6 Month Old Suddenly Refuses Bottle and Sippy Cup

Is he eating baby food yet? You could feed him prunes, if he doesn't eat those, applesauce or pears would probably work. That seems better than Karo syrup--I've never heard of that. It seems strange and really unhealthy.

Our daughter did the same thing. We're still working on drinking from a cup, but she has accepted the Avent trainer cups as okay. For constipation we do Flax oil, peaches, plums, pears, etc. We add water if she needs the liquids. If he's okay with not nursing, you can still leave him with other food. We've done that a few times okay. Keep trying the cup. With our son, he was the same way, and we spent probably $100 on rejected cups. He ended up liking the Avent and the Nuby cups. GL! I know it's frustrating.

He's actually old enough now to learn how to use a real cup. It's messy at first, but well worth it. We were on WIC when my kids were little, and they told me to completely skip the sippy and go straight to real cup. Here's how:
Put a very small amount of liquid (water, juice, breastmilk/formula) that you know he will drink in the bottom of a small cup with handles. Let him see it and smell it. Let him hold one handle if he wants to. Put the cup to his lips and slowly tip it up. At first it'll probably spill all over (thats why you just do a tiny bit). It takes a few tries (maybe a week or two if you do it every day) before he really catches on. I used a baby spoon from the cup at first, too, so they knew what to expect from the cup.
I liked that from about 10 months on, I could just give them the cup. Yes, I still had to watch them. But milk and juice are only drunk at the table (you don't want him wandering around with a sippy or bottle of milk or juice either) so it wasn't too hard.
Good luck!

If you are present he is going to smell you and not take a bottle. I would make sure the nipple opening is correct for his age too, as if it is hard to suck then he will give up and prefers you obviously. He will not starve himself, just maybe adjust the nipple sizes accordingly.
Also make sure you are not around when someone is offering him a bottle.
As for constipation, Karo is just a bandaid, it is more likely something in your diet that is causing the constipation, possibly dairy or something he is getting causing it. I would maybe try changing your diet around and see if that helps him. Keep a journal of what you are eating too and that will help narrow down what may be irratating him. Talk to your Dr about giving him Probiotic yogurt like activia since he is 6 mos old.
Apple/prune juice mix helped my daughter relieve constipation when she went through this early on, dilute with some water.
Try strawed cups too versus sippies, kids love them and better for their teeth.
Good luck, I know when I had to wean, having me around made it really hard for my son to focus on a bottle with someone else so I had to remain out of the room.

My only suggestion with the refusing of the bottle is to keep trying. Consistency is key with little ones.

As for the constipation issue, I recommend looking at your diet (since you breastfeed) and checking to see if you are eating enough non-constipating foods. Also, if you have introduced solids at all, they may have caused the constipation. My daughter suffered for a couple days with it when adjusting to solids but, since we have been giving applesauce in the morning, the constipation has stopped.

Hope that helps!

Have a GREAT day!

S.

I can't help you much with the bottle/sippy cup thing but I use a product called Kid-e-reg put out by dr. christphers. It is drops that help with constipation. I love it and have used it with all my kids.
Good luck

Are you feeding him expressed breast milk in the bottle? If you are feeding him formula that could be a major cause of his constipation. The vast majority of the snacks, finger foods that are out there for kiddos are high in carbohydrates and even fiber. It's extremely important that as he is eating more solids that you give him more liquids to drink especially since many of these products are iron fortified which can also cause constipation. My daughter started to become constipated every once in awhile when we began giving her more iron and fiber rich foods. He is fine as long as it doesn't last for more than a few days. I would give my daughter a stage 1 jar of prunes for each day that she was constipated...2 days was the longest that it lasted..but beware, when it finally happens it's usually a huge mess. Beware of the diarrhea-constipation cycle that can often happen in this case, don't give him too many of the bm inducing foods which will inevitably cause diarrhea. I would stay away from medications as they are simply not necessary.

I don't think it's a big deal to still be giving a 6 month old a bottle. You really don't have to switch to a sippy or cup until at least 12 months...and who really wants to push the whole growing up thing? Your child is still an infant. You may try another type of nipple in the bottle or just move up to a stage 2 or 3 nipple if you are still using a stage 1. In my experience with my daughter, feeding issues just tended to be a phase and worked themselves out in a few days to a week. Try holding him in different positions while introducing the bottle...just avoid the cradle position typically used for nursing. It's possible he just wants to see what it going on around him or perhaps he is too distracted. If he refuses the bottle, wait at least 10-15 minutes before breastfeeding so he doesn't link the refusal of the bottle to getting the breast. Good luck!

B.,
My son started refusing his bottle and pacifier around that age. I attribute it to teething (since he would bite both of them instead of sucking), but don't know for sure. He's 10 months old now and I am sure to breastfeed him before he eats to get him enough liquids.

My son does better from a regular cup than a sippy when we hold it for him, but at 6 months he would sputter a lot and often spit up when we tried that. Try to burp him well if he takes in air. Putting half juice/ half water in the cup seems to work since he liked the new taste.

As for the constipation, pureed prunes do seem to work wonders, and feeding more veggies and fruit purees and less carbs. Also, we tried to make his solid food extra liquid-y to get him more fluids into his diet.

GL,
J.

Your son needs more fluids! Try giving him a bottle or a sippy cup BEBOFER he eats. Most likely needs probiotics to balance the good bacteria in his gut. The second natural remedy is more fiber. Flax oil is high in fiber and will naturally keep his bowels soft. Flax oil can be purchased in a whole foods store, in the refrigertor section. Start with a little and slowly increase, if you give him too much, the side effect is loose bowels, then decrease the amount given. If you're nursing, eat lots of fiber and take probiotics and flax oil yourself.
You'll find this interesting>
http://www.babybites.info/2009/04/27/constipation-kids/

This is normal. Lots of infants decide on either the breast or the bottle. If he is constipated I suggest you breastfeed him, keep dairy out of your diet and get plenty of fiber.

I'm not sure how karo works, but if you are desperate, get a medicine syringe and shoot it into his mouth every so often. Good luck!

Hello! Maybe try a cup. My baby won't take a bottle, but she will drink from a water bottle or a regular cup. We have had some luck with sippy cups.

Maybe try a different type of sippy cup or possibly a straw. Good luck.

If the constipation continues, try giving him mashed prunes.