to ask how I can get 1 and a half year old to sleep all night?

[fuzzybuzzy]

I just would like to know what you would do.
DD is one and a half.She does not eat very well,just not that into food like ds was.At night she gets one bottle at 7 .Wakes at 11 ish and has another bottle, again at 4.

Day time I offer breakfast lunch dinner and snacks.No milk.I stopped daytime milk to encourage more eating .She does eat more, but still a bit birdy .

Please gently.I know I am doing something wrong. Too much milk at night? Not enough in the day?

I am so tired and lost in the routine of waking up.

I want an action plan.I am prepared to let her cry it out.DH not supportive of this but I will pull rank if I have to!

thanks!

Ds3 is 16 months eats Everything given to him and still wakes up the same amount of times as your dd, so not sure it's down to amount of food eaten

Good luck. My four year old rarely sleeps the night in her own bed.

How is her sleeping during the day?

Have you spoken to your HV about this?

I always think it wise to discount the obvious things like; curtains that let the light through, television too loud, night terrors etc

Being old and decrepit, the tried and tested methods usually work: lots of fresh air, exercise - try the park, or swimming - but do them later in the afternoon. Avoid daytime naps. In need keep up slightly later.

Is she walking up because she's hungry or are you just giving milk because it's a routine? A lot of milk will cause wet nappies, another cause of waking up. Potty training and dry nights are next on the horizon, and with that amount of fluid, that's going to be a long process for you.

Not judging, my 19 month old still has too many bottles as that's the only way we can get her to sleep initially and then again at 3am.

I have recently discovered that getting her running around more during the day followed by a protein rich tea gets her sleeping through more often though. Not sure if that's any help though.

Could you replace the 4 o'clock bottle with a drink of water and see how you go from there?

No idea but if anyone knows the answer I would love to hear it! (ds is now 2.8)

Sorry, I know that's not helpful.

That sounds about normal to me. The 4am bottle sounds wearing and that would be the one I'd try to cut if possible, but one at bedtime and one at around the time you go to bed is fine for an 18 month old - that sounds good to me!

So my answer is - give it a few months. I think there is so much bollocks spouted about sleep that it's hard to know what's really "normal".

Milk is a food, not a drink. No weaned child needs to eat in the middle of the night. It's a comfort thing.

firstly I would stop all the milk - at 18mths my dd3 was having one cup of milk in the morning and one before bed - all that milk will lead to not wanting food!

right now there is a reward for waking up - milk

take that away - don't let her cry - take time to sooth and reassure her but no milk - it may be a battle but it will pass

some kids don't sleep as much though - my middle child used to awake and play at 3/4am right until she started full time school!

I think some children are just bad sleepers, DS is 2.8 and i can count on one hand the number of times he has slept though. That doesn't make it any less frustrating though when your child is the one who doesn't sleep.

I would look at getting rid of the milk though even if you just gradually over time give her less and less.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution

My DS (14mo) sleeps longer at night if he has a protein rich tea. So something like beef/chicken curry followed by a yogurt seems to make a difference to what time he wakes in the morning.

I agree with the cutting out night milk if at all possible. I try cuddles and Calpol (if teething pain), and only resort to milk if he wears me down if completely necessary and nothing else works! He is 17 months :) and sleeps quite well now...

Try having tea a little later & then a late supper of weetabix (made with that last feed) or a banana, carb rich foods that will see her through the night.

If she is thirsty she will drink water, if she refuses then she isn't thirsty, its habit.

Some babies are just sucky babies, have you tried a dummy, unpopular as they are ( I hated them too) they save the sanity of many a mother. Just ensure she only has it at night.

Another vote for cutting out the night feeds. I just did that with my 18mo and now for the first time he's sleeping thru. Only took a few days, during which my dh went in and resettled ds (just a cuddle then put him down and left), rather than me doing it. Broke the habit pretty quickly. Hurrah!

Firstly I would really stop the milk - start with the 4am one (leave the 11 one for now). Just offer cooled boiled water. That is it. Nothing else. Calm her, offer her water and then put her back to bed.

Also, worth doing a sleep diary - for 10 days or so make a note of everything sleep related. When she woke, when she napped, how/what you did when she went for a nap (curtains open/closed/used mobile/sang a song - that kind of thing). Same notes for bed time routine. By writing his stuff down it may help you see if there is some kind of pattern - and therefore some kind of solution. My DD went through a terrible sleep patch at around 18 months and the sleep diary helped us work out she was better at settling herself with a nightlight on in her room and that she wanted oodles of blankets on her bed (can be a developmental thing apparently - they like the feeling of security being weighed down with blankets - but hey it worked!) The sleep diary helped us realise this stuff fairly quickly as everything was all written down. Without it I was too sleep deprived to realise that what finally got her to settle was an extra bloody banket!

It will eventually sort itself out.

Our DS started sleeping through recently - perhaps a year or 18 months ago?

He will be 8 in October. 8 years old......

Thanks

I made her milk much weaker at 4 am and will keep reducing till its just water....Not any use last night but i HAVE RENEWED HOPE AND AN ACTION PLAN.Thanks all