Bottles at night

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
| We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has
begun
| waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't want
| cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go
back
| to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and a
picky
| eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is particular
about
| what she wants and doesn't want.

If she has low weight, I don't see anything wrong with something late at
night. (Just my opinion, not a Dr. btw). But instead, try a larger amount
before bed... Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)


|
| My child health nurse thinks we should cut out the bottle completely, that
| she is using them as a sleep aid. We have a few problems with that as how
| else do we encourage her to go back to sleep without an hour of tantrum?
| Also she refuses to drink milk in any other container - hot or cold. Any
| suggestions?
|


My niece was a very "bottle addicted" baby too. Finally we got her off the
bottle by introducing sippy cups with nipple like nozzles that she had to
actively suck... That was sort of a problem later as I only just broke her
of those... she is now 3 1/2 (she NEVER lets me forget the 1/2 lol)

She took them to bed with her, and they were set on her table or in her bed
so she could get it herself.. We only gave water or apple juice though
(mixed half juice with half water). In fact, she could not/would not go to
sleep without one until about 2 months ago.

You might also try introducing a blankie or teddy bear that would comfort
her at night.

As far as her refusing to drink milk in any other container, try drinking
out of a sippy cup yourself... Show her that you do it, and eventually she
will catch on... Otherwise, just offer a cup, and no bottles (if you are
wanting to get her off bottles that is) and eventually she will take it.

--

LES!

Daddie to Alegra Lee. May 25th 2003!
"Daddie's Little Diva"

before you reply to me via email, please remove your hat
ourHat

Take a look at my eBay auctions I just might have something you can't live
without :-)
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Ali's Daddie wrote:

Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)


No problem with cereal for a 20-month-old, and at that age,
it shouldn't even be a choking hazard. But cereal is less
calorie-dense than whole milk, so if she's waking up hungry,
it might not help.

For the OP: if she gets a bottle at the first waking, will
she really take 3 or 4 bottles over the course of the night?
Or will she go down for the rest of the night after she's
finished one bottle?

Because you describe her as small, low-weight, and a picky
eater, I'd be inclined to let her have a midnight snack,
especially if she's hungry, but if she keeps waking, it
sounds less like hunger and more like a soothing mechanism.
If you think she's waking from hunger, you might try
sneaking more fat into her daytime diet, and a calorie-dense
bedtime snack.

Phoebe

"Ali's Daddie" wrote in message
...

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
| We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has
begun
| waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't want
| cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go
back
| to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and a
picky
| eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is particular
about
| what she wants and doesn't want.

If she has low weight, I don't see anything wrong with something late at
night. (Just my opinion, not a Dr. btw). But instead, try a larger amount
before bed... Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle
would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)

She usually takes most of a full Avent bottle before bed. We make sure she's
had a good sized dinner earlier by getting her to eat different things until
she refuses any more.

|
| My child health nurse thinks we should cut out the bottle completely,
that
| she is using them as a sleep aid. We have a few problems with that as
how
| else do we encourage her to go back to sleep without an hour of tantrum?
| Also she refuses to drink milk in any other container - hot or cold. Any
| suggestions?
|


My niece was a very "bottle addicted" baby too. Finally we got her off the
bottle by introducing sippy cups with nipple like nozzles that she had to
actively suck... That was sort of a problem later as I only just broke her
of those... she is now 3 1/2 (she NEVER lets me forget the 1/2 lol)

She took them to bed with her, and they were set on her table or in her
bed
so she could get it herself.. We only gave water or apple juice though
(mixed half juice with half water). In fact, she could not/would not go to
sleep without one until about 2 months ago.

You might also try introducing a blankie or teddy bear that would comfort
her at night.

As far as her refusing to drink milk in any other container, try drinking
out of a sippy cup yourself... Show her that you do it, and eventually she
will catch on... Otherwise, just offer a cup, and no bottles (if you are
wanting to get her off bottles that is) and eventually she will take it.

--

LES!

Thanks for the suggestions Les.
She uses three different sippy type cups for water and juice quite happily.
It's only milk she won't drink from them.
We have offered her water in a sippy cup during these night sessions but she
catagorically refuses it.
She has both a blanky and a dummy and four teddies in the cot with her.

It's just that I'm in two minds as to whether the extra bottle giving is
bad. The extra nutrition vs the getting up at night is a hard one to deal
with.

Liz

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...
Ali's Daddie wrote:

Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)


No problem with cereal for a 20-month-old, and at that age,
it shouldn't even be a choking hazard. But cereal is less
calorie-dense than whole milk, so if she's waking up hungry,
it might not help.

For the OP: if she gets a bottle at the first waking, will
she really take 3 or 4 bottles over the course of the night?
Or will she go down for the rest of the night after she's
finished one bottle?

