Early waking

[emmajack87]

Hi,
My just 6month old has been waking earlier and earlier this last few days. She was waking at 7am, then we have had 6:30am, 6:00am and 5:45am today.

She's in bed for 7:30pm and doesn't have any night feeds. Anyone recommend an earlier bedtime? x

@usersos Awh thanks
Yes I know, just another phase. We were advised she should be having roughly 20oz milk a day. She's never been a milky baby, each feed has seemed a struggle! Can't wait until she doesn't need a bottle any more!
She's screamed so much tonight my poor hubby got upset too; thinking he can't do anything right.
I've sat downstairs listening to it all not sure if she's just so tired she doesn't want the milk she just wants her bed?! X

20oz is a lot of milk! This can be broken down into food too.

ActuAlly from memory I was probably giving 3 6oz bottles a day when he was 6 ish months. Sorry, I forget you were at that stage.
Seriously as weaning improves,daytime naps click into place, then nights get better but I do think what you've got going is pretty good! X

@usersos yeh it seems a lot of milk as well as 3 meals?! Will try and speak to health visitor and see if she can help review my daily bottles.
We usually do a 7:30 bottle, then breakfast, 11am bottle and then lunch, 3:00 bottle and then tea 5ish then bedtime?! X

So is there no bottle after 3pm?
If you're looking for advice the last person to ask is a health visitor

@usersos although this morning she's had a bottle at 5am as I was not starting my day at that time!! X

@usersos yeah bedtime bottle. Sorry- typed bedtime and didn't finish typing properly x

Ok . Would you consider dropping the 11am bottle? No need for this before lunch. The aim of weaning is to replace milk with meals so that might be an idea.
How much is in your 4 bottles? Is she draining them all? Pm if easier. Went through all this and used baby sleep trainer.......so followed some pretty good advice (the opposite from h/v) ! X

@usersos can I pm on here?
Yes that's an idea, I don't mind dropping the 11am bottle. She's not a milky baby, I usually make 6oz but 7oz at bed time. She doesn't always want the bottles no, we didn't have one at 3 yesterday as she was asleep in the car so she just had her tea at 5. X

This early into weaning I would be inclined to maintain lots of milk feeds. Remember that early weaning fours like fruit and veg are low calorie. It's calories baby needs and the easiest way to maintain those calories is milk. At least until portion sizes increase and more food groups covered in the diet.

The 20oz is advice for once weaning is fully established. You're supposed to ensure under 2s have at least a pint of milk a day, a pint us 21oz. But that includes milk and dairy in the diet as well as milk drank.

That said, it's more advise for once solids are the main source of calories. At 6 months milk is probably going to be needed in higher amounts. For comparison my (91st centile chunck) DD was having 7 bottles a day at 6 months, 2 hourly. This in addition to 3 mulit-course meals a day.

@FATEdestiny yeh I understand the milk is the main source of calories, which is why I'm trying to get milk in to her wherever possible. She's only on the 9th centile and doesn't enjoy drinking milk. She was a poor feeder at birth and then we have had silent reflux issues after that. That's under control now and she's not screaming with feeds like she was but she never seems to enjoy a bottle. Can feed her at 7:00pm and put her to bed at 7:30pm and then at 7:00am wake she never wants milk.
I've given her a bottle at 5:00am today so not sure wether to offer more now we are up- no harm in trying xx

I've received totally different advice to fatedestiny on this subject (and many other subjects) when it comes to weaning/sleeping so I guess all I can say is that it's a really difficult one to know what to do! Especially when posting on here as you will understandably get varying opinions/advice.
I think you have to pm from your computer, I don't think you can do it from your phone.....

You've said that your baby is taking 3 meals a day plus she's not taking all her bottles or finishing them. To me that shows signs of a baby not needing as much milk throughout the day.
I'm assuming you're not just giving her fruit and veg and she's increasing in weight?! X

She's only on the 9th centile and doesn't enjoy drinking milk

One of my children started refusing milk very soon after weaning. Literally a week after being 6 months he was refusing milk. This was over 10 years ago and he still won't have milk as a drink. So I just think this was/is his preference.

So if that's the case, I just went really full-on with weaning. 4 meals a day, big portion sizes, lots of protein and carbs. Then because of his worrying low milk intake I kept a really high amount of dairy in his solids diet to make up for the lack of milk.

He wasn't as small as your LO though OP, so im not sure of the relevance. He had (still has) a big appetite to food so the lack of milk didn't particularly affect him calorie intake. Weaning was the trigger for him self night weaning and sleeping longer. They are all different.

@usersos yeah it's hard isn't it, I'm just offering milk as much as I can and trying not to stress if she doesn't take it all. Meals are porridge for breakfast, veg purée and Yoghurt for lunch and similar for tea. She's tried scrambled egg and macaroni cheese. I need to introduce more food groups I know that.
Awaiting a call from my doctor this morning as we usually use infant gaviscon in her milk but there seems to be a problem getting hold of some. So will ask about feeding etc x

@FATEdestiny thanks for your reply! yeh she's the same, she will take or leave the milk. Putting milk in to whatever I can and she likes Yoghurt and cheese. Such a rollercoaster at the min!
At least she took milk at 5am and went back off until 7:30 didn't fancy a 5am start! X

It could well just be preference. My milk refuser a decade on still he won't have things like milkshakes or hot chocolate. He just doesn't like milk based drinks.

I focused on other dairy. As a baby/toddler he had big (adult sized) yogurts with lunch and dinner. Big fan of cheese and is fine with milk/cream in cooking sauces.

So don't stress about milk if baby is preferring food. As long as baby is getting calories and nutrients from somewhere, it's all good.

@FATEdestiny thanks for the encouragement whenever I ask health visitor she always says "sounds great" whatever I say!
We have invested in a new bottle which should be arriving today to see if she's easier drinking from that. Lots of lip smacking and coming on and off. She wasn't a good latch for the breast; hence the bottle feeding but seems like she can't grasp that either!! X

Morning all,
Quick update...
Food and milk seem to have settled in to a pattern (for this week anyway) so all good there.
Night time bottle seems to be a lot calmer also, so not sure what was bothering the little one during the fussy, crying/screaming phase we were having?!

Waking early still, about 5:30.
Sometimes manage to feed and get her to go back off, other times we feed her and then she's awake for the day!
Next door tend to leave at 5:30 to go to work so not sure if this is a factor to consider or not?
Something I'm hoping is also another phase and the mornings will get later?

X