12 month waking up earlier and earlier.....what does your child do??

[Mad Scientist]

Hi,

I'm not sure whether this should be in the feeding section as there are a couple of issues here....please move if needed.
My DD2 has decided ever since she turned 6 months old that 4.30am was a perfect time to start the day. I tried settling her back to sleep, letting her cry etc but she would literally scream her lungs out until I went in there and gave her a bottle. Then she would sleep until 5.30-6am. Now I didn't really mind that, but now it's getting earlier and earlier. This morning it was 3.15am. And she literally SCREAMS and won't go back to sleep. The longest I've tried to get her to sleep is an hour and a half. Now normally I don't mind giving her a bottle and having her go back to sleep but now that she's 12 months I'll be stopping bottles. I'm just not sure what to do about the early waking then? She pretty much drinks the whole early morning bottle so it seems that she really is hungry and not just waking up for a cuddle. What are other one year olds doing at the moment? Do you think it's a growth spurt (that's lasted for six months LOL)? Do you think that once I stop bottles she'll eat more food and so be fuller at night and not need the morning bottle? My DD1 didn't scream like DD2 and could go longer at night without her bottle so this is all new to me......I'd just like some opinions on what I should do....I hope what I've typed makes sense!
Thanks in advance

[~Kim~]

I'm not sure I'll be much help cos my 13monther still feeds twice overnight and then one in the morning as well.
They are going through so much at this stage and learning so much that it's no wonder that they're hungry overnight.

To be truely honest no, I don't think that eating more helps them sleep at night.

Many people try giving a drink of water instead of the feed if they truely want no food given overnight. Perhaps you could give it in a sippy cup that is non spill. But saying that, if she drinks it all and is hungry then water is just a non filling switch

[Mad Scientist]

I was thinking of giving milk in a sippy cup. I don't want to not feed her if she is hungry so I'll definitely keep feeding her if she wants it. I just don't want to do the bottles anymore.....so I'll give milk in a sippy cup if she does wake. Thanks for taking the time to post x

[Mad Scientist]

Well, DD2 woke up at 1am this morning screaming and screaming. I picked her up and she was chewing on her dummy like a chew toy so I'm thinking maybe she's getting teeth. I gave her some panadol after her screaming for ages and she slept until 5am. Poor little thing......