12 months: Night wakings...can I stop bottle and give a banana instead?

[lilimama]

We're still getting up a couple of times (12.30 and 4.30) when DS 12 months cries during the night and making a bottle. Now that I'm 13 weeks pregnant and the exhaustion is prompting some shifting of habits I'm wondering what others have done. Perhaps his sippy cup with water and a banana? I know it will be harder work than the established routine to begin with but I'm convinced he doesn't need the extra food at night. What are your thoughts or experience?
Thanks!

Absolutely no way would I do that - if for nothing else that is bad news for his teeth! He can now have cow's milk, so you could conceivably take that up in a sippy cup with you at bedtime and offer that?

I wouldn't give the banana - it's the slippery slope to a biscuit!

If you know he is not hungry just offer water or maybe just offer milk at one of the times and not both to start with?

Ooh hadn't thought of that Weegle. thanks. With offering the regular milk, presumably the idea of offering cold milk as a pose to warm milk is the change? Otherwise can't see what's that different from the current arrangement, except maybe the sippy cup instead of the teat also makes a difference?

Good idea to offer water or just milk at one of the times. I offered water last night and he rejected it furiously and screamed like crazy and the thought that he hadn't had enough dinner played on my mind and I caved in. Will try again tonight.

Any other suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks

I also wouldn't give food in the night, Tommy's right it may start off as a relative healthy snack that's easy but will soon turn into a biscuit or a sandwich etc. Routines and sleeping patterns change so much in these early years, I really wouldn't encourage what could turn into bad habits. My ds goes through phases of waking in the nights and I just go in, pat and shush him and leave the room, I let him whinge for a bit but he hasn't had milk or anything through the night since I weaned him off it at 4/5 months

I've tried the shushing and patting over the last six months and DS gets so upset (screams so loudly we need to use earplugs to go into his room) he has vomited on occasion and goes worryingly red and seems to have problems breathing. So I lie in bed listening to him screaming violently and then gasping with choking sounds and I just can't leave him like that.This can go on for more than an hour. figured this level of distress signified not being ready and though sometimes the patting works (I always try just that) it's often only the bottle that sends him back to sleep.
Does anyone have experience of this,i.e not just a whinge then back to sleep?

My DD (14 months) has been demanding a lot milk in the night recently and I think it's been meaning she eats less in the day too. Her record was about 28oz one night

I've been watering down her milk by a bit more each night and it's working well so far. She's down to 1/3 milk to 2/3 water and she's drinking much less in total at night too. Unsurprisingly her appetite during the day has improved.

She's on cows milk but I'm sure you could do the same with formula. I've found she's happy with it a room temperature, so I mix it up after she's gone to bed so it's ready and waiting when she needs it.

x

No real experience of that, sorry. I always try with the dummy first and then give some milk and haven't really tried night weaning yet. She was BF on demand until recently which I why I started letting her have as much cows milk as she wanted in the night when I had to stop BF.

As well as watering her milk down I've been limiting the portions to 5oz and usually once the bottle is empty she's happy to take the dummy.

Thanks for your story Norktastic. Interesting. Presumably I can do this just as well with Rice Milk as DS can't have cows. Now that he's 12 months he doesn't have to have formula at all - is that right?

This is very helpful. Keep them coming!

I think one of the probs is that DS never took to self soothing of any sort. No interest whatsoever in dummy, thumb, blankie or teddy bear. Terrible self soother and a real funny little character but a hell of a temper. Scares us sometimes.

No, he doesn't need formula any more. I'm sure you could do it with rice milk too, I used the same method to get DD to drink water when she decided Roos Vicee was the only acceptable drink. Just keep diluting a bit more each time until it's all water and all will be well.

Woohhooooo about the formula. what a bloody hassle it is. That's great. (Goes off to celebrate things getting simpler - til DC2 arrives that is)

Thanks for your suggestions

Oooh, wait a minute, just re-read the OP... I he waking at exactly the same times each night? If so 'wake to sleep' might sort it, I'm no expert but I think it's just stirring them an hour before they would normally wake.

Try the ladies in sleep, it might just be a miracle cure!

ooohhhh lets see. It's called Wake to sleep?

Going off to find it...

thanks.

I wouldn't give milk, bananas or anything (except perhaps water if I genuinely thought they were thirsty). Rod for your own back stuff, imo.

Ds2 (11 months) sometimes does this waking up for no obvious reason thing. I go in, lie him back down, and tell him politely but firmly to go back to sleep, and it seems to work. Sometimes takes a couple of goes.

I think mine likes the reassurance that I'm around somewhere.

Ah, read properly now and see you've tried the shush pat thing.

DS went through a funny week running up to his 1st birthday where he wouldn't settle without a WHOLE banana in the middle of the night. He wasn't well and we'd only just given up BFing a few weeks before that. He didn't need it after a few nights and now is going 7-7 like a dream. I'd try everything else first, including cow's milk. I think it was v much to do with the 1 year growth spurt though so your DC could be doing the same?

Have you checked what he eats through the day?
With ds 1 we gave rice pudding, custardy things, porridge for pudding with his last meal as this was slow releasing food to keep him going.