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We are "those" parents

akl0506akl0506 member
in Attachment Parenting

DS is 15 mos old in a few days and still gets about 3-4 bottles a day of formula.  He didn't react well to whole milk at 12 mos, so we went back to 100% formula for a couple of mos.  He wouldn't drink formula in a sippy, so we stuck with the bottle longer than we should.  He is now transitioning to a sippy cup with whole milk slowly during the day. 

The issue, in my mind, is that he still wakes in the middle of the night (typically only once...) and needs to eat.   I mean, I suppose, he would calm down eventually and go back to sleep.  But, I am guessing he would just wake again a few minutes later b/c he is hungry.  We have tried watering down the formula (by more than half), but he still wakes for the bottle.  DH wakes with him most of the time, so I really shouldn't complain.  But, it sort of needs to stop, I would think - right?   Any suggestions for the night-time feeding issue? 

Thanks!

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Re: We are "those" parents

  • jsugrinjsugrin member

    I guess my ?'s as far as him "needing" to eat at night would be, how much is he eating and how long is he sleeping, how long is it between night time bottle and middle of the night bottle?

    My oldest wasn't totally off bottles until 18 months and I had my 2nd when he was 15 months yet it was never an issue of oh brother gets bottles, he just needed to do it as he was ready.  He also didn't STTN or drop that feeding until he was 15 months old (2 weeks prior to #2 being born).

    I can tell you, we did the slowly water down the formula trick (90 formula/10 water, all the way up to 20 formula/80 water), we did the little less formula in the bottle trick, we tried rice cereal in his bottle, tons of food at dinner, later dinner, refusing a night time bottle.  Not a damn thing we did made any difference at all.  Know when he stopped waking for that night time bottle?  The second all of his teeth came in ( he was a hard and fast teether).  That was it, those last molars came in and bam, he slept at night.

    ETA: The least my son was happy with was 5oz and he would wake up after sleeping 9-9.5 hours so I had a hard time going with a CIO approach to cutting out that bottle (that was the only option we hadn't tried).  Had he been waking after 3-4 hours my approach might have been harsher.

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  • EmmieBEmmieB member
    imagejsugrin:

    I guess my ?'s as far as him "needing" to eat at night would be, how much is he eating and how long is he sleeping, how long is it between night time bottle and middle of the night bottle?

    My oldest wasn't totally off bottles until 18 months and I had my 2nd when he was 15 months yet it was never an issue of oh brother gets bottles, he just needed to do it as he was ready.  He also didn't STTN or drop that feeding until he was 15 months old (2 weeks prior to #2 being born).

    I can tell you, we did the slowly water down the formula trick (90 formula/10 water, all the way up to 20 formula/80 water), we did the little less formula in the bottle trick, we tried rice cereal in his bottle, tons of food at dinner, later dinner, refusing a night time bottle.  Not a damn thing we did made any difference at all.  Know when he stopped waking for that night time bottle?  The second all of his teeth came in ( he was a hard and fast teether).  That was it, those last molars came in and bam, he slept at night.

    ETA: The least my son was happy with was 5oz and he would wake up after sleeping 9-9.5 hours so I had a hard time going with a CIO approach to cutting out that bottle (that was the only option we hadn't tried).  Had he been waking after 3-4 hours my approach might have been harsher.

    this gives me hope.

    We give him a sippy at night. It was the first switch we did. I didn't want him to keep waking up because bottle=comfort and we had weaned from the bottle during the day so he had to get bottle-comfort at night. He gets bottles after he wakes up from naps/when he's gotten hurt and needs comfort - and I snuggle him like I'm nursing him. 

    If he's moving around, he gets a cup. 

    If we were nursing still (we weaned before we were ready) that's when I would nurse him and I would let him wean himself.

    I think it will sort itself out - maybe the teeth are the secret!

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  • Dreamsicle23Dreamsicle23 member
    A FF 15 month old does not need to eat in the middle of the night.  If you still want to comfort him that's your choice, but he really shouldn't need the bottle in the middle of the night for nutrition at this point.  Also, I feel like using a bottle for comfort is not the same as allowing a toddler to nurse for comfort.  I feel like comfort nursing in a toddler is more similar to paci use as opposed to bottle use.  I would really try to avoid using the bottle as a comfort object.  He's at the age where he should start using a sippy/cup more and more anyway, and continuing to use it as a comfort object will just make that transition more difficult.  Maybe try to get him to snuggle a little stuffed animal or lovie, or use a paci (if he takes one).
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  • jasminej613jasminej613

    I'm not a frequent poster here, but I just  had to chime in....

    My son is 25 months, and was just bottle weaned 2 weeks ago.  He was waking up for a bottle until he was 18 or so months, and then he just kinda quit on his own.  No real advice but definite commiseration.  Good luck!

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  • vegemom302vegemom302 member
    I'm in the same boat as the PP. DD is not weaned from bottles yet and she still wakes up in the middle of the night about once or twice a week. She is on whole milk and not formula though. But when she wakes up in the middle of the night we hold her in the rocker, give her a bottle and then put her back down. I know this is no help to you at all, but just wanted you to know we are "those" parents too!
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  • ghmghm

    DD2 took a bottle until 19ish months, and still continued to need milk in the middle of the night until a little after 2. DS was well after 2 when he quit drinking milk in the middle of the night. It wasn't a huge deal to me--the biggest problem is the teeth. My kids always let me at least run a toothbrush through their mouth real quick afterward. 

    If you're okay with night feedings, certainly don't stop yet.  

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  • akl0506akl0506 member

    Glad to know we aren't the only ones out there!  DS gets a watered down bottle in the middle of the night, typically he wakes anywhere from 12-3, goes down at 8.  I do think he is hungry.  He has always been a grazer & if we do too much in the evening for dinner, he throws up.  That's no fun, of course.  I think we will just continue to do a watered down bottle and hope to God he sleeps through the night eventually.  When we can, we try to get away without a bottle, of course.  But, not so easy all of the time....

    Thanks for your help, everyone!

     

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