Night Time Feedings

My ds is 19 months old and a few weeks ago, when he was sick he started waking up around two/three hours after we put him down. At first he would just play for a bit and then go back down. Then as he got better, he pretty much stopped. Well, the past week and a half, every night or every other night, he's been getting up wanting/asking for a bottle of milk. He chugs it down and then goes back to bed. <_< He has been eating very well, drinks 16oz of milk during the day so I'm not sure what to do? I don't want to create a bad habit...both of getting up to drink and getting him used to "midnight" snacks but I don't think he would understand no milk at that time. I've tried letting him CIO but it's not working at all. He will continue to cry and starts screaming out for milk. Do you all think this is a phase/growth spurt or what? How would you handle this issue?

Thanks!!

 

When you did CIO, how long did you let it go? When I've done it, the first night can last anywhere from 45 min - 1 hr. It's up to you if that's the route you want to go. I would do CIO, but first with an explanation that it is not time for milk, it's time for sleep. At 19 mos, he should understand what you are saying. It probably is habit at this point. If you want to go more of a non-CIO route, you could try offering water instead, but then you run the risk of him being OK with water and still waking up for that.

 

I was going to suggest water - in a sippy cup - let him go to bed with it and once he's asleep remove it (after the 3 hour mark when he would normally wake up)...when we've done CIO we've been fortunate that it only lasts 10-15 min...

 

I remember getting up for a couple of weeks with both my girls right around that age and giving them a banana in the middle of the night, or just a piece of bread. Eventually it stopped and never happened again. I'd see if it's just a growth spurt, but if it continues for awhile, then it's probably something you need to let him break (said from the person who can't let her own kids CIO in the middle of the night , all they need is a little cuddling and then back to sleep for them). Do you have sippy cups of water or anything like that he can reach when he wakes up? I have sippy cups of water in my kids' beds that they can have anytime they want. Probably another bad habit, but each has done this and it seems to help them to have a drink if they need and go back to sleep.

 

Thanks ladies!

QUOTE(Snittens @ Jan 11 2008, 03:11 PM) [snapback]568394[/snapback]
When you did CIO, how long did you let it go?


We let it go for about 10-15 minutes and then he wakes up his sister and that starts a whole new dilemma! I've tried telling him that it's not time for milk, but he goes into complete hysterics... it's not his normal tantrum, it's as if he is absolutely famished and he looks at me like I'm starving him.


QUOTE(HRE @ Jan 11 2008, 03:27 PM) [snapback]568411[/snapback]
I'd see if it's just a growth spurt, but if it continues for awhile,


What would you all consider awhile? He hasn't gotten up for milk in the middle of the night since he was about 8ish months old, so I feel like it may be a growth spurt but something in the back of my mind keeps reminding me that this could turn into a BAD HABIT! ardon: when would you think it goes from need to habit?

I am going to try and give him water in his sippy tonight. I couldn't leave it in his bed because of me worrying he'll choke :blush: and also the sippy, when left upside down, leaks. So :nea:

 

Oh man!! What a pain in the tooshie to be getting up in the middle of the night again. :hug99:

What about if you tried to wean him from it like you do when you are getting them to sleep through the night? Add a little water to it each night. Is there a way you could give him a nice chug of it right before he goes to bed, or do you already do that?

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Jan 11 2008, 03:37 PM) [snapback]568429[/snapback]
Oh man!! What a pain in the tooshie to be getting up in the middle of the night again. :hug99:

What about if you tried to wean him from it like you do when you are getting them to sleep through the night? Add a little water to it each night. Is there a way you could give him a nice chug of it right before he goes to bed, or do you already do that?


Pain in the tooshie is correct!

He drinks his milk at 3:30-4:00, so I could try giving him some more after dinner? Or even the watering down thing. I didn't even think of that since I didn't have to wean him when he was a baby! Figures I was lucky then and now I have to deal with it! <_<

 

QUOTE(TwinLove @ Jan 11 2008, 02:33 PM) [snapback]568420[/snapback]
What would you all consider awhile? He hasn't gotten up for milk in the middle of the night since he was about 8ish months old, so I feel like it may be a growth spurt but something in the back of my mind keeps reminding me that this could turn into a BAD HABIT! ardon: when would you think it goes from need to habit?

That's a very good question. I remember thinking it would turn into a habit with the girls, but then didn't. I really don't remember how long it took them-5 days? I don't know. I guess when his cry turns from "you're starving me" to "so mad because you're not falling for my beautiful blue puppy dog eyes". And as for the sippy in the bed, they got special "leak proof" sippies for their first birthdays (the only sippy cups I have ever bought)! They just grab and drink and back to sleep they go!

