Big baby still waking for milk in the night at nearly one year

[Lakota]

I am fed up as this has been going on for about 3 months now, despite the fact that we had previously got him sleeping through the night. DS2 will be one in a couple of weeks, and is on round about 98th percentile. Anyone else had this?

He has 4oz milk and breakfast, lunch and then 8oz milk after a nap, dinner and 8oz milk before bed. We have tried dream-feeding him before we go to bed (about 4oz again) but he still wakes wanting milk sometimes only a couple of hours later. I think I will have to try an 8oz bottle as a dream-feed but he won't always take this much in one go (unsurprising, as he's just finished a bottle a few hours previously) and surely we should be trying to cut down on the milk, if anything?

His brother was always keen for a big bottle of milk at breakfast, and then would eat his cereal, but this is probably DS2's worst meal - presumably because he's drinking in the night. However, DS1 wasn't nearly so big. DS2 weighs nearly 26lb and as I said is not yet one.

I can't remember when we dropped the dreamfeed for his brother - and I wouldn't mind continuing it if we actually got a full night's sleep out of it!

could you start cutting down the amount of milk you give in the night feed e.g. decrease by an ounce every few nights until you get to the stage that you can drop it. I did this with ds from 6 months and he gave up the feed by 8 months.

I wouldn't do a dreamfeed, and just give him a big bottle when he wakes up.

My DS was ravenous in the night till he was 18 months old

p.s. you could also start adding in mid-morning/ mid afternoon snacks to up his calories.

Seona1973 - that's what we did to wean him off it in the first place, and worked fine for a while, he was sleeping through. Just seems to have decided he needs it again. Will try more snacks, although a lot of finger foods (aside from biscuits) seem to end up on the floor. I'm worried I'll end up over-feeding him snacks as he is on the chubby side already.

CMOTDibbler - good to know it's normal-ish. Am just so useless in the night when woken up, was trying to avoid it as I can't often get back to sleep again and have to get up for school run (not a problem exclusive to me I know!).

bumping for evening folks - bedtime is near!

just make sure hes eating lots during the day plenty of snack etc and offer water instead. Could he be just hving milk as a comfort thing to helphim go back to sleep or is he teething? You could give him an early tea then supper.

He is 1 yr old and obviously well-fed. Just stop night feeds.

Tell him beforehand that night milk is finished, that he is now a big boy. He will wake up at the same time for a few nights but then his body will get used to the new feeding hours.

Agree with Cote - and I dont think his size has anything to do with it really - I've got a humungo baby but shes nightweaned - think its probably habit.

good luck.

So controlled crying then CoteDAzur? You are probably right, but I dread it. He only seems to have 'uncontrollable howling' as a setting and he is way too strong to pick up to soothe when he's in a fury. He will squirm and fight and has nearly been dropped as a result a couple of times. Not on purpose, obviously. He's super stubborn though.

He does want more milk when teething, but not sure this is current problem as he'll eat off a spoon at the moment and usually refuses to if cutting a tooth.

we had a few nights of this and just cuddled and soothed him to sleep as hard as it was and offer water if hes really grizzly its hard but worth it he will eventually tire and get the message.

I had a 12 month old BF DD2 who was like this. In our case it was comfort feeding.

What we did was the first night DH went to her, I never fed her or went near her but she was never left alone, he shhed and patted her, first night she cried for 50 mins, second night 10 mins, third night nothing at all.

It was as if, if she wasn't getting a feed it wasn't worth getting up. I would cut out all milk feeds altogether, first few nights will be rough but don't give in chances are he will fall asleep without milk and wake up hungry in the morning.

Yeah we did CC with DS1 - just that DS2 is a different personality so have lost confidence. Also there is DS1 to think about if he howls for hours - he has nursery in the mornings. Guess it might have to be done though

Lakota - I don't think CC is necessary for a 1 yr old child. After all, he will understand what you tell him much better than a small baby. Of course he will resist to this change in his 'meal' times, though.

We cut out night feeds when DD was 4 months old, and even then didn't really do CC per se (leave the room for five minutes, etc). I was breastfeeding so didn't go in (lucky me!) but DH was with her the entire time, rocking her, singing to her etc whatever necessary to get her back to sleep without milk.

Really? He is not yet one. I agree he should be able to get back to sleep without milk, certainly. But understand when I tell him? Not sure about that, and I don't think he is unintelligent. A child of his age may understand - in the daytime, when concentrating - a sentence like 'no more milk. Milk all gone', but I'm not sure he has the verbal reasoning and memory for me to explain in advance he's a big boy and there will be no more night feeds, and then apply that knowledge when he wakes upset in the night! He is still a 'small' baby in that regard.

Lakota try doing it over a weekend when ds hasnt got nursery and hopefully you will have time off and dh for support. It only took us 2 nights 3 at the most. We cuddled and patted ds2 although he cried we were still there.

We did cc with ds1 and it worked but didnt feel it work with ds2.And if your ds1 is anything like mine he will sleep right through hes a completely differntly sleeper to ds2 hes sleeps through anything.

I didn't mean to say he won't cry. Of course he will.

But cc means leaving him to cry (alone) for increasing periods of time, and that you don't need to do imho.

I'd offer water.

I just gave water. They only wanted reassurance; I kept it completely dark, just whispered that it was night time, gave a few sips of water and went back to bed-they went back to sleep. If I didn't give them time to cry in the first place it wasn't a problem. They don't need the milk and everyone's sleep is far more important.

Hi, I had exactly this problem with DD. She's on the 98th percentile for weight and height and was previuosly a good sleeper. At about 1 she got ill so I started feeding her in the night to help her get back off to sleep. this turned into her waking for milk, which was horrendous. I basically did a combination of old-fashioned feeding her up at mealtimes and more or less cutting out snacks (so she was starving, not full of rice cakes) and giving her a small piece of toast with her milk before bed. I also sort of did controlled crying (but not really needed as she was full). All worked quite quickly and she started sleeping through again within a couple of nights. HTH

Thanks all. He had 5oz dreamfeed last night. Woke at 5 yelling, but just changed his nappy and offered water. He was fairly disgusted at this but didn't howl too deafeningly. He then fussed for another hour and a half, but keeping it below mega-decibels. Was asleep when I finally dragged myself in there at 7.15. Will try again tonight.

well done lakota keep it up he will get the mess after a few nights.