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Baby refusing bedtime feed


Common Reasons Your Baby Refusing Bedtime Bottle!

Have you ever tried to give your baby a bedtime bottle only to have them scrunch up their face and refuse to take it?

As a new parent, it often feels like your most important job is making sure your baby is fed, so it’s no surprise that a baby refusing bedtime bottle can make you feel like freaking out.

Instead of getting stressed, check out this explanation for why your baby might not want to eat before bed.

It’s actually more common than you might think!

Content:

  1. Why some babies refuse bedtime bottle
  2. Should you be concerned?
  3. When to stop the Bedtime Bottle

Reasons Your Baby Isn’t Eating at Bedtime

Identifying the cause of your baby refusing bedtime bottle is the first step to addressing the issue.

Typically, a baby who won’t eat before bed is refusing their bottle for one of these reasons.

Your Child Isn’t Hungry

Sometimes, a baby refusing bedtime bottle is actually caused by events that happened hours earlier.

If your baby is still full from their afternoon feeding, they might be turning their face away from a bottle when you try to feed them at bedtime.

Remember babies are constantly growing and changing, so it’s possible for your baby to quit being hungry at bedtime even if you’ve been following the same feeding schedule for weeks without any problem.

This is the most common reason babies refuse their bottle, and it’s understandably frustrating for parents because it leads to your baby waking up hungry in just a few hours.

It may take a little experimentation to address the problem.

You may need to try feeding your baby a little less in their afternoon feeding, or you might want to move the afternoon feeding an hour or two earlier.

Your Baby Is Weaning Themselves Off the Bottle

As babies get older, they naturally move away from milk and start to prefer solid foods.

When this happens, your baby may start refusing a bottle because it simply is not what they are in the mood for.

Though this change to your feeding schedule might feel frustrating, it often just means that your baby is growing up and learning to express their own preferences.

Generally, signs that your baby is just weaning themselves away from nighttime feedings are that your baby is six months or older and is not waking up hungry in the middle of the night.

In these cases, there’s no problem to fix! As long as your baby is sleeping through the night and still gaining weight, listen to their preferences and quit stressing about nighttime feedings.

Your Baby Isn’t Feeling Well

Sometimes, your baby might be refusing to eat because they feel bad. It can be hard to identify when a baby is sick, since they don’t have words yet.

Often, being sick just makes your baby feel cranky in general, so they start trying to alter their usual routines.

Some other signs that your baby is refusing a bottle because they’re ill include fussiness, hot skin, or clammy skin.

When you do convince them to eat, they may end up spitting it up because their stomach feels queasy.

If you suspect your baby is sick, you should go ahead and call the doctor before trying to solve the bedtime feeding problem.

Your Infant Wants to Delay Bedtime

You might be surprised to learn how early kids start wanting to avoid bedtime! At just a few months old, some babies have already started to dislike bedtime because they want to stay up and play or socialize with you.

If your baby has begun to associate having a bottle with having to go to bed, they might start refusing it because they want to skip bedtime.

In these cases, your best option might be to rethink your bedtime routine.

Link positive associations to bedtime, and try to think of anything that might be making your baby dislike going to bed.

This can help reduce your baby’s fears that they’ll be stuck in bed as soon as they eat a bottle.

Your Baby Is Teething

A lot of parents notice that the refusal to take a bottle at bedtime starts happening right when the first few teeth come in.

Most babies start developing teeth around six months of age, and this often causes a lot of fussy behavior linked to bedtime and feeding.

Your baby might refuse to eat because they associate eating with tooth pain, or they might just feel too grumpy and out of sorts to enjoy a bottle before bed.

You can try to relieve your baby’s pain by letting them suck on a refrigerated teething ring or giving them a doctor-approved baby pain reliever half an hour before the bedtime bottle.

However, most parents will just have to resign themselves to a bit of difficulty around feeding times until the new tooth is in place.

Should You Be Concerned?

When your baby quits eating at bedtime, it is perfectly natural for you to start worrying that something is wrong.

It is important to try to avoid panicking and approach the situation calmly.

Often, a baby refusing their bedtime bottle is not a major sign for concern. The only reason to be worried is if your baby is waking up at night, is sick, or is refusing to sleep.

Some signs that you need to talk to the pediatrician about the problem include:

  • Your baby keeps waking up hungry after a couple hours.
  • You notice your baby is losing weight.
  • Your child has a fever.
  • Your baby is not urinating or passing stool normally.
  • Their stomach looks swollen or taut.
  • Your baby’s refusal to eat is accompanied by lots of crying.
  • Your child also isn’t sleeping.
  • You see sunken eyes, dry skin, lethargy, and other signs of dehydration.

When Are Bedtime Bottles No Longer Necessary?

When babies are first born, they have small stomachs and are growing constantly, so they need frequent meals.

However, as they get older, they tend to gradually move from several light meals to fewer and bigger meals.

Milk needs will also change as your child starts getting more of their nutrition from food instead of milk.