 

I'd offer water, not milk.

 

Liz, do they drink anything before bed? Mine have a sippy at dinner but they get milk again before bed. (dont know if that is the norm or not but it is what we do)

 

Yikes Liz! Sounds like this is becoming a habit for Anthony and he is liking it! But I do think it is something you need to break him of, sorry, I know that won't be easy! I like the water idea, maybe he won't like it as much as milk and stop getting up for it.

As for CIO, when we did it with Emilie and Trevor about a year ago, they sometimes went for 20 min. a few times longer, but not often. It only took them about a week to figure out to go back to sleep and has worked great.

Good luck!

ETA: I agree about the sippy of milk before bed. We eat dinner at 5:30 and Emilie and Trevor always get a sippy of milk at 7:00, they go to bed at 7:30

 

I would just try giving him a sippy of milk right before he goes to bed. We still give the boys a sippy of milk before bed even if they have just eaten supper 45mins earlier.

If he still wakes you may have to do CIO. We have been lucky and it's never lasted past 10 mins or I cave. I never could do the full blown CIO at first. I let them cry for a few minutes(3-5) and then I would go back in. Pat them lay them back down(usually still screaming) tell them I love them and leave the room. Now they do wake sometimes and once I find out nothing is wrong(diaper, sick, paci, etc) I hug them for a few seconds and then tell them nite nite and walk out. They are over it in a couple of minutes.

 

QUOTE(seamusnicholas @ Jan 11 2008, 03:47 PM) [snapback]568455[/snapback]
Liz, do they drink anything before bed? Mine have a sippy at dinner but they get milk again before bed. (dont know if that is the norm or not but it is what we do)


They get their milk at 4pm and dinner with sippy of water at 6. Do you all think I should give a snack at 4...dinner at 5:30 and then their milk?



Sorry for all the questions! I would try CIO again but I know me and if it goes past ten/fifteen minutes, I'll go in. :blush: I am going to try the water tonight since they already had their milk.

 

No new ideas - but I would try the sippy right before bed thing. :hug99: Good luck!

 

I think snack at 4 and dinner with milk at 5:30 or if they tend to not eat if you give them milk...then maybe begn dinner with no drink and then half way through, give milk


our schedule:

8:15ish breakfast and milk

10:30 morning snack (usually banana)

12:30- lunch and milk

1:15- nap

4:00- yogurt snack

5:30- dinner and milk

7:30- milk

 

Why don't you just give him a little snack about an hour before bed with a sippy of water not milk? At 19 months I still gave my boys three snacks a day between meals..crackers, bread, apple, etc. maybe it will fill his stomach and he won't wake anymore..Mine are having their snack as we speak it is 5:45 and they go to bed by 7pm.

 

I'm the non-conformist on this one. My experience has been that the boys wake once at night for 2-5 days consecutively (eating and then going right back to sleep) then abruptly return to sleeping through the night. It generally happens to both around the same time. This behavior is accompanied by heavy eating during the day. This is clearly not a habit, it's a growth spurt. A habit develops over time and is consistent rather than being something that is short-term with a distinct start and stop. So, I feed them knowing it will be over in a few days.

I'm not saying that every waking issue is a growth spurt but sometimes it is.

 

No new ideas from me, just adding my support & :hug99: , I hope he starts sleeping better soon!

 

sorry if this is a repeat to what anyone else suggested but did you try giving him water? We keep sippy cups of water in their cribs at all times. They will chug before they go to sleep and sometimes if they wake up in the middle of the night and in the morning when they wake up. Perhaps he is just thirsty rather than "hungry?" Just a thought. Hope you are able to find a solution that works.

 

I would try giving him milk with dinner as well as at snack time. If he wakes at night offer him water. I don't think our kids have ever had growth spurts, so I have no experience with it being a temporary situation.

 

QUOTE(TwinLove @ Jan 11 2008, 05:06 PM) [snapback]568557[/snapback]
They get their milk at 4pm and dinner with sippy of water at 6. Do you all think I should give a snack at 4...dinner at 5:30 and then their milk?

I would still offer a sippy of milk before bed. I would give milk at dinner too.

 

OK, after reading the subsequent posts, I would say maybe he is geniunely hungry. I was giving a sippy of milk before bed up until recently (they seemed to lose interest in it, so I stopped). Maybe try that and see if it stops him from waking at night.