Advice on Night Feeding - Deltona,FL

Unfortunately, I don't think it's abnormal at all for an 11 month old to be night waking. If you don't think she's hungry, don't feed her then, but don't expect the wakings to stop. They might after a few nights of not getting a bottle, but they might not. She might be waking up for the company and the comforting, and out of habit, and not necessarily from hunger.

Not to disappoint you but mine STILL wake up at night, and they're 2 1/2 and 4! Not every night anymore but it took a long time for the night wakings to cease.

H.

give her water instead of milk in a sippy cup, its better for her teeth and maybe leave it in her crib and show her where it is. perhaps she is just doing it for attention so don't give it to her. I will be surprised if she cries for more that 2-3 nights.

It sounds normal to me - I don't see anything wrong with it.

Please do some research before considering letting your baby cry - it's very detrimental to their health.

MY SON IS JUST OVER A YEAR AND HE USED TO DO THE SAME THING. WHAT I FOUND THAT WORKED WAS CATERING TO HIS NEEDS. I WOULD GIVE HIM A BOTTLE. WHAT I FOUND TO HELP HIM SLEEP WAS PUTTING A VCR IN HIS ROOM AND ALLOWING HIM TO WATCH A VIDEO TO FALL BACK ASLEEP WITHOUT ME BEING RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. I JUST PUT ON THE SLEEP TIMER, GAVE HIM HIS BABA,A ND WENT BACK TO SLEEP. HE NOW IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT ALMOST EVERY NIGHT. IT WILL GET BETTER, I DIDN'T BELIEV IT EITHER. GOOD LUCK

Dear D.,
I know how exhausting it is to feel like you can't get a decent night's sleep!! I think it is normal for your daughter to wake up. Developmentally she is "old enough" to sleep through the night by herself. You have to decide how much this is disrupting your life. If you don't mind waking up with her then I would not worry, but my guess is that you are ready for this to stop. It will take a few nights, but she will sleep through. I suggest a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Good luck.
K.

I don't know if this helps, but our pediatrician said that our daughter didn't need the night feedings anymore at 5mos. He said that by that age, she was capable enough of regulating her blood sugar without having to be fed at night. It took a couple of weeks, but I worked her off of needing to nurse at night (I was breastfeeding her at the time). Basically, what I did was just stop giving it to her. I held her, rocked her, gave her the pacifier, etc, but I stopped feeding her. Eventually, she realized that she wasn't going to get fed in the middle of the night, and she quit waking up for it. She's 9mos now, and she still occasionally wakes up (maybe once a week? sometimes more, sometimes less. Often, it's because she has gas). Usually, it takes from 30-60mins to get her back to bed, but I do not feed her no matter how long it takes, because I don't want to start that habit of waking up for a bottle. I'd suggest talking to her Dr. to find out if he/she thinks that your daughter needs to eat at night.

At that age, it's more for habit than needing the bottle. I would suggest either leaving a bottle of water in the crib with her (that way if she wants to suck and she falls asleep - you don't run the risk of bottle mouth.) If you put her to bed awake usually, you could try letting her cry out during this feeding and she'll eventually stop waking for the bottle when she is not given what she wants.

My son is actually two years plus and has gotten up almost every night since he was born. I am pretty sure it is a security issue, but if I try to let him cry through it, he throws up! And, that is worse to me, so we get up with him. I don't know when I will be able to get a good night sleep. Good luck.

My daughter did the same thing. Over the course of a week or so diluted her bottle to only water. She was not happy and it was not a fun week or so but eventually she got the hint that she wasn't getting formula in the middle of the night. From then on, if she woke in the night she did not cry for a "ba-ba". Good Luck! :)

have you tried just putting her to bed and letting her cry her self to sleep? if not you should try it i did it with my daughter and she was fine our doctor told us that she just needs to learn to put her self back to sleep and after she does it a few times then she should be fine. also put cereal in her bottle so that it makes her bottle thicker and it will fill her up more.

Hi,

I would try giving your baby water and they will eventually get to know that there is nothing to wake up for so to speak!
It sounds like a routine she has gotten into and may take a while to break.

Good luck

Although I stopped the night feedings earlier than this, my son still woke up every night and would not put himself back to sleep on his own until he was well over a year old.
I visited a friend who had children that slept through the night and she showed me that she had little sound machines in their rooms. They sell them at linens and things and other places. Several sounds to choose from, ours is rain. But it comes with waterfall, fan, train, beach and others. Depending on the brand of course. The first night I got this and turned it on, he slept through the night. And continues to sleep through the night. At her age, she isn't waking up for the feeding, she's waking up naturally and just lacks the ability to self-soothe herself back to sleep.
I suggest the sound machine. It's worth a shot. Since we bought one for our son, we now have one in our room as well.

Do you have some mixed feelings about it? Talk to your daughter's pediatrician about it. Most pediatricians will recommend that you break the habit, but as always it's up to you. Letting her cry it out is not going to be detrimental to your child's health unless there is a need. Make sure she is not wet, soiled, gassy, running a temperature, teething, you know the normal stuff. You can also check to make sure her room is comfortable. Some babies need the familiar to feel safe. Is there a routine you use before bedtime, if not start one. Some babies like white noise, others need complete quiet. Make sure your baby is in the environment she is most comfortable in. If you're not sure how she likes to sleep, then experiment. Try a small water fountain for white noise, small fan, or soothing sounds on a tape/cd. My daughter likes to stay up right now, and I have to force her to sleep. Sure she cries, but only for a little while. It's more detrimental for her health if she doesn't get enough rest, or learn proper disciple for her future. I can't just let her stay up and play. And, I doubt you'd want to keep giving you're daughter bottles until she falls asleep. It's a shame, but it doesn't work as they grow up. They just have to learn how to go to sleep. My pediatrician I think said, "Babies need to be taught, that night time is for sleeping."