How many night feeds does your 12 month old have?? I'm confused!!!

[Mad Scientist]

DD2 stopped feeding through the night at 9 weeks and would wake up at 6am (which was a sleep in for me!) Since she turned 6 months, she's been waking up at 4.30am for a bottle, which I could handle but lately it's getting earlier and earlier. Some mornings it's 2.30am. I just cannot get her to settle without giving her a bottle. She will literally SCREAM for two hours if I let her. So this has been going on for six months. She was on three bottles a day until two weeks ago. I stopped the daytime bottles and she's now on normal food during the day and sippy cups of milk. She eats plenty of food during the day. She doesn't drink very much milk, but I'm not worried about that. I give her food whenever she's hungry during the day. I always said that I wouldn't rely on a bottle to get my baby back to sleep but here I am doing it! She almost finishes the whole 240ml every morning too, so I don't think it's a comfort thing. It seems that she's actually hungry. I can't give her any more food than I already do during the day. It is very obvious when she doesn't want anymore. I just want to ask what other bubs the same age are doing or have done? Also, any advice or suggestions would be welcome. Should I try to wean her off this bottle, replace it with a sippy cup or just keep giving it to her until she doesn't wake up for it anymore? I'm so confused. I could always get DD1 to settle without a bottle.....Thanks in advance

[Arimeh]

My kids were still having about 3 bottles a day at 1 year? About 240ml of cows milk, morning, noon and night - so maybe she's not ready to drop the bottles during the day?

I'm pretty sure the kids were about 14 months when they dropped down to 2 bottles, and DD1 is 20 months now and still having 2 bottles a day (morning and night). I'm not looking at dropping them any time soon cos even DS has a sippy cup of milk morning and night....

[Mad Scientist]

Thanks Arimeh. I haven't cut milk out at all. I still offer her a sippy cup of milk often during the day. I cut her day bottles out (she was having one at 10am and one just before bed) because she was only drinking about 20-40ml of them and so it was pretty much a waste of time. I haven't noticed anything different in how she feeds since stopping them, except that she eats a bit more food. But she still wants that early early morning bottle. I was told that bottles aren't necessary after 12 months. DD1 stopped at 13 months. Do you think I just go with the flow and keep that one bottle going for as long as she wants it?

[Arimeh]

Yup I would. I've heard the "no bottles after 12 months"... but pooey to those people cos they don't know my children

[Mad Scientist]

They obviously don't know my DD2 either and have to deal with her high pitched screaming at 2am! LOL Thanks xx

[Arimeh]

They obviously don't know my DD2 either and have to deal with her high pitched screaming at 2am! LOL Thanks xx

Haha!!! We have the high pitched screaming here too - just during the day instead - and then DS joins in at the same pitch. Ahhh... bliss yes? LOL

[~Kim~]

Even after DD weaned she still had 2 bottles of milk a day for ages.....maybe until 2 1/2. She only ever drank around 100mls though. Like Mel, I've heard the theory...but meh, just wasn't for us.
Maybe the actual bottle is a comfort to her. Just try her with 60ishmls of milk?

[Mad Scientist]

What I'm wondering mainly though, is it normal for her to be waking at night? I just don't understand how she can sleep through for four months and then suddenly start wanting a bottle again at 2am! She didn't want the day bottles. She wasn't interested so I'm not sure if it is a comfort thing.....Second time round can be just as confusing as first time sometimes!

[Arimeh]

Hmm I know that when DD1 dropped that second bottle she did start waking up during the night (I've started many threads about it) and she would be perfectly happy to play for 3 hours but scream when we tried to get her to go back to sleep. Is she doing that? Cos I think thats a developmental type thing.. well I'm sure thats what it was with her, she's slowly getting over doing it, and will probably do it once or twice a month now, instead of every night.

I sympathise though, it is awful. We were living on 2 hours sleep a night for a few months there

[Mad Scientist]

Noooooo, she definitely doesn't want to play. She screams and gets louder and louder. She just wants me in there with her. She stops crying if I go in and pat her bum. But I can't do that for hours!!! *sigh* I guess I'll just have to hang in there and continue with the bottle for a while until I'm brave enough to stop it.......I'm looking forward to the day that life no longer revolves around sleep......Thanks Arimeh

[tattoo_mama]

hi hun, i spoke to my CHN about this as DD does it too (she is 11 months and still has 4 bottles a day and one overnight) and she said they wake and get a bottle once so they start doing it out of habit not cause theyre actually hungry, so if you mix the milk half strength (eg half formula or cows milk and half water) then each night as she wakes decrease the milk til its just water and by the end of the week she will realise it isnt worth waking up for just water iykwim? HTH

[Mad Scientist]

Thank you SO much Mel. Now I have a plan! I will definitely give that a go in a couple of weeks!

[CrazyLady]

LOL! I would have started this thread this morning if I had time. Glad to feel I'm not alonme with night wakings. Hope it works out for you!

[Mad Scientist]

Thanks CL. I'll let you know when I get the courage up to do it! LOL. It is nice to know I'm not the only one

[1pj]

soooo glad i found this thread yah yah!!Ive got exactly the same thing happening!My DD is 14 months and still looooves her bottle!Some days she will not wake like sleep from 7pm till 7am then other times she will wake at 5.30 (only once a night)and sometimes she will wake at 2.30 and everythime she just wants a botle and will go straight back to sleep,i was worried it was a comfort thing too but she doesnt do it all the time like only sometimes and so i thought it cant be becasue shes the same she will drink the full 240mls.the diluting sounds awesome!!!i will try it.she also was sleeping through from 7 weeks and then started waking for this bottle thing.

[CrazyLady]

ok, so last night i gave dd her usual 150ml feed and deducted 2 scoops. she stayed asleep 4 more hours (woke at 1). DP's alarm is ****ting me to tears going off 5am. DD is so alert.

Thinking continue deducting 2 scoops for another week then deduct 3 following week etc...

now DD has dropped to 1 nap a day she's dropped a bottle!

[Mad Scientist]

Nice one CL. Hope it keeps working! Thanks for the update. It's nice to know I'm not the only one and that it's pretty normal.

Hope it works for you pj. It's so confusing isn't it!?

[Toomanytoomany]

This is an awful age for poor sleeping. There is so much going on in their little brains, I don't think they ever really switch off.

There is a good article on gentle night weaning here Changing The Sleep Pattern In The Family Bed Jay Gordon, MD FAAP if you feel like you just don't want to be up with her at night and you don't think she needs the nutrition from the bottle. I have been using it with Tom, and it is really beginning to work. He slept for two four hour stretches last night, which is really good for him.