Night time snacks

[EDC314]

I've searched and I've searched and I haven't come across one person that can relate to my situation so please can someone tell me I'm not alone here 😂
My DD is 11 months and since birth has been classed as a "grazer" she never drank a full bottle until maybe 1 month ago and she has never drank a full bottle at night. Now this is where the problem lies....she's now drinking and eating like a trogen in the day but by night! She's like a sparrow. She still has one bottle at night but never takes the whole bottle, 13 times she woke up the other night to "graze" I totally get that she "shouldn't be eating at night" but let's pretend that hypothetically she's only 4 months and is doing this, so "hypothetically" she needs that feed through the night. How do I get her to have a whole bottle in one go without waking her up properly and saying it's awake time so time for a whole bottle? Then back to 11months how do I stop her grazing and needing a bottle entirely when it's not even a full bottle! The annoying thing is this isn't my first rodeo, I've got 2 older boys! Any help for a very exhausted mum of 3 would be appreciated 👌

If she’s eating/drinking enough in the day then it’s unlikely she needs a bottle at night.

Does she use the bottle to get back to sleep? I think I’d go cold turkey and find another way to help her get back to sleep.

I think it sounds like she's not hungry at night, she's using the sucking as a comfort thing, so I don't think you'll be able to make her drink it all in one go. Would a dummy help? I know some people hate them but in this case it sounds like it would fulfill her need.

I agree with PP. You cannot "make her" have a whole bottle and shouldn't ever do this at 4 or 11 months. The solution I would try to is to work through different sensory solutions for comfort seeking such as different textured chew toys and blankets with ends for chewing etc and see how she can be supported to feel calm and safe enough to go back to sleep without milk. However, as a breastfeeding mum it's really normal for babies still to want milk overnight until 2 so wouldn't necessarily stop the feeds either. If she is a frequent waker can you try offering her milk every other wake up maybe? Do you co-sleep? You'll get far less requests for milk if you side car a cotbed until she's 2 or 3.

I wouldn't try to get her to take a full bottle at night, I'd start by doing some very gentle night weaning instead.

Like others have said it's unlikely she'll need the calories of she's just having a little.

Dr Jay Gordon's method is aimed at BFers but is pretty easy to adapt if you're FFing.

Have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution too?

How are you getting on now @EDC314?