2 yr old waking through the night

[DANNIIM]

I'm having trouble with DS2 sleeping through the night

I though if i did it gently he would just grow out of it but not so sure now. He goes into his cot with a bottle of milk sometimes he will want another sometimes he will fall asleep on the first. He was only waking once through the night but now he's waking more often and wanting milk after mik all night.. it's driving me crazy!!

Don't know if i should continue on the gentle way or just refuse him to have milk throught the night and only give him water from then on.

Any pointers or thoughts would be great.

[AliBaby]

We have had the same prob here. I started watering down milk if DD woke in the middleof the night for a bottle. So doing a half/half combo or evena1/3milk 2/3water.

Hope that helps. Its probably not right or recommended but it works as she just has a bit and then goes to sleep and now doesnt have a refill at all.. Hopefully soon she wont wake at all until morning.

[~Ash~]

Have you tried giving him more food before bed?

Or maybe stop the bottle and give him a sippy cup or normal cup instead? That way he can have a drink quite quickly instead of being awake and drinking for a long time?

I know that I tried both of these things with DD and they seemed to work - I think sometimes they just want to know that their mummy will keep waking up for them lol

[DANNIIM]

It's driving me completely and utterly insane and now we have bub no. 3 on the way i want to really fix what ever is the problem.

I'm thinking maybe just switch him completely to a sippy cup and he takes that to bed with milk then he only get water after that... maybe it is just going to take persaverance from us that we stand our ground and don't give in what so ever. I think it come to ahead today more as he had bottle after bottle last night then he probably ended up with a belly ache and projectile vomited at me at 3am

He goes through stage of fussy eating too probably because he knows mum is going to give milk throught he night... think i have to fix the problem i have created somehow.

[OceanPrincess]

Yep I'd say start the switch to water. DD only gets water overnight now and I've got a sippy cup that doesn't spill, so I often just give it to her and let her keep it in her bed.

She was waking and asking for milk... So we started telling her that milk was just for during the day and before bed, not overnight and that at night she would only get water. We just persisted and she eventually stopped asking!

Good luck...

[Life is Good]

DS is almost 20 months and he went through a phase this past summer of waking up for 2 or even 3 bottles a night - it was driving me bonkers! Before that he would go until 4 or 5am and I thought we had conquered the waking up back then. I persisted through this waking phase and gave him his bottles. Perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones or just the sheer 1st trimester tiredness that made it feel impossible to do it any way but the gentle way. Either way, he has now gone back to waking at 5:30 and then sleeping until 7 or 8am! Perhaps I am just a big softy, but I just couldn't deny him a drink seeing as he may require more liquid because of the warmer summer weather and the fact that he was more and more active. We tried water, but he wasn't interested. In our case it was just a phase - and it may also be in yours?

Something else to consider is how quickly you get up to him. I have had terrible 3rd trimester insomnia and, as a result, DH has been on duty for quite a few nights. He sleeps through way more than I do and, whilst he does get up to DS, I think he tends to take longer than I do to wake...so I imagine that DS may resettle occasionally. I, on the other hand, am up like a shot...which may not have helped things at all.

Something else to consider is watching his water intake in the afternoons. Make sure he drinks as much as you can get him to. If he goes to bed well-hydrated, then he may not get thirsty that easily.

I hope you find a solution that you are comfortable with. I can appreciate how strength and perseverance can be difficult to maintain at 2am when we are all sleep-deprived

[Nai]

I need this too! I am over the night waking, especially when I have to get up and go to work the next day. I think once these molars are through I will get onto that water for night and milk for day thing OP!

[DANNIIM]

Thanks everyone it is going to have to be me and hubby persisting on this and i know he is going to get cranky but so be it time for the tough love i think.

It was funny last night - i told him to look at me and i said "now this is your only milk bottle for the night once it's finish it's only water ok? Well he looked at me and laughed!! I had to keep a straight face but the little monkey decided to sleep straight through to 6am had a couple of grizzles but i left him and then he climbed out at 6.45am, i think this kid understands more than i think. Even his brother was looking for a school shirt this morning for school and he went straight into the basket on my bed and grabbed it for him - he's one of those kids that doesn't talk alot but boy does he know whats going on

[~Ash~]

That is so adorable!! I am so glad that he took it well - it's always so scary that there is a chance you won't sleep all night long when you change routines on them like that.

I hope he keeps sleeping through for you!!

[DANNIIM]

Ash unfortunately i know that was just a bit of pure luck last night, but i think i might tell him the same thing every night just to remind him before he goes to sleep.