8 Month Old ‘Reverse Cycling’

[amidsummernightsdream]

For months we were in a really good routine with my lo. She would wake between 1-3am in the night and take a bottle (4oz) and fall straight back to sleep.

Then we started solids around 6 months and this coincided with her sleeping through around 50% of the time.

However, as things do with babies this started to change again after a few weeks. At around 10/11pm she started to seem really disturbed when we came to bed. Eventually this then turned into a full extra wake up and bottle (7oz!)

She is now consistently waking up twice for a bottle. We’ve never had 2 bottles in the night since she was tiny!
However, if she needs it, she needs it. My main concern is that she is now taking the vast majority of her milk requirements at night 6/7oz at 10/11am and another 6/7 oz at 3/4am. This just does’t seem right?
These are the only bottles she seems really hungry for.

It’s also now harder to re settle her at night (assuming temporary developmental as lots going on for her atm) so 2 wake ups is really affecting all our sleep.

I’ve gone with it as I assumed it was a developmental phase that she would move out of, but we are 2 months on now and it seems we’ve just got into a habit of this ‘reverse cycling’

Anyone any insight into this? Is it a bad thing? Will she grow out of it? Is it something i actively need to try and change and if so, how?

If it’s helpful, this is what the rest of her routine looks like:

12-14oz (overnight)

Wake up 6.30/7 - not very interested might have 2oz if lucky

8am- solids- usually something like porridge made with formula

11- will usually offer her a bottle after nap. Will be hit or miss if she’s interested in this.

12.30 offer her 6oz bottle before her 2nd nap. Will depend how much she’s had mid morning as to how much she takes.
Probably takes 5/6oz over the 2 feeds total.

3/4pm solids -portion of what we’re having for tea mashed up - fish pie, pasta, shepherds pie, salmon and veg.
Will sometimes offer a bit of fruit yoghurt after.
(** moved this earlier from 5pm as found she wouldn’t take any bottle at all before bed)

6.30/7- 5-7oz
7-7.30 sleep

Any suggestions would be very welcome! Should i just roll with it or is there any way I can encourage her to take more milk in the day?

Bumping this hoping someone wise comes along

Mine reverse cycled on me when he started at the childminder around 9 mths old, was still on 2 meals per day. I'd suggest bringing the lunch forward to around 12, then put the bottle around 2, more food around 5ish to see whether interested (or a snack) and then a bed time bottle around 7. The bottle around 10/11pm is fine it's the one in the middle of the night that ideally you want just a bit later!

Good luck with whatever you try, it's all down to their individual needs anyway! I still get middle of the night wakes 5/7 nights but he's ebf so just rolling with it - always another cold or teeth or a weird moon :)

Mine intermittantly does this. If he doesnt stop of his own accord I offer watered down milk at night, which makes him stop asking for it.

Thanks for this. She did start at the childminder 2 months ago so interesting you mention this. She only does 2 mornings but now you’ve said it, it does coincide.
That’s really helpful about trying the food earlier in day and moving things around. I’ll give it a go. Thank you!