son is 2 and refuses eat

[sam1302]

hi i hope some one will be able to help us out as we really are at our wits end and dont know where to turn next.
it is about our son like get rid of is bottle he is 2 and 9 months and he refuses to eat he just want to drink milk from his bottle i have tried everything but he refuses to eat it is very upsetting to see him so distressed so we give in and give it too him.
he also wakes up 4 a bottle in the night at least once a night
any advice is very much appeciated and gratefull received thanks a lot.

[Eve]

Try these...

http://www.ehow.com/how_4250_wean-baby-bottle. html

You could also gradually increase water in the milk in the night time bottle.

You could try a sipper cup so they still have something to suck on and try putting some milk in it so they don't just associate their bottle with milk.

[scoobydooby]

Hello Sam. I went through something very similar with my daughter when she was younger and she didn't get rid of her bottle until she was four and a half!! Probably like you, I used to go to bed so worried that she'd not eaten anything, I ended up giving her bottles just so that I knew she had something in her tummy. It was a catch 22 situation. You say your son won't eat anything. Do you actually mean he won't eat ANYTHING, or is he very selective about what he puts in his mouth? I used to describe my daughter as not eating anything but she would, in fact, eat milky foods such as rice pudding etc. occasionally. My health visitor told me not to worry too much (once daughter had been assessed to make sure nothing was wrong) and I was told she'd probably 'grow out of it' once she started to eat meals with other children at pre-school/infant school. I can honestly say I was a very worried parent for a few years (ashamed to admit but, through desperation, I actually squeezed my daughter's cheeks together once to force her mouth open so that I could get some food in). However, my health visitor was right, she did grow out of it - now eats absolutely anything and everything and we both have a good laugh together about the trouble she put me through. Good luck :o)

[stressed out]

My son is 3 and like your son refuses food but only wants milk. He has always been a fussy eater. He does occasionally eat a wheetabix in warm milk and other than that a hotdog or a cracker or maltesers. The doctors do not seem bothered and he is so skinny and pale that i worry he will end up on a drip!

I don't know what to say to you as i feel for you being in the same situation. Perhaps see if he might be interested to 'pick' some things rather than trying too hard to make him eat a meal. I feel better knmowing he's picked something throughout the day rather than go to bed having had nothing.

Good luck.

x

[sam1302]

thanks ever so much 4 ur answer it seem that we are going through the same thing can i ask u does ur son still wake up 4 a bottle in the night as my son does and i cant get himout of it it seems to b a habit rather than a need to wake up
thanks again x

[stressed out]

Hi

He has'nt done for a couple of months now but that's only because he sleeps beside me in my bed! If i'm not lying next to him sleeping or if i leave the bed he wakes up and runs down to me! If he does wake up and i'm there he asks me for his bottle.

I don't know how to get him out of this and into his own bed, i'm expecting my 2nd in 2 weeks!

x

[sam1302]

thanks 4 ur answer i hope all goes well 4 u with ur next baby.
i have a daughter who is 8 and she is totally different to my son she eats like a horse and doesnt say no to n e food.
today he has had 4 chicken nuggets ad 3 bottles of milk and that is it i too have seen my health visitor and she doesnt seem to be bothered about him so im trying not to worry
keep in touch it would be interesting to know how u are getting on and compare notes
once again good luck

[meltoadhall]

cut down the bottles of milk, or throw them away and get him a beaker that he chooses himself, try water in the night and he'll soon give that one up.
is he still full of energy and seems healthy? children rarely starve themselves, so dont worry too much, the more you show you are worried the more he will react.

[stressed out]

Hi again

That is the same amount my son usually has. Today he had a wheetabix, 2 hotdogs and 2 bottles of milk.

As for the advice by meltoadhall, that is easier said than done, i have struggled with my son to get him to have milk out of other types of cups etc and he refuses them point blank. He drinks milk from an avent bottle but he does drink juice and water from a beaker type cup with a lid.

I think i'd rather let him have a bottle of milk than see him have nothing and be as pale and thin as he is.

[sam1302]

thanks again stressed out im glad that there is someone out there who is going through the same thing as me.
I have tried all sorts of trainer cups and non spill cups but he has none of it as all.
yesterday morning my son had egg 4 breakfast and a chicken nuggets 4 dinner and nothing else except 2 bottles of milk .
i dont know wot else to do but im hoping he will grow out of it
hope all is well with u thamnks again 4 ur answer

[ljcunningham]

Have you tried gradually reducing the amount of milk/diluted milk & water in the nighttime bottle so that over time it won't be worth the effort of waking for it.
Or try leaving the bottle at the end of the cot/bed for self help so at least you can sleep through - things always look better after a good night's sleep.
The main thing is not to stress too much over it - kids never go to school in nappies or drinking from baby bottles or sucking thumbs (well, most anyway) and they certainly never run on the football field for the first time or get married drinking from a baby bottle.
It seems like forever now but it will be a long forgotten memory in the future.
Why don't you write a list of EVERYTHING your son eats during the day - you might be surprised by just how much he consumes.
The more a fuss is made of something the more some children dig in, so maybe take a more laid back approach - he may just give it up of his own accord.

[Lolliemma]

Have you tried buying th avent beakers and putting a teat on it then after awhile changing the teat to the original beaker top I did that and it worked for me my daughter was 20 months old wasnt drinking anything but milk out of her bottle I was worried about her teeth so i brought a pretty pink cup put a bottle ring and teat on it ( i love universal fittings lol) and everytime we went out to family or friends made a big deal out of showing everyone her big girls cup and how grown up she was and she switched pretty easily the hard thing was getting her to change from the teat to the beakers original lid lol but got her a reward chart and stickers and that did the job. Hope this helps abit good luck