2 year old never slept through the night! Milk monster!!!

[RRoseR]

Hi guys I’m after some mums advice please on how to get a 2 year old to sleep through and off milk at nighttime completely!!!

basically my little girl (she’s not actually 2 until October) has always been an awful sleeper. When she was a baby she had silent reflux and cows milk allergy which are all resolved now but the only way to settle her was milk! This has continued on until now and it’s gotten out of control! I’ve tried so many times to go cold turkey but she kicks up that much of a fuss she’s sick!

she literally cannot get to sleep without a bottle at night but at nursery she will go for a nap just fine without one, which does indicate that she can infact self settle she just refuses too.

I’ve tried watering down the milk, giving water instead or very diluted sugar free cordial and she will literally launch the bottle across the room like it’s the Apollo 13 ready for launch??

yes she’s still using a bottle (only at night) I’ve tried swapping to a sippy cup but refuses it

im so tired, I work full time and I’m absolutely exhausted to the point where I now cannot function.

she’s going to Disney land in October just before her birthday with her grandparents, she stayed over the other night and it was a nightmare to the point where they’re thinking of cancelling the holiday

any advice is welcome, I was looking into the starry light night lights to give her something to look at to settle to sleep?

every night she has tea, bath teeth brushed then bed with stories and a bottle

im at a lost and feel like I’ve got no hope on that she’ll ever sleep through

Is there a reason she can't just have the bottle of milk?!

My son has a snack and a sippy cup at bedtime whilst we do stories and I leave the cup on his mattress through the night in case he is thirsty ( I drink through the night so feel maybe he would too)

Sounds like you need to just be firm with her and after she realises you not giving in she will get over it in a few days. But I personally don't see why she can't have the milk?!

The holiday sounds too much imo

Oh also my boy only started sleeping through at around 2.5 but it's not every night and we can go weeks where he wakes and wants in my bed ( I let him, I'm soft!) But he sometimes does stay in his bed all night. It's not uncommon for little ones to wake through the night at this age.

I’d be quite happy if mine settled with milk. My toddler is two in November and wakes up most nights for hours and screams the place down if you don’t go to her. Just give her the milk. She’ll drop
it naturally herself

Hiya! Thanks for the reply! I’ve got no issue with giving her one bottle a night, but some nights she literally will wake up 5-10 times and cannot resettle without more milk so ends up with up to 27oz in the night which is the issue ( I don’t think i explained it right sorry!) so then she won’t eat much in the day either! It’s more I just want her to cut the mill throughout the night but I thought the best way to not confuse her would be to get Rid all together but no idea!

Can you use less and less milk each time? A gradual wean down?

Yeah I’m happy to give her her bed time bottle, it’s more the frequent waking 5-10 times dependant and each time she wakes she needs more milk so will end up with up to 3 9oz bottles which I’m more concerned about!

Get rid of the milk/bottles. Don't have the bottles in the house then you can't give them to her.

If she wakes in the night offer a sippy cup of water.

Yes, she will throw a huge tantrum about it, but you will both survive!

Ah ok. Yes just prepare her through the day, remind no milk tonight and stick to it when the tears start.

This might not be want to hear but you need to bite the bullet and stop it. Give her a sippy cup of warm milk at bedtime and explain once it's gone there is no more. She must be exhausted waking up so much. Yes you will have a few awful nights so maybe start on a Friday night, when she's screaming go in to her but you have to be consistent in saying no more milk until the morning. Give her water instead. Has she got a dummy, comforter, night light? She associates milk as night time comfort which you need to stop. Good luck.

2 weeks ago I stopped my DD (same age as yours) from BFing in the middle of the night.

She screamed and cried for an hour or 2 the first night, less the second night.

Good luck!!! 😉

Following because I'm going through the same 😩