Now he's developed a night feed!

[fluffyanimal]

I can't keep up with my ds's sleep pattern at the moment. he's 12 months. Everything went to pot with a bad bout of gastroenteritis. As he started getting better, first his sleep was disturbed by him pooing, because he was not pooing in the day any more. Now we seem to have sorted that out, and he slept through for a couple of nights. But now he is waking at the same time every night - 3am - for a bottle. All other attempts to soothe and settle him fail - he wants the milk. As soon as he has it, he falls back to sleep again. He is eating like a horse since the gastro, so I'm not sure whether he is genuinely hungry, but he does eat absolutely tons during the day. Should I just bear with it and see what happens, or try to phase out the night feed? If so, how do I do that?

Have you tried to give him water instead?

Hmm, usually he has water out of a cup so when I give him the cup in the night he just pushes it away. Do you think I should try water in a bottle? Won't he just still wake up wanting water?

I'm still giving water in a bottle, at night only, just because of this. DS is 19 months now. But he needs a minute or so with a bottle to soothe him if he wakes up in the night. So rather than mess with milk I just have a bottle of water ready. Sometimes it's just a few seconds drinking then he goes back off.

Cup gets thrown right back at me!

If he's eating plenty in the day then he shouldn't need the milk?

MLS, that's what I think re not needing the milk. Maybe I am still in the 'feed up after illness' mindset - after the gastro we had to feed little and often while his stomach got used to food again, so then he definitely was hungry in the night, but now he's eating lots and often. Probably he doesn't need it. Will be brave and try water in a bottle if he wakes tonight.

Will he stop waking though, if it's only for water?? That's the big question!

mine hasn't! he goes through phases of 12 hours sleep no waking up (bliss!) to waking up 6 or 7 times a night asking for his boc! when he wakes it's only for a few mins, but still disrupts my sleep! hopefully yours will be better!