I need some night time eating advise!

mommabird77 · December 2010

I posted this on FB, but I wanted to get your opinions here too. Quinn is eating almost half of his daily ounces at night! He wakes up more frequently at night to eat than the time inbetween his bottles during the day. When we try to feed him more during the day, he turns his head and refuses his bottle. I don't know if it is because of his acid reflux that is making him want to eat so frequently at night or what? His waking up is all over the place too, sometimes every half an hour to every three hours and it will be a couple ounces here, a couple ounces there, then sometimes 4 ounces..AAHHHH!!!! I don't know how to get him to eat more during the day and less at night. Honestly, I don't mind getting up with him at night, but I know that he is definitely not getting the amount of sleep he should be getting because he is waking up so much. Right now we are also doing some rice cereal and a veggie (he loves sweet potatoes) in the middle of the day. We tried at night, but by the time I get home from work, play with him a little, get him bathed and a bottle he is ready to go to bed and will have nothing to do with trying to eat food. Should I just go with the flow here or try to correct this, and if I should correct it what should I do? I am totally at a loss here! Thanks everyone!

MsZoeB · December 2010

I might try and change your evening routine up a bit try play, eat, bath then bottle. Also, I remember that at around this point we had to stretch out his feedings because he was still nursing every 3 hours. I started by stretching him 10 minutes at a time and within a few days we were to 4 hours.

Then over night, I tried to settle him back down without nursing him. I had to send DH in for about a week in order for this to happen. He was getting enough food and milk during the day but he was accustomed to waking and eating. It was part of a sleep training for him and us.

Have you tried other forms of soothing instead of the bottle?

mommabird77 · December 2010

I tried a paci, which he liked when he was younger, but now he isn't too fond of it anymore and always spits it out. He does like to rock to sleep.... I have tried rocking him to sleep in the middle of the night, which does sometimes work, but sometimes he just gets really mad and I give him a bottle and he settles right down, is there anything else I could try?

MsZoeB · December 2010

I know that it wasn't easy but we just kept getting up, soothing and then CIO for a bit. If you know that he has had a bottle and shouldn't need another one then what you are talking about is sleep training. I know that it isn't for everyone but it worked so well for us. We started it when he was little so he never went very long or got himself really worked up.

Other things to think about... growth spurt, teething, illness?

How long has it been going on?

mommabird77 · December 2010

Well.. I am trying to think, things are such a blur for me, lol! He was doing really well between 2-3 months, sleeping for about 5-6 hours at a time. Then at 3 months he started getting super fussy and waking up more,. like every 3 hours. At 4 months he was diagnosed with acid reflux, and that is when he started eating less during the day and more at night. He was put on Prilosec, his fussiness went away, but ever since then he has been crazy about eating at night. So, now that he is on the meds, I am wondering if it has just become a habit for him to eat more at night. He also has been drooly, but has been for a while now... so not sure if teething is starting to happen or what. Are you soothing by rocking? Are you using a pacifier? There is a specific pacifier that Quinn does really like, but I am not consistent with it, maybe that is the problem. Not sure I could do CIO, but I do let him fuss until he falls asleep at times. OK, I am starting to realize I am not consistent with anything, this is probably the problem. I do the bottle, then sometimes rock, sometimes paci, sometimes fuss... maybe this is the issue! Thank you for writing this out with me MsZoeB! I probably need to be more consistent.. what do you think is the best way to go?

MsZoeB · December 2010

I firmly believe in being consistent. But you also need to find a system that will work for you.

We would soothe by rubbing his back or belly, give him a soothie pacifier. When he was little, I would also sing but I rarely picked him up. It was hard but rocking him to sleep was not a habit I wanted to get into. G had reflux too but on the meds. we didn't notice the symptoms anymore and I think it was around the 5 month mark that we stopped. His was mild and diagnosed early.

I asked myself questions all the time, is it a diaper, is he hungry, does he have a fever. If I could rule everything out then I would move on to let him cry a little then soothe, then cry, then soothe.

You know your baby's cries best so ask yourself a series of questions to determine his needs and then act on that.

I am just one mom with one baby that has found something that works. What is great is that we have a good sleeper that knows the routine. We can take him just about anywhere and once we start bedtime he can sleep (even in his car seat at friends houses). It is a blessing and I hope that you can get there.

jnk062602 · December 2010

I think it started as the reflux - they will drink little bits often to help soothe their stomach and throat and with laying down at night the reflux could be worse. And then it became a habit and he is used to eating more at night. And since he is eating a lot at night, he just isn't hungry for as much during the daytime.

It is hard, bc you can't force a baby to eat. But I would try to offer more often during the day so he is getting the calories in during the day. And then choose a routine that you can stick to for night time. For instance, if he normally gets up at 11pm, 12am, 1:30am, 3am, 4am, 5am....maybe choose to only offer a bottle at 12am, 3am, and 5am. And only soothe without feeding the other times. Then after a bit you could cut out another feeding.

Good luck!

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