My 10 month old has never slept through
Hi
advide needed my 10 month old has never really slept through and I am back at work in a couple of weeks and having another one in January!
she has a bath and is put to bed without a bottle between 7-8 depending on her last nap. She often goes off to sleep herself without any difficulty.
she will then wake at 11 for a feed. Prior to doing his feed she would have a bottle before bed but would wake more. Therefore we introduced this feed because our health visitor suggested it to make her go longer. She then wakes at 3am. She used to have a feed but I have now weaned her off this and give only water. She however is so unsettled from 3 and keeps waking until I give her a morning bottle at 5 am then she tends to go back off until 6.30-7. However by this point I am wide awake.
i have stopped her coming in my bed in the night and whilst some of it maybe teeth related she has been an unsettled sleeper since birth. Nap times can vary in the day and in length and nothing seems to make a difference.
my health visitor doesn't think she is hungry. She has weetabix for breakfast finger food for lunch which is sandwhich crisps fruit and yoghurt then a main meal with pudding for tea? I don't give her milk in the day as she dropped her milk quite quickly as she suffered reflux.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Replies
Also I have done cry it outin the day method but am not comfortable doing it through the night as she will wake the neighbours!
Hmmm this is a tricky one - but reading through your routine, there are quite a few changes i would make. I'm by no means a sleep expert, but it seems like your little girl has got into a habit of waking for this feed at 11pm, and then habitually waking at 3am too.
Give dinner at 5pm
After bath time, whilst reading a story to wind down (low light in the room etc) I would then give milk - you could offer cows milk (i know you're supposed to wait until a year, but if you're confident she has a good daily diet, i wouldn't worry)
Ok, here's where it's gonna get hard - and i know your hesitant to do controlled crying, but it could be sorted in as little as 2/3 nights...
11pm feed - drop it! Give water, shush and pat her - no picking up. You can stay in the room, but just shush and pat until she goes back to sleep - you need to break this habit of waking at this time.
the 3am wake - again, shush and pat until she goes back to sleep - just say shush, sleepy time, and hopefully she'll go back to sleep.
And try to hang in there for the few days it takes to break the habits... I know it's so hard, but sod the neighbours for a few days!
I was giving my daughter a feed at 12 months during the night and a friend said to me 'if someone offered you a ice hit chocolate when you woke up during the night, you'd take it cause it was being offered' - same applies to that 11pm bottle - knock it on the head, then work through the other wake ups.
Hope that all makes sense!
Thanks Mrsg I have been giving cows milk for her 11 feed but formula for mornig. The trouble with a feed before bed she wasn't drinking it that's why I pushed it back later if that makes sense. Do you think she is definately eating enough in the day to not need feeding? Many thanks for your reply x
Ahh ok, so she wasn't taking much of the milk before bed - i understand you. You know, maybe she just doesn't need it - maybe just a little top up at 7pm, a few oz of milk is all she needs/wants.
I think cereal, lunch and a proper dinner plus snacks is great! And as long as her weight gain is regular and she's fit and healthy, it all sounds good.
Just a thought, have you tried formula before bed instead of cow milk? I'd try mixing the cows milk and formula (did this to prepare my daughter for the change over in milk when she was 11 months) and offer that before bed.
But i think knocking the night feeds on the head is the first step... then go from there.
Ok I will water down the night feed tonight and introduce a small bottle before bed and go from there thanks xx
Did you try anything different last night?
Hi I gave her a bottle of formula before bed ( a small one) and a watered down version of milk when she woke at 11ish. She then went through until 4.30 where I settled her and again she woke at 5 but I gave her her morning bottle then and she went back off until 7.45. I will water the 11 one down further again tonight. Do you think I should be trying to push the 5am one back as well? She also whinges a lot in her sleep and am unsure why she does that. She has since birth. Thank you for asking and your help xx
I think you have to cut out that 5am bottle - she's not going into a deep sleep and it sounds like she might be having the bottle for comfort more than hunger - does she have a dummy?
I would consider sleeping anytime up until 6am a success, so try and push it if you can.
The whining and whinging again, makes me think she's not going into a deep sleep - i know you don't want to, but i would suggest controlled crying - i think that might be the hardest, yet most effective solution - it's horrible, and i went through it with my toddler when she was 11 months, but by golly it worked for us x
ok thanks. It is when she is coming out of a deep sleep as she doesn't start doing it until after 2/3am how long did it take for the controlled crying to work?
So she goes down with no problems? You put her in the cot awake and she settles to sleep?
If that's the case, when she does that first wake at 11, as you're not keen on CC, try the gradual retreat method - google it - i think you might feel more confortable with that.
Took my daughter 2 nights of controlled crying to work, but you have to be consistent.
Hi Cberg
I'm Kathryn, I gave birth to a sleep thief and to cut a long story short I am now Family Sleep Consultant. I am sorry to hear of your sleep struggles with your LO. Do you know how much day and night time sleep your LO is currently getting?
Thanks mrsg will google it. She goes down fine awake at night and in the day as long as she is in her cot. I dis controlled crying where I went in every 2 then 4 minutes etc.
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for your reply. She prob has about 2-3 hours in the day split over 2 naps if in a cot. If were out a little less in pram but I always try to do one nap in the cot. At night she goes down between 7-8 but closer to 7. I had been putting her down without a bottle but she wakes consistently at 11 for milk and she wakes at 3 but I try to offer only water On the 3am wake. from 3 she whinges in her sleep a lot until she has a morning bottle then will settle for a couple of hours. I just can't seem to stop the wakes. She eats a lot in the day so don't think she is hungry but think it is possibly bad habits. Tonight I have given her a small bottle before bed as I'm weaning her off the 11 bottle incase she is learning if she wakes she will get milk if that makes sense?
Hi Cberg, The problem is sleep disturbances can happen for so many reasons. What is your current bedtime routine?
My current bedtime routine is bath about 6. She has a little play then bed between 7-8 depending on naps. She sometimes has a bottle before bed but does not always take one. E put her to bed with music on and she will mostly go off but now and again she doesn't settle so I stroke her forehead and rub her tummy and that helps. She then wakes at 11 and 3 without fail and since I have reduced milk at 11 and stopped feeding at 3 she has got worse and I'm not sure really what to do? I'm having another baby in 5 months and back at work this week so not sure what to do. I have tried to leavw her to whinge tonight as a lot of the time her eyes aren't open but I havebjust heard thenneighbour get up.