10 Month old still wanting two feeds in the night

[bedubabe]

I know the theory is that from 6 months they're capable of going through the night without a feed. DS slept through from 3 months so am in new territory with DD.

She wakes roughly 3/4 times a night. If it's early on we can usually settle her by patting/rubbing in her cot. However, come about 11pm, she's stood up screaming for milk ('m, m, m, m' and nope def doesn't mean 'mummy' :) ).

She will then drink around 6 oz of milk (ff) and will normally have another wake up around 3 hours later wanting more milk.

I'm at a bit of a loss knowing what to do. She's a lot less maleable than my son was and any form of pick up / put down without giving milk just ends up in a fully hysterical child.

Not only does this tug on my heart strings but she shares a room with DS.

Any thoughts? Is there any possibility that she needs the milk or is it just habit? I would go the habit route but it's not snacking in the night, it's a full bottle. I'm concerned about being really hard if she's genuinly hungry.

Thanks :)

DS is a few days off 10 months and is currently waking 5-6 times a night to feed. He's breastfed, and does feed for a long time each time, so I guess he really needs it. Makes no difference how well or long he naps during the day, or how much he feeds during the day.

9 month sleep regression might be it.

Sorry, no advice - just lots of sympathy.

I have the same problem with my 11 month old. I've been reading up this morning as I'm to my wits end with sleep dep. It seems that it might be my fault. I Breastfeed her so she goes to sleep not only at bed time but during the day too, so when she wakes at night she also wants to be BF as that is what she uses to fall asleep, so its a bad habbit she has, which i need to break the habbit. So far this morning DD has had a nap without falling asleep on the breast but it took a while of crying. looks like its going to be a long week of much crying as she gets used to sleeping with out feeding.

hope this may help, if only to let you know your not the only one a wake feeding all night long! well I wont be feeding anymore at night but I bet I wont be sleeping either! x

Thanks for the sympathy both.

It's not sleep regression sadly - she's only slept through once or twice in her life!

She does get fed to sleep in that she won't sleep until she's had enough milk. It's not a case of slowly drifting off, it's like she has an on-off switch and 10ml makes a difference.

I can settle her without milk within about three hours of her going to sleep but after that she wants the bottle. My mum says she's used to having a full tummy and we need to break her of the habit. Something I'm ok (well just) with doing, but I'm concerned she is actually hungry.

I may just need to bite the bullet and stop.

Just realised she's 11mo poor nsc.

bedubabe - does she eat solids/drink milk well in the day? What quantity of formula is she having at each feed? Just wondering if this is habit versus true hunger?

i.e. if she isn't eating much during the day then she may be making up for it with milk at night. But if she is just wanting it as a means of comfort to help her fall asleep that is a different issue.

I don't have her during the day (I work FT) but I think our nanny allows her to snack quite a bit on milk i.e. she may only have 60ml but quite often. No issue with the amount of solids she eats - she eats more than my 2yo.

Her milk intake is certainly a lot higher than I believe is 'normal' (i.e. back of formula tin!) but DS was the same and he cut down once he moved off the bottle. I was planning on trying a move off the bottle and onto a sippy cup type thing this weekend.

I'm suspicious she's got into the habit of drinking a lot of her milk at night. Can't think of a way to change that except not give it to her!

Should add - before going to bed she will have 330ml (ie 11oz). Surely that's enough to see her through the night?!

I hate to say this but DS is 14 months and still a milk monster. However he goes through phases of sleeping through for weeks and then waking for milk in the night. I have put it down to growth spurts - he can self settle so I know when he wakes it's due to hunger. He, too, has approx 300mls before bed and is good with solids too. He's been walking since 9 mths and doesn't stop from dawn to dusk so I think he needs the energy too.

Just wanted to give an update. I/We decided 'enough's enough' and that she wouldn't get milk until after 5am.

First night was predictably a nightmare - doing our own version of CC (i.e. leave her as long as we can cope and no longer than 5 mins). Second night better and now we seem to be sorted :) We can have a battle from abotu 4.30 but I can certainly live with that!

Now the aim is to get her to sleep until six but will wait a while to enforce that.

It was def habit not need for milk. She was crying out for cuddles :( not milk.