Cousin-in-law having a hard to getting daughter to take a new bottle after surgery.

[reveriereptile]

My cousin-in-law has a daughter that is a little over a year old. She was born with a really bad cleft palate and just had her first big surgery on the cleft last week. She did really good during the surgery but isn't wanting to take fluids.

The hospital let them come home yesterday after being there for a week. She will eat alright but wants her old bottle. The old bottle had a longer custom nipple to reach to the back of her mouth past the opening from the cleft. She can't have that nipple anymore due to her stitches.

From what she has said her daughter starts screaming, kicking, and crying when she sees the new bottle. She has tried playing with her to get her more thirsty but she still doesn't want it. The doctors told her to force the bottle onto her or she will need another IV.

A couple other people and me have suggested freezing some juice so she can suck on it, put something tasty on the nipple, or to try one of those plush bottle covers to hide most of the bottle and make it more appealing.

Does anyone else know of any ideas I could tell her?

 

[fosterchick]

Have tried to let the child drink out of a sippy cup? Or even a regular cup. It would be a pain and messy but at least the child is getting fluids.

 

[reveriereptile]

They tired a cup at the hospital but she didn't want it.

I looked online for her and found some suggestions from other mothers with the same problem that listed ideas that she was going to try. Someone suggested slushies since she liked ice cream and watering down the stuff she will eat.

 

[debilorrah]

Try freezing fruit juices into popsicle molds. I know that Dreyers make frozen fruit pops that are all natural products. Can they find a bottle that resembles the old one with a shorter nipple?

My son decided, on vacation in Hawaii, that he no longer wanted a bottle. I was completely unprepared for that and he learned to drink out of a glass pretty darned young. he was 11 months old.

 

[leadwolf1]

My son was about 9 months old when he wanted nothing to do with a bottle. They make wonderful sippy cups that have fun designs on them...maybe that would help. They must be so upset and I feel for them. Weaning a child at any time is traumatic but with the surgery and needing fluids, they must be worried sick.

Maybe she would like a straw? Hopefully, this will pass soon and she can be on her way to healing.

 

[leadwolf1]

This is sort of silly, but has she tried drinking from the new bottle herself????

 

[reveriereptile]

I think she started freezing juice for her to suck on.

I'm not sure if she can use a straw or knows how to use them. She had a hare lip that split in two places that she had fixed for her first surgery so I don't know if she can suck or not. Her top gum still needs worked on since it isn't shaped right. They might not want her sucking through one also due to the stitches.

They tried different types of cups but she didn't want them.

With her old bottle they just usually handed it to her and she would hold it herself. They tried that with this new one but I think she just doesn't like the feel of the nipple. I guess the back end part is the same with a different nipple. She is old enough to know the difference in them. They tried acting like the bottle was something good by pretend drinking from it to make her interested but had no luck.

They are on their way back to the doctors today since there is something wrong with the palate. I'm not sure on the details as to what is wrong with it but will probably hear back when she finds out.

She knows how to get her way usually but with this they can't give in due to the chance of it messing up her mouth. I think she is around a year and 3-4 months old. This is a good time to try and ween her and now that she has a more normal roof they it should be easier once it heals. She should also be able to start talking a lot better. She tries to talk now but it is hard to understand what words she is saying.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

A child over a year old doesn't need a bottle in the first place. If she is old enough to hold a cup she should work on getting the kid to drink out of that instead, maybe using something other than milk or formula.

 

[Glenmar]

My mom took our bottles away at 1 yr old.

 

[HeatherLynn]

I hope she is doing better. I know a niece had a son with a cleft. It was very difficult after surgeries. Eating was not the easiest before but right after the surgery was very trying. If she can suck a little bit maybe some of the juices with the disney tops on them. I save them, rewash and refill when my daughter is sick. Its the one sure way of getting fluids into her grumpy little self.