me it will be $1.75 for a cup of water. I tell him I am willing to pay 25 cents but not a penny more for a cup of hot water.

Again he affirms there was a tap in the washroom for me to use otherwise I would have to pay $1.75. I tell him thanks but no thanks. I drive around the building park my car, take my son and the bottle out, and wait at the tap for 10 minutes for the milk to heat up.

You would think that the coffee industry could afford a cup of hot water, especially if they were reimbursed a quarter for being out a cup, but I guess they don’t get rich by being nice to a mother that needed a little help.

Infant Massage Helped My Son Poop

I did it: after 72 hours of labor I give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. I was determined to breastfeed and at four days old it seemed to be going well, but then everything came apart. I didn’t feel right but the hospital discharged me anyway all the while telling me that since I was a first time mom I just wasn’t familiar with how I should feel after giving birth; despite my objections I was told I was feeling fine – that should have given me my first clue. I went to my pediatrician for a blood test, and 24 hours later he sent me back to the hospital for a blood transfusion because I turned out I was hemorrhaging.

After shocking news was delivered to me, my breast milk suddenly backed up and wouldn’t come down. After trying to breastfeed every 15 minutes for a day and a half I wanted to scream to someone: “get this child a damn bottle!” The first few days of formula were great but it wasn’t long until the sudden change in diet caused my son to become constipated. He cried and I could see he was having trouble going to the washroom. When I went to see the nurse at our playgroup that week I asked her what I could do she told me to give my son some “tummy time”. Even though 3 weeks is young to be starting tummy time, I figured it couldn’t do a lot more harm than the pain he was already experiencing.

 After a few more days I went to see my doctor who advised me to give my son 1-2 ounces of apple juice. The juice worked, but only if I gave it to him everyday – young children especially at his age should not be consuming juice every day. As a cure for constipation, the juice was a temporary fix but not something I could ever get behind as a routine cure.

One day he got so constipated that we ended up at CHEO. They looked at me like I was crazy (“You’re here because of what?”) but once they examined him they realized he really did need help and gave him a suppository, which again I was only to give when constipated. The baby kept getting constipated and I kept giving him enemas until I realized he hadn’t even tried to poop on his own. Back to the drawing board: what can I do to help my son poop? He didn’t want anything out of the ordinary; he just wanted to crap in peace.

Finally I discovered infant massage which has saved both of us a lot of pain and frustration. I was lucky enough to get this class free but if I have another child and they don’t offer free classes I would pay. They show you how to relieve gas pains and to get your child’s bowels moving so that they can poop, all while both of you bond. It’s like a 2 for 1 special: you get to help you child by relieving potential pain and at the same time spend quiet time together.

I would recommend this class to every parent and I think they should teach it in the prenatal classes. We learn how to bath and feed, swaddle and sooth, why not massage? After massaging him 10 minutes later the farting began and then the biggest poop I ever saw. I mean in his socks, up his back; the “man I’m glad I got this out” kind of poop. So if you’re having trouble with gas pains try this; I’m telling you it works. If you are a self-leaner you can even get a manual online or in bookstores to show you how to perform the routine.

Concentrated vs Powered Formula

Of all the things that could stir up such heated debate, I would never have guessed infant formula to be among them. Some people are very passionate about what they feed their baby, and very passionate about what others feed their babies too.  For some people spreading the word about breastfeeding is a holy crusade while others are strictly bottle feeders.  We tried both ways but could not continue breast feeding due to health reasons – but our baby fared well in each case.

For those like us who decide to use the bottle, the next question is “What formula do I choose?” In North America, we have such strict legislation regarding the production of infant food we can rest assured all of the formulas are basically equal.

Which is Better – Concentrated Formula or Powdered Formula?
So does it make a difference whether parents choose to use concentrated or powdered formula?  For that matter, are ready-made bottles superior?  The truth is the choice between concentrated, ready-made and powdered formula is mainly convenience and expense – all three are appropriate for infants.

