11 month old awake 2 hours in the night

[TheSleeperandTheSpindle]

My 11 month old DS has started waking for up to 2 hours between 2-4am and it’s killing me. Can anyone offer any advice or tell me where I’m going wrong?

His naps are all over the place at the moment with some days having 2 and some 3 naps. He also varies between 1.5-3 hours of sleep per day. I’m back at work 3 days a week, with my DM doing 2 days and my DH doing 1. They try to follow his routine but sometimes he won’t nap for them or will only do 45 mins at a time.

He is a big boy (around 95th centile for weight) and seems to constantly be hungry even though I feel like I’m always feeding him.

Here is a rough routine:

6.30 wake up - 7oz milk

7.30 breakfast - porridge and 1/2 banana.

8.30 nap

10.30 milk in sippy cup and snack. Raisins, breadsticks, cheese, etc.

12 nap

1 lunch - scrambled egg with toast / omelette / sandwiches. Yoghurt and fruit.

3 - milk in sippy cup and snack.

3.30 - short power nap

5 dinner - macaroni cheese / spag bol / casserole / sweet pot and fish. Yoghurt with banana &/or avocado.

6.30 - bath and 8oz bottle. Bed by 7.30.

He then usually sleeps until 11pm when he needs resettling and sometimes a bottle. Sleeps again until 2-3am and then is awake for sometimes 2 hours. Not sure if he is hungry?? I’ve been trying to night wean him but maybe he isn’t ready. He never seems full during the day but seems to put away a lot of food! He won’t take a bottle at mid morning or afternoon so we moved to sippy cup because at least then he is taking something. Water offered at every eating time.

On 2 nap days he tends to do 9-10/10.30 and then 2-3.30.

He is put in his cot awake at night and patted to sleep with his dummy. Naps are in his pushchair because he sometimes needs rocking at the 45 min mark and it’s easy for my DM to do at her house. He has a comforter but doesn’t seem attached to it.

Sorry if I’ve waffled but the sleep deprivation is taking it’s toll and I can’t see how I can fix it. DS is still in our room with his cot against my side of the bed so I can comfort him in the cot. DH thinks moving him into his own room will magically fix things

If this is your first child, you might be suprised the quantity of food babies/toddlers can pack away when they want to.

He never seems full during the day

I would keep offering food until full and refusing any more for every meal. Keep adjusting your portion sizes upwards until you find what is right for your child. The idea being that baby is definately full 3 times a day - at each meal.

My 91st centile baby evened out and started dropping centiles from about 12 months when mobile. But until then would eat huge portions.

I would expect your night wakes are to do with daytime sleep and that baby isnt night weaned. I think you need to night wean, I would have night weaned a long, long time ago if bottle feeding and having alternate comfort (from the dummy).

In terms of your routine, I would stop that 3rd nap by now. You could actually be beginning to move towards 1 nap days by now.

I would do the lunch before the lunchtime nap, not after. So lunch at 11am instead of the snack. I'd establish at least one nap in the cot, following the same routine as at bedtime.

Right ok, so he probably is still hungry Will definitely up the portions then.

DS is night weaned really, he very rarely has a bottle between 7pm-6am and only if his teeth have played up during the day and he hasn’t eaten much. When would you expect the night weaning to “pay off” as such? Maybe once the daytime portions have been increased?

Also, if DS has been awake for 2 hours between 3-5am and then gets up for the day at 6.30am he is obviously still tired, would you just persevere and keep him awake until 9-9.30am?

Apologises for all the questions, clueless FTM

I agree with trying to get lunch in him earlier and a long nap after lunch
A!so try giving him a more substantial lunch
I also agree you should be trying to move him to one long nap a day normally after lunch

Right ok, so he probably is still hungry

I was more going by you saying in your op that he seemed hungry all the time. He shouldn't need to, feeding at this age should be self-regulating. As long as you are offering a healthy balanced diet, then let the child limit how much he wants so that he doesn't seem hungry anymore.

How long after night weaning until baby starts sleeping through is such a wide variation it is impossible to say. As well as taking into account the child personality, parenting style will make a difference to this too. Generally speaking, the more gentle you are about it the longer it will take.

For comparison I was super gentle no-crying with DC4. She was 8pm-7am night weaned most nights from 4m and completely by 6m. She was sleeping 11h uninterputed occassionally from 9m and consistantly by 11m, own room at 12m.

Compare to DC2 who i was quite hands-off with and far more strict about sleep. He night weaned himself at 6m and from that first night I swapped sides of the bed with DH and never gave another night feed. He was mostly sleeping 12h within a week and consistantly 2 weeks later.

In your situation i would start a more to-the-click routine, starting with a set wake up time. 6.30am is fine and I would then say 9am is a reasonable time for first nap. I would say it's especially important to keep him awake in the morning on nights he's been awake in the night, otherwise your morning nap just becomes a disjointed addition to the nights sleep, rather than a discrete nap in its own right.

Thank you for your advice, some things we can definitely work on.

DS has done a few nights where he has only needed one short resettle but I can’t see any difference in his routine on these nights unless he has eaten more on these days. He always has free rein on fruit, veg and yoghurt so I will just keep offering until he stops. I will also up the portion of his lunch and dinner.

I did also wonder if the early nap was allowing DS to make up for his disturbed night.

If DS has first nap about 9am and only sleeps for 45 mins, when would you start the afternoon nap? Sometimes he has a 45 min nap in the afternoon around 1pm but that leaves him going from 1.45-7pm. Unless bedtime should be earlier?

My Mum and I have discussed this many times so a by-the-clock routine would be beneficial to her too.

I would push him through for second nap after lunch instead of before xx

Could also try a wholegrain supper - porridge, weetabix, wholemeal toast to keep him full during the night xx