Because you describe her as small, low-weight, and a picky
eater, I'd be inclined to let her have a midnight snack,
especially if she's hungry, but if she keeps waking, it
sounds less like hunger and more like a soothing mechanism.
If you think she's waking from hunger, you might try
sneaking more fat into her daytime diet, and a calorie-dense
bedtime snack.

Phoebe

The routine is:
Dinner btween 5.30 and 6.
Full bottle at bedtime ( 260ml or 9oz) between 8 and 9 - drinks most.
Wakes up at least once or twice and drinks all of a small bottle (130ml or
5oz)
Last night woke at 11.30 and 3.30. Drank a small bottle both times after a
period of screaming. Woke at 5.30 but resettled herself back to sleep.

As to diet, one of the other things I am concerned about is her diet as she
loves everthing with high fat, high salt and high suger. Most was initially
suggested by a dietician but she's not a great eater of vegetables that's
for sure.

What sort of calorie-dense snack are you thinking of?

Liz

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
"Ali's Daddie" wrote in message
...

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
| We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has
begun
| waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't
want
| cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go
back
| to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and a
picky
| eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is particular
about
| what she wants and doesn't want.

If she has low weight, I don't see anything wrong with something late at
night. (Just my opinion, not a Dr. btw). But instead, try a larger
amount
before bed... Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle
would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)

She usually takes most of a full Avent bottle before bed. We make sure
she's
had a good sized dinner earlier by getting her to eat different things
until
she refuses any more.


If you get toddler formula (the stuff that comes in flavours like vanilla
and chocolate) you can doctor her bedtime bottle of milk so she gets more
calories from the same amount of milk. If you are already using formula for
that bottle, just add a little bit more... she's a toddler not a baby now,
and there are fewer health issues with regards to formula concentration for
toddlers who drink water and eat solids.

We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has begun
waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't want
cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go back
to sleep unless she is given a bottle.

Ok. I can see two possible sides to this.

It is not at all uncommon for breastfed babies of this age, esp. those who are
co-sleeping, to still be nursing a few times during the night. So part of me
would say that it is perfectly fine to feed her, whatever kind of milk she is
getting, at night, if she is hungry or in need of comfort at night.

OTOH, if this is a new situation, it would seem unlikely to me that your
toddler who had been happily sleeping through and getting by on the food she
was getting during the day is suddenly starving at night to the point that she
has to be eating every couple of of hours again.
I don't think her small size is necessarily a factor here. Many small babies
can and do sleep the night at 20 months without difficulty. (Just as yours did
at 19 months!)

It could certainly be a growth spurt. Have you tried offering her more food
during the day?
Have you taken her to the doctor to check for underlying illness? (Ear
infection? UTI?)
Anything going on that might have upset her emtionally? (Recent move? New baby?
New daycare? Loss of a favorite toy/comfort object?)

My gut would say that this a 'phase', but the best way to make it go away is to
figure out what is causing it, whether physical or emotional, and deal with it.




Naomi
CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator

(either remove spamblock or change address to to e-mail
reply.)

"Liz" wrote in message news:3f1932d2$0$26536

|
| What sort of calorie-dense snack are you thinking of?
|
| Liz
|
|

Sorry to butt in.

Give pediasure or even ensure a try.. They are high calorie as well as
vitamin fortified... And they are sweet so it would be like a treat :-)

I'm sure there are other high calorie shake drinks out there, I am only
familiar with these 2.

--

LES!

Daddie to Alegra Lee. May 25th 2003!
"Daddie's Little Diva"

before you reply to me via email, please remove your hat
ourHat

Take a look at my eBay auctions I just might have something you can't live
without :-)
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/dads2003/

"Liz" wrote in message . au...
We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has begun
waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't want
cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go back
to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and a picky
eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is particular about
what she wants and doesn't want.

Do you think this is a phase that will go away? Should we just accept this
for the time being and have a small bottle ready for her at night?

My child health nurse thinks we should cut out the bottle completely, that
she is using them as a sleep aid. We have a few problems with that as how
else do we encourage her to go back to sleep without an hour of tantrum?
Also she refuses to drink milk in any other container - hot or cold. Any
suggestions?


I've got a 2 year old who has been having similar nightly problems.
First question -- is she cutting any new teeth? My daughter has been
slow to get her teeth, and for several weeks of this waking at night
she'd shown no signs of teething, but started to get annoyed with me
checking. Then once she started to sleep a little better, I checked
her gums, and she'd cut four teeth (all of her canines) in a week.
I'd bet it hurt, too!

But, mine wouldn't take anything for the suspected pain when that was
a problem anyway, so it was just a wait it out thing.

