Mornings are hidous because DD can't wait for her milk - any advice?

[Pennies]

DD2 (12mo) wakes every morning (usually around 6 or 6.15) and IMMEDIATEY goes bonkers for her milk - she screams and screams until she gets it. It always disturbs DD1, and wakes me and DH as well and is a really horrible start to the morning for the whole family.

DH and I were wondering how we could somehow give her her milk in her cot before she wakes and goes bonkers so she can sort herself out and then we can have a more calm start to the day. Am loathe to leave milk in the cot at 11 when we go to bed because I think it will be horrible / off by the time she wakes. Also I don't want to start giving her milk at 11pm either to kind of pre-emp that early morning hunger - I don't want to wake her up as she can be a bit of an erratic sleeper. She eats like a horse all day anyway so I don't think I could get much more food into her during walking hours.

Get up at 5.55am and go in with it pre-armed!

Do you heat the milk? would she be ok with it cold? or can you pick her up, take her downstairs and talk her through heating the pre-prepared milk, as you do it with one hand?

Set your alarm for 5:45, make the milk, go in and give it to her. Once she is used to you arriving with the milk (rather than her waking), gradually move the time forward. Thats the theory anyway.

Waht time does she go to bed? Any chance you could push the time forward abit so she wakes up 30 minutes later??

If you are bottle feeding, I'd keep the bottle of room temperature pre-sterilised water by the bed, plus the powder, and when you first hear her stirring over the intercom, add powder to water, shake and hey presto! No waiting. Bring her into your bed for the feed and she may even doze a bit afterwards if you are lucky.

Well the plan is that we all get to wake up calmly and happily rather than having to get up IYSWIM! Also there are rare occasions when she goes through to 7am (albeit about only once a fortnight) and these extra minutes are precious to us so I don't want to be getting up in the 5's if I may not need to. I appreciate this may not be possible, though. Can you tell that me and DH are not morning people !

She's not fussed how her milk comes really though I do tend to heat her morning milk to room temperature.

Late bedtimes make no difference, sadly and also as I have DD1 as well who is only 2.3 I am loathe to make her shift her bedtimes as she's just dropped her daytime nap and is utterly exhausted by 7pm. I'd rather not to two bedtime routines if possible.

But wouldn't it help if you were just able to get the milk to her almost instantly so she didn't get so frantic? I haven't needed an alarm clock since ds was born more than five years ago! I am always woken by one of the children.

A variation on Aloha's suggestion - a carton of premade formula (they come in individual portions) tipped into a bottle at the first sound of stirring and then given at room temperature.

I'm afraid there is no getting round the getting up thing - it does get better in my experience once they are 6 or 7 yo

Mine have been up late this holiday and are sleeping in until 8.30 or later - bliss

agree with soapbox...DD is 17 months, she has a drink of formula first thing, pre made or powder mixed with water, so we don;t have to troop downstairs, get the milk, sort the dogs out etc..she has the milk in her cot and often drops back off for a bit
early waking is a fact of life with young children!