Of course, every baby is different, but here are some basic feeding guidelines according to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

  • 1 month: Aim to give your baby two to four ounces of milk with six to eight feedings spread out over 24 hours.
  • 2 months: You should be feeding your baby about five to six ounces of milk during five to six feedings spread out over 24 hours.
  • 3 to 5 months: During this age, try to make sure your infant is getting six to seven ounces of milk with five to six feedings over 24 hours.
  • 6 to 12 months: You can give your child around six to eight ounces of milk three to four times a day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, your baby will probably quit needing a bedtime bottle sometime between six to nine months of age.

You can still give them a little if they like it, but it is no longer necessary for their development. Often, children will wean themselves off of the bottle as they quit needing it.

This is good news if you have an older baby refusing bedtime bottle, since it may mean you can quit tearing your hair out and just skip the feeding before bedtime!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are all sorts of reasons for a baby refusing bedtime bottle, and most of them aren’t a reason to stress out.

You typically only need to get the doctor involved if your baby is also unusually fussy, Often, the solution is as easy as cutting back the amount you feed your baby in the afternoon or feeding them a little earlier.

This can ensure your baby takes their bottle before bed and sleeps soundly enough to give you some much-needed rest.

Additional information:
  • Why Is My Baby Suddenly Refusing to Take a Bottle?
  • How To Encourage Your Breastfed Baby To Take a Bottle?
  • Three Ways to Get a Breastfed Baby That Won’t Take a Bottle to Drink

1 yr old refusing bedtime bottle!!!

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5 answers /

Last post: 20/09/2009 at 7:08 am

RACHAEL M(94)

18/09/2009 at 7:19 am

For the last few weeks our son has been off hsi milk but still eating fine. He has been taking less and less milk at bedtime until he is now refusing his bedtime bottle entirely.
Last night my OH gave him a dream feed when we went to bed but DS still woke up at 1am, 3am, 4am, 5am and 6am!!!
he has been sleeping through the night since about 4 months old and hasnt had a dream feed in about 4 or 5 months so Ive no idea why he is suddenly doing this?
Has anyone else had this and what did you do?
Im back at work now and really need some sleep!!!!

Anonymous

18/09/2009 at 9:24 pm

hello sorry to read about your evening problems, i know only to well how you must be feeling! Our little boy is one next month and we have been having a similiar problem with night bottles since 6 months. The difference is our LO doesn't eat very well, in fact he has dropped from the 98th centile born to now just above the 2nd! When he started refusing his evening bottle we tried his beaker and hey presto it worked-for a few nights anyway. Now we have made the holes in his teats bigger and we are doing better. Have you tried Calpol an hour before bedtime incase he's in pain with teething or tried giving his milk in other ways, like mixed with cereal? other than that the only other thing i can say is when he does wake offer him water, he will soon get bored of waking and been offered water! Hope this helps as it is very stressful

RACHAEL M(94)

19/09/2009 at 1:44 pm

Hi Joanne, thanks for your reply, that must be stressful with your LOs weight dropping so much. We have done the same re: beaker then relenting and making bigger holes in teats and had the exact same outcome, he took the bottle for a few nights then stopped again! Last night we gave him his bedtime milk mixed with porridge and he slept through, hurrah! i guess thats one way of getting him off a bottle! We'll see how we get on tonight as may just be another short term fix but of not I guess it'll be porridge before bath every night from now on!
Something my HV suggested if youre concerned about weight/eating is to add some olive oil or butter to almost everything you give them so they get more calories without increasing the portion size, might be worth trying but you probably already have!

Similar threads

Anonymous

19/09/2009 at 7:10 pm

Hi I just wondered if there's any reason why you are worried about your lo refusing his bedtime bottle since he's 12 months? I read that from about 9 months if they are eating well they don't need it nutritionally, as long as they are getting milk in other ways - cheese, yoghurt etc. I've been wondering how to get my lo to drop his when he turns one! It might be that disturbing him for a dreamfeed actually causes him to wake in the night. Even if it isn't that causing him to wake in the night, if he eats plently of solids during the day then it proably isn't hunger that's causing the night waking. The porridge for supper sounds like a good idea - if thats what he prefers then go with it - at least you won't have to worry about getting him off a bottle as a toddler!

Helena x

RACHAEL M(94)

20/09/2009 at 7:08 am

Hi Helena, Im not worried about the bottle more the amount of milk he has each day as Im worried he wont get enough calcium if we dont give him some near bedtime. Im happy to go with the cereal as a late supper as like you say it means we dont need to wean hom off the bottle at night! The main thing is we dont want him waking up through the night but he has slept through for the last 2 nights so think its just been teething pain thats been waking him.
At the moment he is having about 7oz at about 6am then another 6oz with porridge for breakfast and then dairy during the day and either a 7oz bottle or 6oz in cereal for supper. I dont want to start giving him milk through the day as my HV said we should stick to water so as long as he has something with milk towards bedtime I guess he should be getting enough!
Next on the list is getting him to take his 6am milk from a beaker instead of a bottle!

Can't find your answer?

