In desperate need of advice

[Taler]

My 18 month old DD has been sick tonight straight after her bedtime bottle.

My instinct tells me it was maybe down to throwing herself around not too long after her dinner. (She is a bit of a tomboy my daughter and does like to play rough).

However if it were only down to this then surely she'd be sick more often!

She was sick Friday night also after her bottle but having been at nursery all day (and according to the girls there absolutely fine all day), there was no way of knowing what caused her to throw up on that occasion.

A HV once suggested to me that when they have a cold, because they can't bring up their phlegm it just sits on their chest and eventually goes into their tummy. Full fat milk, being pretty rich, on top of the phlegm and their daily food intake can sometimes be too much so that can make them sick. And if that happened switch to semi skimmed for a few days.

That makes sense also.

Any way, I just wish I knew what made her sick tonight but it makes me nervous now about giving her milk. After she was sick Friday night we gave her semi skimmed milk Saturday and Sunday morning but Sunday night switched back to full fat.

Anyone else experience this?

Anyone else's instinct saying it's probably down to throwing herself around not lob after dinner?

Thanks in advance.

That semi skimmed advice is barmy. The difference is minimal (less than two grams in a beaker).

My 18mo is full of snot and brought back his milk this morning after coughing. Annoying but not dangerous. Calpol and cuddles, then bed.

Annoying yes but doesn't it worry you if your LO is sick after milk each time they have a cold? My DD goes to nursery 3 days a week so therefore has colds quite regularly. I'm not saying she is sick regularly but it has happened on a fair few occasions now.

Sometimes we can see it coming and we can maybe make it to the sink in time, other times no such luck so we spend the next few hours cleaning ourselves, DD, the furniture etc and of course settling DD.

I really wouldn't worry unless she keeps being sick. Just carry on as normal - IME random sickness just sometimes happens and as long as she's not showing any other signs of being unwell is just chalk it down to that.

Drinking out of a cup means she can control better what goes down.

TBH I'm a bit surprised at an 18month old with a bottle, but perhaps that is just my experience as all mine were on cups from 6months.

She drinks water out of a sippy cup and has done since 6 months.

I would like for her to drink her milk from a cup too but she refuses. I have tried MANY times!

I think you will find that many 18 month olds (and older) still have a bottle. It ain't ideal but as long as they're getting their milk it's no biggy

Oh you mean she does it every time? I thought you meant a one-off. That would be more worrying then. Could you give less milk? Less to slosh about on the stomach. Perhaps give half with Weetabix as a supper then the last bit in the bottle.

Could you stop the bedtime drink, or offer water instead?

Not every time, sorry if that was unclear. Just that when she has been sick (Friday night, last time before that about a month ago, time before that maybe 1-2 months ago), each of those times were straight after her milk

My 18 month old every now and then brings up her entire bed time milk. It's never really worried me to be honest, I just put it down to her having too much in her tummy/being under the weather/sometimes she does it if she has a cough. I'm not very prone to worry through as long as she seems fine in general!
BTW my 18 month old also still has her bedtime milk in a bottle Starlight. She has her teeth cleaned afterwards so can't see the harm. All other drinks are out of a proper open topped beaker.

Mine doesn't have a cup either and his teeth aren't brushed afterwards

I wouldn't worry OP but do try spreading the milk out with toast or porridge or similar for supper another time if you've noticed her being particularly snotty.

TMI follows.

If you want to contain a toddler vomit, aim his/her mouth down your top. Other parent wipes child and brushes its teeth. You chuck clothing straight in washing machine and have quick shower.

Why still having a bedtime bottle at 18mos? Aren't bottles done by a year? A lot of milk at bedtime not good and if they're being sick stop the milk all together - too difficult to digest with a dodgy tummy, and no need of it.

Yes some people stop bottles at 12 months MManny. Others don't.

And why is milk at bedtime not good?!

This often happens with my 15 month old (who also regularly has a cold). Doctor suggested giving less (half a bottle ) which helps. Also watch her carefully for signs she's about to vomit and then distract her..sing nursery rhyme, quickly take her into another room to show her something interesting..I've found that can help avoid the vomit

Why IS it good?

Bottle teats are bad for teeth, even if you brush them afterwards. They are also bad for jaw development and can cause overbite.

So, whilst babies are little, they are often fairly necessary, but when they can drink out of cups (around 6 months) then that is better for both teeth and oral development.

MMcanny said that milk at bedtime wasn't good, Starlight, not that bottles at bedtime weren't good. That was what I was querying. I still have a glass of milk at bedtime so was wondering what irrevocable harm I've been doing to myself for 30 years.

Oh okay. No idea why milk isn't good at bedtime. No idea why it is either. My 2yr old often has a cup of milk before bed especially if it has been a long time since dinner.

DC3 has a stomach bug. At the moment milk is providing probably half to three quarters of his calorie intake and fluid intake. Water has mostly bounced, ditto solid food except biscuits

I'm fairly certain that milk has something in it that induces sleep, which is why over the years we all hear people say about having a glass of milk, especially warm milk, before bedtime

I'm unsure why your are in desperate need of advice. Babies puke, it's what they do. They sometimes do it randomly. If she is well in herself then it's just a ' thing.'

You sound a bit anxious in general. Just forget about it

rather than trying low fat milk, try lactose free. My DD (now 6) puked every single night after having her milk for what seemed like weeks when she was small. She'd had a tummy bug and then couldn't digest ordinary milk. Even now she can't handle too much dairy. DD2(3) often pukes from mucous when she has a nasty cold

My dd is breastfeed and if she has a cough she occasionally throws up after a bedtime feed. I think possibly the combination of the cough and perhaps phlegm as you've mentioned plus the amount of milk they take at that time means they throw up. Its usually only once and is just milk so I'm not worried about it (other than having to clean carpet or wash the bed sheets!)