feeding all night but not in day (11mo)

[belindarose]

My previously good eater doesn't seem to be wanting much in the way of food or BF in the daytime at the moment, yet is waking up to 6 times a night and only a BF will do to settle her. It's a proper feed each time as well. She'll feed before her two naps and before bed, but any other feeds I offer her in the day are just a quick suck, giggle, bite (maybe) and off. Mealtimes are similar, she'll have a quick nibble of something and that's it. Does this sound typical? She's otherwise happy - may be sprouting teeth 7 and 8 but not seeming too bothered. Any ideas? Thanks.

I suspect they're coming down with something and that's the reason - if they were a good eater before. As by 11 months they shouldn't be BF that much over night tbh. Sometimes with my 2 they'd suddenly do this after eating well in the day and sleeping fairly well and I'd think "oh no is this what it's going to be like from now on" and start to think maybe I needed to be stricter at night and refuse feeds and give water instead and often 2 days later cold symptoms would start to appear and then it would click in my mind that perhaps they were feeling poorly.

My 2 DCs when teething badly did always go off solids and preferred more milk, and the teething always affected them more at night than in the day. So it maybe teeth instead, not a cold? If I thought they were waking in the night due to teeth I always tried teething gel first and left the room and often they settled again. If not then I offered a feed. You could try teething gel in the day before food and wait 10 minutes? Maybe then they will eat more solids and wake less in the night, if their gums do not hurt, they may eat more IYSWIM?

These are all initial thoughts, no doubt someone wiser like Tiktok or Notquitecockney will come along later. You could try bumping your message tonight once everyone's at home, if you do not get many responses today?

I personally think it's a blip due to a possible cold coming or teeth and will get better again, if they were a good eater before and sleeping better. If things don't improve and it's neither of those, then I guess at that point, you can move to thinking about a plan b such as trying to limit feeds at night? But if they're ill/ teeth hurting and they're not eating in the day you've been doing the right thing by feeding lots at night imo. Really hope things return to normality soon belindarose x

Thanks. I hope she's not going to be ill, but yes, she has been like this before a cold previously I think. It is a lot to feed at night, isn't it? We'd got back to a few nights of (relative) normality after weeks of standing up and wanting to play in the cot all night. I'll try your suggestions, thanks.

My DD often woke and chattered away in her cot at one stage. Unless she started crying, I left her to it, she soon stopped again. If I could hear her I used to think, "oh no, any minute now she's going to cry and then I'm going to have to get up, oh I'm so tired, why can't she just sleep" etc and wind myself up. Sometimes I chose to go in there and try giving her a feed to go back to sleep and that wouldn't work and then I'd get more cross! So in the end I started sleeping with one ear plug in and rested my other ear on my pillow! LOL so it muffled the noise considerably but I still would hear her if she cried, so I slept better and was less wound up by it all.

It's funny when I look back as it only happened for a short while but I used to worry myself and get stressed about it all

Thanks again. Another awful few nights and still not much appetite. Constipated yesterday (well, harder poos than usual and lots of crying before hand) which can't be helping her.

I think it is her teeth

Constipation may just be related to not eating much right now possibly? (No expert here ) Try giving her some prune juice or something to get her moving. I found grapes and raisins worked well.

And I guess try and give her things she loves to eat interspersed with lots of milk if that brings her comfort and of course lots of fluids too.

Have you tried calpol or calprofen over night? (I suspect you must have)

I guess the alternative is she has a tummy ache or something right now?

You poor thing. Try and rest when you can x

Don't be sympathetic, I'll cry! I had about 4 hours broken sleep last night, she had about 6. Napping now, hopefully a long one! She won't co-sleep, unfortunately, so I can't try that (did again last night, she just crawled around the bed laughing and poking me for an hour before I gave up and went back to feeding and rocking again). Yes, I've given ibuprofen for the last few nights.I thought that about the constipation - just not eating her usual variety. I'll keep feeding her nice things. Thanks again.

My 2 DC wouldn't co sleep by 11 months either and would rather play!

With my first DC Medised was still available to children over 3 months so I did give that to her if things were every bad, as it did say you could use it for teething but now the law has changed it's just calpol or calprofen. Shame really as Medised was so effective but I understand why they did it.

I will be sympathetic, it's awful when you're so tired and desperate for sleep but also trying to put the needs of your child first as well. Try and get some sleep if she's asleep! Forget about chores today x

*very