Ready-Made Are Convenient
Ready-Made bottles are just that – measured doses of formula waiting for you to attach a nipple and feed to your child.  Most drug stores carry these in packs of 8 and they aren’t cheap.  For day-to-day use I generally would not recommend these, but if your last bottle breaks while you are on the road there is nothing quite as life-saving as being able to find ready-made bottles.

Concentrate Travel Well
Cans of concentrated formula are more expensive than powder but travel much better.  If the lid comes off a can of powdered formula while in the car, your back seat will never be clean again.  A single can can make 4-6 bottles – in our case right now that will last an entire day.  Many parents groups are able to obtain concentrate cans for free or at low-cost, which can make this option convenient and inexpensive for young parents.

Powder is Economical
Powdered infant formula is sold in large quantities and is (relatively) cheap to buy.  We buy the “economy” size which is huge.  I’ve noticed that when the powdered formula is mixed the milk is white, which appeals to my sensibilities.  The ready-made and concentrates tend to be brown or off-white – this is not unhealthy but I find it less aesthetic.

Choose Based on Lifestyle and Budget
The food you give to your baby in these early months is so critical because it provides much-needed nourishment for their rapidly growing body and brain.  The good news is the food supply is generally protected, and the choice of formula becomes a matter of three questions:

1. Budget: What can I afford?
2. Lifestyle: Where am I most likely to be feeding the baby?
3. Baby’s Reaction: What does the baby like? (All babies are different and some fare better on lower iron formulas, some on soy)

The Death of Plastic Bottles

Since the Canadian government sparked consumer panic with its decision to ban the import of consumer goods made with Bisphenol A (BPA), plastic baby bottles have taken a major hit to their image – glass bottles now line baby department shelves as confused shoppers try to figure out what they should be using to safely feed their babies.

Bisphenal A’s Bad Rap

Bisphenal A, commonly called BPA, is a chemical used to give great strength to clear plastics including some baby bottles. BPA is also used to make CDs and household electronics, and has even had use as a fungicide. In the wild, BPA has been shown to interfere with the endocrine systems of animals and there have been suspicions since the 1930s that low-level exposure can have toxic effects to humans as well, with bottle-fed infants being particularly at risk.

According to Wikipedia:

Studies by the CDC found bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of adults sampled in 1988-1994 and in 93% of children and adults tested in 2003-04. Almost all exposure is through diet, and infants fed with liquid formula are among the most exposed.

Although Canada in 2008 and the United States by 2009 plan to eliminate infant bottles containing BPA, the health agencies of both countries assure us that the levels of BPA found in consumer products are far below what would be considered dangerous and in fact infant bottles made with BPA do not pose a health risk to our children.

Not All Plastic Bottles Are Harmful

PANIC! The message seemingly spread by mainstream media is that all plastic bottles are bad for your baby’s health. This stems from a general lack of understand on the problem and the laziness of outlets to properly report and inform.

The point the government was trying to make is that some plastics are shown to have harmful effects, and even though the levels in infant bottles are well below what would be considered unsafe, the government take is that any margin of danger is unacceptable for our young.

Self-Educate: Know How To Read the Ingredients of Your Food Containers

The world is buyer-beware. You must hold yourself accountable for what you choose to put into your body and into your children’s bodies, and so you need to be aware of how to tell whether your containers are considered safe or not.

Resin Codes

The resin codes – sometimes known as recycling symbols – printed on the bottoms of plastic bottles and cans are in fact standard identifiers for the materials used in the making of that container.  Bisphenal A is a component in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is identified by resin code #3.

Resin code #7 refers to “Other” types that aren’t included in the rest of the numbers.  “Other” may include safe organic biodegradable materials, but it may also contain materials made with BPA.  If you see #7 at the bottom of a bottle, you need to confirm with the manufacturer that the material does not contain BPA – if you are unsure do not purchase it.

Recommended BPA-Free Plastic Numbers

To summarize, “they” recommend we purchase products made with safer plastics and identified by resin code #1, #2, #4 and #5