Toddler wants lots of milk

[redwiner]

I have a 19 month old grandson who is wonderful in so many ways. Unfortunately he is a very bad sleeper, always has been, and he wakes at least 3 times a night wanting a bottle of milk. He can't tolerate a lot of cows milk in one go (a bit on cereal is fine, and yoghurt) so he's still on aptamil. He is also a bit of a fussy water and ifche could he would just have milk instead of food.. how do I try and get him to eat more food and drink less milk? By the way he eats fine at nursery - it's mainly me he plays up for...

Not sure why it's a problem? Is it the cost of the aptamil? Or is it the waking up 3 times a night? Obviously he needs solid food as well at that age but milk is a complete food, isn't it? We used to leave a bottle of milk in the cot so that dgs could get it himself when he woke up

It's not the cost at all, it's just that during a 24hr period he'll want about 5 or 6 bottles - each of 7 or 8 oz - so im concerned he's filling up on milk. I just dont know why he eats at nursery and for his other grandparents and plays up for me even though I give him what I know he eats..?

Is it because you crack quickly and give him the bottle when he refuses the food?

KindergartenKop, I don't give him milk if he won't eat his food, but he wakes 2-3 times in the night wanting milk, has one around 6.30 when he gets up for the day, has another after lunch about 1pm, then at 4.30 when he's getting tired after nursery. Then of course he has one before bed at around 7.30.

Can only speak for my own but DD went on to cold cows milk at 1 (her choice) and drank a litre or more a day for months on end. I just went with her appetite - she's totally normal and healthy now and she just started eating more solids without me thinking about it. In fact, she's 6 now and only has milk on cereal!

Do you give him a bottle and let him drink it on his own or do you hold him to drink the milk?

Personally I'd just give him water if he wakes up and in a cup not a bottle as that won't be doing his teeth any good. My daughter is a similar age and has a cup of milk when she wakes and when she goes to bed. Other than that she eats food during the day with water or sugar free squash sometimes.

If he doesn't feed all night he will be more hungry to eat during the day.

I've just been going through the weaning off milk process at nighttime , we've gone from 3/4 bottles to 1 bottle at 5:30/6am which is when he now gets up .
You have to be a little mean I'm afraid and go cold turkey, we took one bottle away at a time and it took 3 nights each time for him to adjust to it .
As long as he's eating lots in the day and before bed he shouldn't be hungry

Google ‘baby bottle mouth’ to see images of the damage that multiple bottles of milk are doing to his teeth.

What do you mean by "can't tolerate a lot of cow's milk in one go"?

Prior to diagnosis, my CMPA baby woke frequently for night feeds (BF). It is possible that if he's having digestive issues, the bottle of milk initially soothes the stomach but is actually causing the problem. He's having a lot of cows milk albeit in a processed form that can be a little less sensitive than the neat form if tolerance is an issue.

I had to go cold turkey at 18m on one of my babies (BF again). He ate well, but liked feeding so tended to catch up through the night as he abstained through the day when I was at work. I sent DH into him when he woke, and he got the idea after about 5 nights and began sleeping through. Bottles of water tends to be the FF equivilent.

Are you your grandsons primary carer?

The only advice I can give is to cut the bottles down gradually or just give water. After a couple of nights he'll be used to it. It's really bad for his teeth to be having bottles of formula overnight at this age.

Can you start watering it down slightly so it's less appealing? Over the next few weeks replace part of the bottle with water, an ounce at a time. I'm sure his appetite will pick up once he's having less milk. Lots of toddlers almost don't realise that food fills them up as well as milk. They have to switch their hungry=milk default setting to hungry=food.
He should obviously still be having some milk, and other dairy products but you don't need to be feeding him through the night. I would start with the night feeds, replacing an ounce of milk for an ounce of water and moving on to two ounces after a couple of days.

@Singlenotsingle the child in the op is a toddler not a baby so of course it's an issue. Nhs advice is no bottles at all after 12 months.

We used a cup from a year (6oz) and rationed milk as dd would happily avoid food. I continued breastfeeding until 18 months at night but she only had 2 cups of milk a day on top (3 once I quit breastfeeding) and water was available all the time. Including at night.

Is he staying at your house irregularly? Mines very young to be away from parents overnight. Is it possible he's waking up for comfort?

He stays at mine several nights a week to give him mum- my daughter- a break as she works full time and his frequent wakes are causing her problems. I never leave him to drink on his own, I pick him up and hold him while he drinks. He's very bright, talks a lot, is a good socialised so no concerns whatsoever about his development. As soon as he's finished the milk he pushes the bottle away so it's not left in his mouth. I say he doesn't tolerate much cows milk as on several occasions when we've given him a cup (He only has bottles at night) he vomits it up within a few minutes.