We got her into a bad habit...how do we get her out of it??? Very Long

Hi All,

Just looking for some tips. My story goes: DD was a 2hrly waker up until about 4 months (normal I know), from then she slept a good 8 to 10 hrs a night up until Christmas. Then we went camping over New Years, she screamed every night and we just gave her bottles to stop her and get her back to sleep...bad I know. Thing is, she has been doing this ever since and she wakes up usually around 2am and doesnt go back to sleep til 4am ish.

It came to a head with DF and I the other night when I fed her a bottle at 2am (i know) and she wouldnt go back to sleep and DF insisted giving her another bottle an hour later. 2 feeds of about 240mls each. Its ridiculous. Shes a great eater during the day. She sleeps from around 1pm til 3pm every day. She started crawling while we were camping so I thought that she was hungry from the extra energy...but i bulked her dinner up with mash potatoes..no difference. Also she has been teething too, but bonjella and panadol dont make a difference.

So while I am waiting for the Queen Elizabeth Centre to call me for an interview on March 17th, I was just wondering if anyone could give me tips on how to stop the night feed. Should I be giving her a top up at 1030pm when shes asleep?? She has her last bottle at 730 and asleep by 830.

We are both very tired and I just think we got her into this, I really want to know how i can get her back into sleeping well so shes not so tired during the day. I also have DF on side and is willing to try anything.

Thanks

Melissa

Mel - *hugs*

I don't have any answers for you (we just had our first 6-hour sleep in a week and a half!) but *hugs*

hope it sorts out soon.
kaz

Hi Melissa

My little boy is a little younger than your DD...but we also got into the pattern of ++night feeds after Christmas.

I was ending up feeding him 3-4x/night...and was getting exhausted. He's not really into solids that much but he gets plenty to drink during the day...having between 6-8 feeds during the day.

Anyway...we ended up ringing a helpline. They suggested that I put a mattress on the floor in DS's room for 3 nights. Every time he begins to stir, before he's fully awake, to get up to him and try to settle him...without feeding. The idea is it's easier to get him back to sleep whilst he's still half asleep.

Well..when my DS wakes, there's no real sleepiness, he's wide awake....but I did what they recommended. It did mean that for some time during the night, I was settling him for 45-60 minutes.

BUT...since doing that, he's cut down to 2 night feeds...one at 11pm and one at 4am...which makes life alot easier during the day!!! He does still wake at times during the night, but one of us (me or DH) go and settle him and he will go back to sleep.

The important thing they said to me was 'set yourself a goal'. My goal was to only offer feeds every 4-5 hours over night time (as I was told this was how much he really needed...he's a great weight and feeds well during the day). So, I just made sure I kept to the goal...and it's helped lots!

So...I don't know if that helps...but it helped us to get a bit more sleep!

Also...with the teething, I found SM33 far more effective than bonjella!

Thanks Monnie and Kaz.

Well I found out shes not sleeping well at day care either, only 50 minutes a day, even with her night pattern. Shes also got a massive red bum and red cheeks. I agree with setting goals, I think mine is to drop that feed out all together. Its a matter of doing it and with the both of us at work we are buggered.

Will do it over the weekend though, that way we can try and get some rest during the day.

Tonight she has gone to sleep at 9am with a bottle at the same time, which is 2 hours later than normal. Am hoping this will change the pattern a little!

Thanks for the tips, will let you know how it goes.

Melissa - my DS is a little younger than your DD but I do the 10.30pm dream fed which works most nights - I just pick him up, he stirs a little but usually goes back to sleep while drinking and finishes the bottle. If i don't offer it, i find he wakes for a feed around 3am. One of the girls in my Belly buddies said her little boy was waking for a few feeds so she offered him water in his bottle as opposed to milk. After a few nights when he realised he wasn't going to get what he was after, and it put a stop to the waking.
I also find that when DS has bad day sleeps, his night ones are bad too. I thought it would be the other way around because he was tired, but these babies do things just to confuse us i think! Maybe once she starts sleeping a day care, it may improve.. Not sure if any of this will help but good luck with it all

Mel - we had another brilliant night's sleep here - I'm wondering if its because we've been waking him at 6-6:30 every morning and he's now having a proper morning nap at daycare?

Thinking my letting him sleep till 9:30 was causing more harm than good :(

Hi Mel,
:hugs: we're still having a night bottle here too. I guess I don't really mind, except for the nights ahen she's waking more than for her bottle, like last night, she woke about 4 times I think. I was buggered today at work. Some nights we're lucky enough to get a full nights sleep, but not so often. Lil's having at least two day sleeps, one only 45mins, the other 1 1/2hrs. Sometimes she'll have three with the third being only 30-45mins. She goes to bed anywhere between 7-9.30pm and wakes anywhere between 6-7.30am.
I really don't have any advice other than to go cold turkey and try to give her some other comfort routine to go back to sleep which she can do herself, like getting her own dummy, or a blanky to hug. Or maybe just give her water, not milk? Maybe she'll realise she won't get milk and will just go back to sleep?? I'm trying to get Lil attached to a blanky, she also has her dummies, but still hasn't figured out how to find them herself even if I put several in the cot with her. She loves her blanky though and snuggles up to it as soon as she sees it.
Sorry I wasn't really much help huh? Just thought it would be nice to know you're not alone! :D
I'm sleepless these days too...sux huh?

Hi Girls,

Thanks for your help, I have been really desperate which results in grumpy and tearful me. Finally last night we got some really good sleep, however we didnt put Olivia down til 1030. I heard her around 2am but she put herself back to sleep and woke up at 630. She had some milk and played in her cot and slept til 9am. WOW. Both DF and I had a great sleep.

I do think its a combination of child care and teething and expending a lot of energy. Shes an energiser bunny!!

I spoke to the health care nurse yesterday and it seems that I am not feeding her enough carbs. I havent really changed her diet much so shes basically eating vegies and fruit. So I have to put lots of pasta and bread on the menu.

I think though if she does sleep early I will do the dream feed before we go to sleep.

Thanks so much for your support. It really has helped.

Love Melissa

Hey Mel,
I totally sympathise with you and DH and poor moo! Beau used to be very tired and cranky during the day when he was waking between 3-6 times a night, so I knew I had to do something for him and us.
I started letting him cry a bit and not jumping out of bed like lightening straight away and giving him sips of water when he got more upset. I did this for a week or two and the wake ups diminished a little. But then i decided one night to do "it"; teach to sleep, and go cold turkey on his wrap and dummy.
Once he woke up at around midnight, i sat on the couch and made a cup of tea, waited for intervals of 15 to 20 min and gave him sips of water and a quick pat and an i love you. He whinge/cried for and hour and a half that night then slept til around 6am. The next night he whinged for around half an hour then nothing, the next night ten minutes of quiet complaining. That was four months ago and he has woken up in the night probably three times since. he goes to bed between 6 and 7pm and is up between 6 and 7am.
I never thought I would be a teach to sleep advocate and I am not entering into any of the CC arguments. But for Beau it was just what he needed clearly. I think it is the best gift you can give them, if it works for you that is, you have to be comfortable doing it. But he is great in the day now, an energiser bunny like Olivia! I dont know about the carbs biz, I think once they get to this age its not about food, its something else, and moo was sleeping thru before she was loaded with carbs!!!....but what do i know??
You will sort it out, you are great mum!:)