13 month baby ill and starting milk again during night...help!

[suestar35]

It seems that from when she hit 8 months DD2 has had colds, sickness and the latest bout which started about 2 weeks ago is a very heavy cold and chest/ear infection (got antibiotics today from GP).

She doesn't eat much anyway but has virtually refused solids for a couple of weeks and drinking very small amounts of milk during the day. The last four nights I have had to offer her some milk during the night which I am scared that this will now set up a habit ie when she is better she will still look for this milk during the night.

Feeling exhaused and a bit overwhelmed can anyone offer advice on this one please? Thanks

My DD did the same at about 13 months. Nasty cold etc plus cutting teeth meant she didn't eat much. We were worse though and had to do 2 night feeds which combined with being at work was shattering. We're now back to 1 night bottle of milk, usually between 11 and midnight. I keep thinking I should try to wean DD off of the night bottle but TBH she goes straight back to sleep afterwards and is such a bad sleeper that I can't face the battle.

Last night, for the first time in memory, she slept from 7 til 6am only waking for 15 mins for milk at midnight. Ok, I may be sad - but I'll take that over waking every 2 hours.

Sorry not got much of an answer on the night milk thing other than try offering her water at night once she is eating better or maybe she'll drop it on her own? I'm hoping for the latter...

I have a problem v similar to yours. Since my 13 month old went to nursery in early September we have hardly had a week without illness and he vomits every day for weeks at at a time. He has eaten v little for the past week and is even refusing milk in the evenings. The paediatrician says the vomitting may be caused by mucus in his stomach and that we must try to give him more food so that he grows as she says when he is bigger he will grow out of it. It's all bit a circular. This is the only suggestion we have been given for improving things and I don't find this v helpful.

Thanks both...it's so difficult and I feel sad that I am not finding the whole mum thing alot easier but I have been assured by friends and colleagues with 3 or 4 kiddies that this shall pass and I will be worrying about other things in a year or so...

Wait till she is much better and then do what I did - takes a good couple of weeks but really does work.

My ds used to wake and the only way to get him back off to sleep was to offer milk. After several months I decided to dilute down with boiling water.

For example 1st night do say an 8oz bottle with 7oz milk, 1oz water. 2nd nigt 6oz milk 2oz water, 3rd night 5oz milk 3oz water etc... Eventually I got down to something like 4oz milk 4oz water which he started to refuse and he didnt wake after that. If he did we did controlled crying etc... The first year is the hardest in my opinion so much to contend with. You jut start to get into a good routine then bam something else like teething, illness coughs and colds which go and spoil it all. Other advice don bea yourself up about it...if you need to sleep do whats best for you and your family if a bottle gets baby back to sleep and you do it it wont last forever