Thread: Baby won't drink

We have a baby girl, Shealyn who has just turned 1 on Oct 4th. We have kept a log of her feeding habits, and other info since about week 2 or 3. She was drinking like a machine for the longest time, pounding back about 25 to 27 ounces of formula per day, until about August 10th, 11th & 12th.

Respectively her consumption dropped respectively to high teens, low teens and then on the 12th, she had 1 ounce of formula and hasn't drank anything (willingly) since. We have had to keep her hydrated via milk and or water being added to her food. She will twist and turn to avoid fluids in all of the following:

Bottles
Rubber nipples
Soft nipples
Hard nipples
sippy cups
egg cups
normal cups
straws
spoons
cap fulls from the lid of a water bottle
eye droppers

She was breast fed up until about 3 months old with a formula supplement because my wife did not produce enough milk alone. She basically weaned herself off of the breast by filling up on formula or probably thinking that getting milk out of the breast was way too difficult compared to the ease of the bottle.

I take the stoppers out of her sippy cups and occasionally try and pour in some apple juice, but it is not very effective.

Doctor says not to worry as long as she is not getting dehydrated.

Long story short, she has not willingly drank anything since August 12th.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

Travis

what sort of drinks have you offered her? have you tried her with a variety of flavours?

Thanks for the reply.

Yes we have tried juices, water and milk.

If you make her food too runny she won't eat it either. It's almost like she knows what liquid is and wants nothing to do with it.

Consistency seems to be important to her for some reason.

Not really sure what to suggest. I guess if the doctor isn't too worried, then you don't need to be. As long as enough liquid is being ingested, overall.

Have you tried alternating spoons of food with spoons of drink?

((I bet you have, lol))

Originally Posted by nurserylady

Not really sure what to suggest. I guess if the doctor isn't too worried, then you don't need to be. As long as enough liquid is being ingested, overall.

Have you tried alternating spoons of food with spoons of drink?

((I bet you have, lol))

Yes, that technique does work for a few spoons until she wises up to the trick. Then she keeps her eye on the "liquid" container while eating the "solid".

She is a wiley little one!

Are you still getting lots of wet nappies? Have you let her sit in the bath an suck on a clean flannel? Could she have some back teeth coming in (they can take a while) and her mouth feel odd?

Much of what we eat is just made up of water anyway so if you're getting wet nappies and there are no signs of dehydration just keep offering fluids to her, she'll take them if she wants them. Obviously if she starts to get symptoms of dehydration then check her checked out, but at that sort of age they will start to drink less milk, as in baby type of drinking milk. The world is too interesting a place to stay still that long!

Not a lot of wet diapers. However when they are wet they are still pale in colour and not really dark which would be an indicator for dehydration.

I try not to worry but it is hard. I know she isn't getting what she needs to "thrive" but rather probably just what she needs to be just barely hydrated. Not enough milk, not enough water, not enough juice, etc etc.

Cottage cheese mixed with milk is a real life saver though.

It is hard not to worry but I'm sure she will grow up lovely and healthy. Go for lots of veggies that have high % water. Cucumbers are a fav. of mine (for eating, ladies!).

Update:

The little munchkin decided that drinking is OK on December 19th. She does not feel it is necessary to actually hold the cup herself yet, but she really likes it when you hold it for her and will drink several times per day, milk, juice, water.

When she doesn't want any or has had enough she will let me know by saying a firm "No!" and smacking the sippy cup away with her hand.

So all told, August 12th to December 19th we are looking at approximately 4 months of fluid refusal, for no kown reason.

Ah, kiddies just love to mess with your mind glad she is drinking now, that is great.