need help to decide if my 1 year old's routine is ok - wish she would sleep at night!

[LKLN]

everyone tells you that by 1 year old baby should be sleeping through - 12 hours 7 to 7. My 12 month old has routine of wake 7am, milk, breakfast, milk to sleep at 9:30 for an hour (or more), lunch at 12, milk and may be sleep at around 3 depends on what we are up to, dinner at 5, bath and bed at 7pm, wakes once or twice in night and so tired I give her milk to sleep....too much milk?.....or is this quite good?.....need help and/or reassurance!

Neither of mine slept through by one, so I may not be the right person to answer...

Your routine sounds pretty 'normal' to me ... the only thing I guess is that she's always getting milk to go to sleep (ie at naps as well as bedtime) - could you try and make more of a gap between milk & sleep so the two aren't always linked. You could try watering down/decreasing quanity of nightime milk if you want (assuming you're not bf??)

Actually, just read it again, and is she going to sleep at 3 or waking up at 3?? going down at 3 sounds really late to me - mine are always up from lunchtime nap by 2.30/3...

Dd (13 mths) turned one & suddenly started sleeping through, at least occassionally - but if she wakes in the mighe (never more than once) she has milk & comes in with us. She seems to be dropping it of her own accord

I would try and work towards one nap immediately after lunch - maybe start giving her 'lunch' or a decent snack at 11/11.30. Would she stay awake until then? If not, would you feel OK to start waking her after half an hour for morning nap, then reduce it to 15 mins and then stop altogether, while at the same time bring the second nap forward to about 1 o clock. Only you know what will suit her, but going by kids at nursery most move towards one daytime nap after lunch at around this age, and it might benefit her night time sleep. I personally would also pick a week when I'm feeling determined and not tired, and try to break the association between having milk in the night to get back to sleep (i.e, cuddle her, stroke her hair, use one of those sound and light box things...anything that will give her another sleep association). But on the other hand, these babies tend to work it out themselves in the end, and the routine sounds ok...just needs to keep evolving as she grows and her needs change. Its not unusual for either of mine (1 & 3) to wake in the night,say if got a cold or teething or something, but stopped night time milk probably by about nine months, maybe a bit earlier...sleep makes an awful lot of difference to my sanity!

Sounds a fine routine, very similar to my 13m DS (except he is sleeping through). Waking once or twice sounds perfectly normal, and 100% the daytime napping sounds normal. But DS does stir in the night and sucks his fingers to sleep (I give milk if he is actually sitting up, awake and crying rather than stirring). Are you quick to give milk? Have you tried letting her just settle herself? (I mean for a min or 2, not ages)

I think she has wrong association, will only go to sleep with bottle (milk or water). No interest in dummy or comfort blanket etc...Have tried to leave for a while but just screams, does suck thumb as, well bites on it really, which I associate with teething...another reason why I havent tried CC.....still confused....but will try suggestions...thx..new to this!

If she'll settle with water, maybe you could just try water rather than milk at night?
Think I would (personally) focus on getting the daytime sleep associations sorted first - esp given that YOU won't want to be asleep then Does she sleep in a buggy? COuld she have her first sleep of the day in the buggy, and not have milk then, for eg??

I would try to get her to go to sleep without the aid of a bottle

terrible night...it is just getting worse...she woke up about 6 times!.....or is it teething...I am going to start today with new routine and taking all your advice....I'll keep you posted...

Hope it goes OK - take care x