Hello
We finally got in to see one of the best paediatirc allergists in the area and he said that our little boy probably doesn't have alllergies. his waking up screaming in the middle of the night because he can't breathe may be due to reflux from having an 8 ounce bottle of formula right at bed time......has anyone else experienced this??????
As a result we have to make some changes - no bottle at bedtime, no bottle in the middle of the night if he wakes up just pat him, console him but no bottle :-( reducing the amount of formula intake and increasing solid diet and finally moving from bottle to sippy cup.
He does currently have 3 meals a day but barely eats since his formula intake is so high that he probably doesn't get hungry.......
We are of course not going to do everything together but we will certainly stop the nigthtime and middle of the night bottle immediately to see if that helps with the breathing issue......
My little one is very spirited and I am sooooo worried that this will be an upsetting experience for him...it was heartbreaking when we did sleep triaining at 8 months and he cried himself to sleep a couple of nights in a row but we are all so much better off because of it......I would appreciate any words of encouragement from other moms who have been through this and any tips on making these transitions smoother.....
Hello Ladies,
You have NO idea how much your responses helped. I braced myself last Thursday for the worst and to tell you the truth it hasn't been that bad. The little one did get a BAD cold that he is getting over so we are taking the sleep training a little slow like I will go to his room to soothe him, pick him or give him water if he cries so he might be doing so because of congestion. But we will get back on track with sleeping through the night on his own as soon as he is better. The eating part is going ok.....I got a ton of organic healthy foods for him to try from Sprouts and we are in the process of figuring our what he likes but we are down to 1 bottle formula and 1-2 bottle soy milk a day which is a huge step.....so after sleep training and food training we will move to completely getting rid of the bottle...........please keep your fingers crossed for me! I will get this adnoids checked on the follow up with the allergist next month!!!! thank you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You'll do fine without the nighttime bottle. DS Stopped getting and stopped asking for his night bottles at 4 months old. Our ped had also had us reduce formula, and milk in turn so that he wasn't getting more than 16-20 oz so it wouldn't get in the way of eating. (she had us start cutting back at 9 months, with a target of being at 16-20 oz at 1 year old).
Kids are very resilient. You'll do OK.
Best to you and yours,
F. B.
My son has always had nasal congestion and drainage from a very early age. I can remember videoing him sleeping at 8-9 months with him snoring. We tried all different kinds of Rx and over the counter allergy/ decongestants over the years and nothing seemed to help. We had him allergy tested (prick test on his back) and it showed nothing. He and his sister had strep in October and the Dr at CareNow asked if we had ever had his adenoids checked. No one in his 6 years had ever mentioned adenoids. Took him to the ENT Dr. and when he looked through the scope down his nose, he couldn't believe he could even breathe through is nose! We had the adenoids taken out last Friday and he's still healing but I just know he is going to be a different kid! I know your son is still young but it can't hurt to check it out. Good luck!
To do the tranisition to more solid foods, I would offer the food before the bottle. That way the bottle is the supplemental and not the food and he won't drink as much. Instead of taking it away, reprioritize it at first. Then offer an ounce or two less in the bottle each week. So for meals give him his meal and a drink in a sippy cup. Then follow up with a bottle. Same for lunch and dinner, with less and less in the bottle and more and more in the sippy as time goes on.
Offer him drinks throughout the day in a cup and only bottles after meals.
Offer a wide variety of foods and find the things he likes. Find ways to incorporate one or two of them into each meal. So, two things he likes, and one new thing.
Set up a bedtime routine in which he gets a small drink from the sippy. Offer a small drink in the middle of the night. I'm talking an ounce or two of straight water. We got our daughter to drink water by adding ice and it looked like more because the ice made it look fuller than it was. If he counts on the bottle for soothing, replace it with something else, like a stuffed animal, special blanket or quiet music.
Try several different styles of sippy cup. He may prefer a soft top to a hard one or a straw to a regular cup lid. It will help if he likes what is in and on his cup as well as how the cup is made.
You can do this. It's all good. It's just a part of growing up. Not too fun for mom and dad, though. In a few weeks it will feel like it did when you sleep trained....really crappy then but so much better now.
