Help! Advice wanted about nighttime vomiting in an 18 month old

[MsMuffet]

Over the past week or so, my son (who has always been prone to vomiting) has woken up after an hour or two and thrown up. Once this has happened, he's perfectly fine, goes back to sleep with no difficulty etc and that's the last we hear of him til morning. I'm positive it isn't a bug as he's totally fine during the day, eats and drinks with gusto.

He has only the lightest of snacks in the evening and a 6 oz bottle of milk before bed - as has been our routine for months now. I just cannot fathom what's suddenly causing this.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Advice/thoughts gratefully received.

No experience of this but bumping for you. I would try cutting the milk (maybe give it mid afternoon instead) and just see if it makes a difference. Just worth a try...

Thanks MM - will try that.

Ms Muffet. Did anything happen last night? Does he have milk at other times and it is ok? (He may be allergic). Has he started eating a particular food at his evening meal. How old is he?!

Hi MM,

we skipped the milk last night and he was fine. A huge relief. The night I posted had been an awful episode. He'd been on his back and it had gone in his eyes, nose etc and really gave him a terrible shock.

I think I'd been reluctant to cut that night milk feed out before as a) he clearly loves it and finds it very comforting and sustaining and b) I had in my mind it was the last of the milk feeds that you're supposed to stop.

Also, previously no milk at night had resulted in him waking at 4amish, screaming with hunger...

Anyway, thanks v. much for the suggestion. It certainly seems to have done the trick.

Just re-read yours - he's 18 months and has milk in the morning and in the afternoon, which he adores and seems well on, so I feel it isn't an allergy. And dinner is an ever-changing meal, in that he won't eat the same thing twice!

My ds is 16months! Glad it worked. Well, my ds is now ONLY on his bedtime milk, but that is mainly because he refuses to drink the milk from anything other than a bottle. I have gradually cut the other 2 bottle feeds and tried to give him milk in a cup but he won't have it. Grrrr...just has to be lots of yoghurt. I feel terrible that he is still on a bottle, but I don't think we can cut that one until he starts drinking more from a cup. Any advice? Glad cutting the night milk worked, I wonder why it affects your ds only at night...anyway, I am sure he is getting plenty if he has it twice a day. They only need it for calcium at this age, so with yoghurt, cheese etc. he will have plenty.

Have you tried sip cups? Tommee Tippee does them. They've got a closed top and a spout that's rigid - they look like a natural progression from a bottle. I've also just started introducing ds to straws (through the top of aforementioned sip cup) which he was initially confounded by, but after a couple of goes seems to rather like.

My experience over a whole range of things, from weaning onwards is that at first, he's rejected anything new and with repetition and being allowed to experiment and do it himself (a big thing) he'll gradually take things on board.

Re the milk at night & the vomiting, I think he was probably just having a bit too much of everything and has always been an easy vomiter. And milk is deceptive in that it's liquid but really a food. Anway, thank God it's stopped.

Is ds your first?