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!

[Rumpleteaser]

DS was having about 650ml milk at 12 months, 3x 150ml, mid morn, arvo and about 5am which use to settle him back to sleep, and a larger 200ml before bed. The peadiatrican informed me that DS should only be getting about 500ml milk, so we dropped one of the day feeds. She also warned me that DS was waking and wanting milk as comfort and not to give him it. I disregarded this advice as it was easier to give him milk and then he would resettle himself rater than the screaming match that would follow if he did not get it. Then we reasched a point where he was not resettling and 5 am was now the new start to our day and he started waking earlier for milk. So DH and I had to take a tough stance, no milk after 5am, not getting DS out of bed till 6am and not resettling with milk untill other options have been utilised. We had afew tantrums along the way, but now DS will sleep till 6am and often not wake for milk (this morning being an exception).

[tattoo_mama]

arimeh - my CHN said to do that to get them to drop the night bottle as they are waking out of habit, not cause theyre actually hungry, and as a result they wilkl usually drink a bit more during the day