18 months - 3 bottles a night....? Desperate...

[smeraldina]

Dear All,

I've been much of the opinion that our DS will grow out of his terrible sleeping patterns, and there always seems to be something we can blame it on (teeth etc) but it has never ever been reasonable. Currently (for the last month) he is waking at 11, sometimes 1, 3, and 6ish - (when he gets up). Unless he is given a warmed 7 oz bottle of milk he raises the roof sobbing and screaming. We've tried making the 11pm feed a dreamfeed but that seems to make no difference.

Any advice about how to help him to get back to sleep/sleep through/not need three bottles a night. He doesn't drink that much milk in the day, but gets the 12oz that he apparently needs (is this about correct). I'm having to bf him at night while my DH makes up the bottle, to keep him from getting hysterical. And I'd really really like to stop that as it's getting deeply uncomfortable, painful, and I think I'm pregnant!

I'm not at all keen on the idea of controlled crying, and his crying swiftly gets utterly out of control.

yours wearily in hope of help

Smeraldina

How much else foes he eat during the day? You might need to up his overall food intake as it sounds as if he is hungry. In the meantime you could use cartons of formula so it's ready made and no need to bf while it is being prepared.

He eats fairly well. I'll try and get more down him though. Cartons of formula. Great idea. Had forgotten about those. Remembered last week but forgot before bedtime (so tired...). He seems to insist on it being hot and rejects a god bottle. But worth a try.

Have you tried offering him water? Also, avoid picking him up - at the mo he's got used to cry = pick up and treat. Stay and settle him rather than leave the room and leave him to cry but avoid eye contact, talking, holding if at all possible.

My DS1 (now 13) was like this and I nearly went potty from the lack of sleep and it started to impact of all of our time together and I wasn't enjoying him as much as I had been. At some point you have to be strong enough to say enough is enough - you both need sleep.