11 month old 99th centile won’t sleep through

[ohforsleep]

Hello everyone
I have benefited from mumsnet wisdom for a long time but have just joined to ask your help with a specific problem- my DD is now 11 months and is in the 90+ centile for both weight and height. She usually doesn’t sleep through the night always waking up for 1 sometimes two feeds. She is exclusively breastfed and has had solids since 7 months though she doesn’t eat as much as I’d like. She seems to be Relying on milk and so it’s hard for me to reduce her calorie intake. At the same time I don’t get proper sleep and am back to work so it’s unsustainable, and she seems to wake up sleepy. I’m so worried about her getting heavier and so keen for us all to sleep that we started trying night weaning a few days ago - basically her dad settling her each time she wakes up and cries. It works twice a night but I give in at 6am when she seems too hungry (she’s then gone from 7pm without milk). Then I find it hard to settle her back in her cot, she just nurses and sleeps next to us till about 7 or 8. (She’s also recently dropped her second nap so seems to be going through some change).

I was recently advised to try substituting her evening feed for a formula bottle which would help her sleep through. I don’t know how much is right and if this is right. I don’t mind breastfeeding her before bed but want to achieve night weaning. At same time I’m scared the formula will make her put on more weight!

Should I carry on as I am or go for the formula? What to do about the early waking?

It’s kind of a double problem, sleep and food/milk, so would appreciate any advice!

[hormonesorDHbeingadick]

11 months is still fairly young to not need milk during the night.

Has your baby been consistently in this percentile? If yes, then dont worry about their weight.

[ohforsleep]

Thanks a lot for replying. I know she is young but many around seem to have their babies sleep through well before 11 months!

On her weight, she was underweight at birth but then doubled her weight quickly and by about 4 months I think she hit the 90th centile and has stayed above it, climbing in fact, ever since. I’m worried as I think she shows no sign of plateauing! Thanks again!

[Ker100]

Interested to see the replies you get I'm in a similar situation. DS is 15 months though! Consistently on the 95+ percentile for weight and still wakes during the night for a full bottle.
He is on formula though and has been for some time, so it's not necessarily that.

[ifoundthebread]

My son didnt sleep through till we weaned him off the bottle at 13 months and that happened by accident, so no garuntee formula would help

[hormonesorDHbeingadick]

My 90% ff feed baby dropped over night bottles at 13 months when I introduced dat time snacks. She was 2 1/2 before sleeping through and at 3 1/2 isn’t not reliable.

[Figgygal]

91st centile Ds2 had milk overnight until 2 I think
Was back at work at 11 months it's not fun but not necessarily feeding related

[Mumshappy]

Ds 18 months is 90th centile plus for height and weight. He hasn't had milk during the night since a few weeks old. He cluster fed in the day but since being weaned has had a supper of weetabix porridge before bed. He has also had a cup of cows milk before bed since he turned one.

[user1480880826]

I might weaned my breastfed baby at 13 months. It took quite a few days of my husband going in to settle him and offering water for him to stop asking for boob. However, it didn’t stop him from waking up at night. he didn’t sleep through until she was 2 years old.

[babybrain77]

DS is 99+ percentile and has been since birth. He's never made it anywhere near through the night without a feed. We're down to 1-2 feeds now - out HV advised that it's very normal for hungry babies not to sleep through. It does depress me slightly to read about these older babies not sleeping through yet though!

[BubblesBuddy]

Why put her to bed so early? Try a late feed if you can put up with a later bedtime. I would try and see if she will have a bottle. You can regulate how much you give.

My DD 1 did 7 hours sleep at 8 weeks. We never looked back. She was always quite heavy and didn’t walk until 15 months. The weight then got redistributed and she became active. Other DD slept through pretty early too but we didn’t put them to bed early. We preferred the sanity of later waking in the mornings. So try later bedtime and a bottle. I wouldn’t worry about weight because once she eats better (and I would work on this) and walks, there will be an adjustment.

[SoyDora]

I’ve had three babies. Baby number one i night weaned at 15 months. She slept through at 3.5 years.
Baby number 2 I night weaned at 12 months. She slept through at 15 months.
Baby number three is 9 months and still feeding 2/3 times a night, with no signs of dropping any feeds.
Night weaning is no guarantee of sleeping, unfortunately.

[2pointfourmonkeys]

I honestly don't think most babies or toddlers truly wake in the night for food. For every baby who slept through because their parent did x or y, you'll find plenty who did exactly the same thing and their baby didn't sleep. My 2 girls were very different babies despite me alway doing the same, and my 8 yr old (who didn't consistently sleep through till she was 5) still struggles to get to sleep every night, whilst my) 6 year old learnt to self settle at 9 months and has been An amazing sleeper ever since.

Their little brains are developing so much and so fast that i think some babies just struggle to learn how to turn off sometimes.

She's likely to have got into a habit of settling to sleep on the boob, so if your husband can break that habit and start to get her going longer at night that's great. But don't worry too much about that early morning feed if it means you're getting an extra bit of rest.

PS if she's happy and healthy your doing an awesome job xx

[ohforsleep]

Wow thank you all so much for your replies! Some of them make me think maybe formula wont make a difference after all. Without having seen these replies, tonight I basically did what BubblesBuddy said, I tried the bottle and a bit later (though that was an accident as we were out), and husband is planning to settle her tonight whenever she wakes as several of you suggested. Thanks so much BubblesBuddy for the advice on the weight (Ker and Babybrain let's see how we go!) and 2pointfourmonkeys for the advice on the early feed. And so many others of you said similar things sorry can't name you all but I really appreciate it. Your replies did make me feel perhaps I am being too strict and night weaning her too early, though clearly there is so much variation in everyone's experience. I'll see how tonight goes and report tomorrow!