My daughter is also small and has growth problems, so I also hesitate
to not feed her whenever she's hungry, but I think your daughter is
getting to be old enough -- and probably big enough (how small is
she?) -- to fill up for the night at one time. My daughter's allergic
to milk, so that was never an option, but I did give her juice a few
times, mixed with her calorie supplement. Only once a night, then
it's water. And many times, she'd fall asleep without drinking it.
She just seemed to want to know I'd do it, or she was really too tired
altogether!

I did let her cry a few times. I just got to the point where I
couldn't deal with it anymore. I'm still nursing her, but she's been
weaned overnight since about 15 months, and I just can't take the
waking up all the time. She was allowing me (recently) only about 3-4
hours of sleep total, and it was in one or one and a half hour
stretches. So, I don't want her to ask to nurse, and my husband works
late, so he'd either not be home, or be sleeping too deeply to wake.
It was very against my nature, but I don't have a problem with her
'reading' in her room, or even listening to her tapes, and I wanted
her to figure out that she didn't *need* me to come in there and give
her a book, or whatever. I guess I'm very strict when it comes to
sleep these days -- my older daughter is 4, and they co-slept for over
a year each, I've been nursing continuously this whole time, and I had
about 8 months of consistent 6 hours of sleep a night, and I got
hooked again!

I also realized that my daughter may have been overtired, and while
the teeth cutting has passed for now, this one still comes up a couple
of times a week. She was up until 10 last night (at a carnival) and
woke twice during the night. But if I put her to bed at 7:30, she
often sleeps straight through till 8 AM. It sounds ridiculous, at
least it did to me until I tried it, but it's worked very well. And I
don't let her nap after 1 PM. She's spoardic about naps anyway, but
if she seems to need it, I put her down at 11! And if she doesn't, it
doesn't seem to affect her nights.

Just some thoughts from someone who's been there recently!

As for the bottle... I'd just 'break' one of them and tell her you
can't get to the store, or you ordered one, but it won't be here for a
few days, and have her use a sippy cup or a real cup (not in bed,
obviously!). A friend of mine has a 23 month old using a cup full
time, with no spills, so it can be done. But, I am very strict, I
guess. Avent has those spout lids, too, maybe you could tell her
that's all that fits on there, so she could still use the bottle part,
but not the same exact top?

Good Luck! I do think it's likely a phase, but I wouldn't do anything
to assist it becoming a habit. I always tell my husband if he's not
willing to do whatever it is, without complaint, for an undetermined
amount of time,he'd better not do it once.


Tina.

"silvasurfa" wrote in message
...

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
"Ali's Daddie" wrote in message
...

"Liz" wrote in message
u...
| We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month
has
begun
| waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't
want
| cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't
go
back
| to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and
a
picky
| eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is
particular
about
| what she wants and doesn't want.

If she has low weight, I don't see anything wrong with something late
at
night. (Just my opinion, not a Dr. btw). But instead, try a larger
amount
before bed... Maybe at her age, a little cereal mixed with the bottle
would
help? (am I suggesting something bad for the baby's age? if so, sorry)

She usually takes most of a full Avent bottle before bed. We make sure
she's
had a good sized dinner earlier by getting her to eat different things
until
she refuses any more.


If you get toddler formula (the stuff that comes in flavours like vanilla
and chocolate) you can doctor her bedtime bottle of milk so she gets more
calories from the same amount of milk. If you are already using formula
for
that bottle, just add a little bit more... she's a toddler not a baby now,
and there are fewer health issues with regards to formula concentration
for
toddlers who drink water and eat solids.


She's been on plain cow's milk since she was a year old. The Child Health
nurse has given us some vanilla suppliments to put in her bottle but so far
she's refused to drink it. Maybe we need to try chocolate :-(

Liz

Liz wrote:

We are having trouble with our 20 month old who in the last month has begun
waking up 3 or 4 times a night, very upset and crying. She doesn't want
cuddles and refuses to sleep in our bed. Most of the time she won't go back
to sleep unless she is given a bottle. She is small, low weight and a picky
eater. She is often resistant to trying anything new and is particular about
what she wants and doesn't want.

Do you think this is a phase that will go away? Should we just accept this
for the time being and have a small bottle ready for her at night?

My child health nurse thinks we should cut out the bottle completely, that
she is using them as a sleep aid. We have a few problems with that as how
else do we encourage her to go back to sleep without an hour of tantrum?
Also she refuses to drink milk in any other container - hot or cold. Any
suggestions?

--
Liz
-------------
Give her what she wants! How stupid can people be? Kids don't want it
to be nasty! They want it because they NEED it!
Steve