Popular Chat

When does a child refuse to feed just before bed at night?

When a child ...

37 responses

Remove

#1

When it decides to lose weight

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Sometimes sometimes she gave warm milk, tried to deceive with water - it didn’t work, she pushed the water away and asked for yum-yum. In general, let him eat for health, if there is a need.

#7

sometimes gave warm milk at night, tried to deceive with water - it didn't work, pushed the water away and asked for yum-yum. In general, let him eat for health, if there is a need.

#8

What time you put to sleep plays a big role. My youngest child at this age already went to bed at 21:30 at night. Just bathed, fed and slept. I don't see any problems with it, it's very convenient.

In any case, do not rush the child, he knows better whether he needs to eat or not

#9

Guest

Children are individual.

What time you go to bed plays a big role. My youngest child at this age already went to bed at 21:30 at night. Just bathed, fed and slept. I don't see any problems with it, it's very convenient.

In any case, do not rush the child, he knows better whether he needs to eat or not

Then the kindergarten regime, when dinner is at 17:30-18:00. If he goes to bed at 22:00, then you will still need a light snack before bedtime.

#10

#11

#12

#13

I myself stopped feeding my own at night at about that age - because. he pumps himself, rests the dumb and let's play instead of sleeping.

so I fed ago, after an hour I bathed and put to bed. and he slept peacefully.

but my child hasn't eaten at night since he was 3 months old and slept well.

#14

#15

guest

I began to feed my daughter for dinner with porridge instead of a mixture, so she began to fall asleep badly, if before bathing-mixture-sleep, now I have to rock her, lay her down for 20-30 minutes. I think again to return to the mixture to 1.5 g.

#16

#17

Guest

Trebits with a mixture falls asleep , woke up at night, found a bottle, sucked and went back to sleep

#18

Guest

By the way, my peditre told me to replace the evening mixture with porridge (it still seems to her that we are losing weight). My daughter started waking up at 2-3 am. She returned the mixture again - she sleeps until 6-7 in the morning. And now I give extra porridge in the afternoon

#19

#20,0003

# 21

#22

Guest

17, I'm out of my mind. Mine is about to turn 17. At 10 months, you can hold the mixture in a bottle for 2 hours, nothing will happen to the mixture during this time. The child goes to bed at about 21.00. Until the parents went to bed, the child periodically sticks to the bottle with the mixture. Before going to bed, parents look into the crib: and voila, the bottle is empty. And if suddenly it turns out to be not empty (we have never had this before), then we take it out of the crib.

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#23

#24

#25,0003

#26

Go

What's the problem? My daughter still sometimes drinks milk before bedtime, she is 5. Sometimes water is optional.

In general, do not bother, many adults also drink something at night, kefirs, teas, milk, I'm not talking about alcohol :) The same Agusha or Tema 9 has baby milk0003

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#27

Guest

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??? Or do you not know that the finished mixture can be kept for a maximum of an hour? Hmm, a child will find an unfinished mixture at night - and hello, poisoning!

#28

#29

#30

Do you keep a bottle for him at 10 months?

#31

#32

Guest

. I still hold the bottle myself, and I have been eaten - and I encroached - and sleep!

#33

0002 #34

#35

#36

Guest

MDA ... At least they were given a soup from the cup (not In the bed)?

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90,000 to at what age is the child to feed the child at night and how to replace the mixture

Infant formula is only a necessary replacement for mother's milk in the absence of sufficient lactation or underweight in the infant. In all other respects, the infant formula feeding algorithm remains the same as with breastfeeding. The baby also needs nightly feedings about every 3-4 hours. This is due to scientifically proven facts. Babies up to a year old have an accelerated metabolism, food is digested faster, and naturally, they experience hunger at night. Also, any anxiety of the baby at night forces him to demand his mother's participation, and of course - food as a sedative. There is even a theory that children are genetically woken up to eat to avoid "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" in their sleep.

But also can't it continue indefinitely? The child grows, develops actively, from the age of 6 months receives a variety of complementary foods, and over time should form a normal daily routine. And for this you need to figure out: how to wean a child at night to eat the mixture in the most gentle ways.

Up to what age to give the mixture at night

Experts differ on this issue, but the average age when you can do without night feedings is nevertheless derived. Infants with normal development can sleep peacefully at night without formula 10-12 hours from 9-12 months. Of course, if parents do not consider it necessary to restrict their child in nutrition, they can safely continue to feed their child at night and beyond. But they must be aware that, firstly, over time, these periods of eating become just a habit for the baby. And secondly, mothers should also think about their own well-being after sleepless nights. So, the approximate age of weaning a child from night feedings has been determined, it remains to find out how to replace the mixture for the night after a year for the first time of the transition to a new regimen.

Night formula alternative

Formula feeding formula is extremely nutritious and delicious for your baby. Therefore, the nightly replacement should be unequal, so that the baby subsequently feels that he does not need to wake up for such food. For these reasons, many mothers, thinking about how to replace the mixture for the night, use not the best products.

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