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weaning off bottle and sleeping issues

Blnkn182Blnkn182 member
edited February 2014 in Attachment Parenting
Hi. I more of a lurker than anything. But I could really use some help. We just got back from my DD's 15m appt and I just feel like I'm doing everything wrong. My dd refuses to eat solids so she still gets about 5 bottles of breast milk a day. The Dr says she's old enough to be off the bottle and on solids and to switch pretty much cold turkey Or start putting the milk in a sippy. I've tried that before and it did not go well. She drinks water out of one great just won't when bm is in there. Is there a way to get her on solids but without having to starve her to do it? The Dr and DH both say she wont starve herself....I just feel like there has to be a nicer way....

Also ever since 10m my dd gets up 1-3x a night. She used to cosleep with us. Then starting at 12m she starts in her crib and then usually ends up in our bed. She is rocked back to sleep by me. The dr. Is saying she's getting up purely out of habit now and that she wants to be held/rocked which is why she is waking up and maybe try just going In to soothe her every 5 mins but not pick up. Isnt this just a version of cio? She still wakes even when in bed with us so I find it hard that it just solely for wanting to be rocked. I am absolutely not comfortable with cio and feel if she needs to be rocked then to rock her. But the dr. and husband are saying the habit needs to be broken. Do babies eventually learn to sleep without versions of sleep training?

Sorry if this is all jumbled and sorry for the novel.like I said we just got back from the dr. And I just have all these thoughts racing through my head. Thanks if you got this far and if you have any advice.


Eta...sorry it sounds like I'm not offering any solids. She gets 3 meals a day plus snacks. She just hasn't eaten any of it in the past wk or so. She used to eat solids...well more than what she is now. She's always been finicky with it but she would still try...now even the foods she did seem to enjoy she is refusing

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Re: weaning off bottle and sleeping issues

  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    Ok. There's a lot here, so I'll take a few pieces to start some discussion...

    1. CIO - yes, leaving baby/toddler to cry to sleep and soothing every 5 minutes is CIO...and I agree that it is not a gentle or loving way to teach a baby or toddler to sleep. Is there a MEDICAL reason that your doctor wants you to stop rocking her back to sleep? Honestly, that seems more like natural toddler behavior, and she will naturally grow out of it without any urging from you. If it bothers you to get up and rock her back to sleep, you can work to change it, but if you're HAPPY to wake up and go to her as she needs it, then continue doing it. You're NOT creating a bad habit. You ARE loving and caring for your little girl. 

    IMHO, as long as your baby or toddler gets as much sleep as they need to function happily during the day, there's NO reason I even mention or discuss sleep with their doctor. How you help your baby go to sleep is a PARENTING decision, not a MEDICAL one. :)

    FWIW, DS is 2 and wakes 2 times, rarely 3 per night. When sick, teething, growing, or some other factor enters the equation, he wakes even more often. It's NORMAL. 

    2. Bottles - I'm not too familiar with all the rules of bottle feeding, but the only one I'm certain of is that they shouldn't go to sleep with a bottle. Is there another reason why it is important to wean off of the bottle by a certain age? Honestly, if it were a matter of water in a sippy or breastmilk in a bottle, I'd opt for the breastmilk in a bottle because of the extra calories/fat/nutrients and immunological benefits, especially since she's not eating many solids. 

    3. Solids - Is she gaining weight on her growth scale (is she maintaining in percentiles), and is does she have enough wet and dirty diapers? Is she happy and full of energy? All that indicates appropriate growth. 

    Toddlers often really don't eat very much. I do know that they prefer grazing to meals. Can you make healthy foods available on and off all day, and just keep an eye on how much she is eating? For DS, I keep some raspberries, pretzels, and animal cookies out pretty much all day. I give him an activia for breakfast (we broke the blender, but we used to make smoothies with activia, berries, a banana, and a couple leaves of spinach...he loved it them), we share a sandwich and a bell pepper (that he chews and spits out) at lunch, and he just takes a few bites off my plate of whatever we're eating at dinner. 

    DS does love hummus, and though he won't eat the carrots (chews and spits those out too), he'll use them to scoop hummus. He also loves applesauce. 

    I would just experiment with different foods. The smoothies were a hit, and the berries and spinach add some great vitamins/nutrients and fiber. DS is nursing on demand, and still gets a lot of nutrients, calories, and fat from breastmilk. That's totally fine. His growth is on track, he is happy and healthy. 
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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    If you'd like another pediatrician's view on sleep, this book is very informative and written by a sleep expert who is an MD, pediatrician. 
     
    He discusses normal sleep patterns and rhythms at all different stages of life, what our expectations can be at various stages, etc. I can't recommend it enough! Great read!

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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    And here's some information on toddlers and nutrition:

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  • Blnkn182Blnkn182 member
    edited February 2014
    Thank you so much for your advice and for the links. I am going to check them out as soon as I'm done with this reply. As for your questions...I'm not necessarily happy about getting up but I do it bc she needs me and I hate to hear her cry. I figured it was growth/normal sleep. My H was the one that brought it up with the dr. Bc he wakes up when we get in and out of bed and disrupts his sleep. There was no medical reason she just kept saying her wake ups are habit now and she's waking up bc she wants me and I'm reinforcing the habit. I think with bottles they start worrying about tooth decay? Not entirely sure. The dr. Just said she doesn't need them she's old enough for solids,etc. she's filling up on bm which is why she's not eating solids. she is growing wonderfully. In the 50-75 in all percentiles and dr. Said she looks and sounds healthy. Plenty wet/dirties and overall a happy baby. I guess I'll just keep offering different foods. The shake is a wonderful idea. I hadn't even thought of shakes. Did you offer in a sippy? Thanks again for your help!
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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    I usually offer the smoothie with a spoon like ice cream because it's so thick. :)

    About how many ounces of breastmilk does DD get per day?
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  • Blnkn182Blnkn182 member
    Good idea..didn't think of that.

    I let her drink freely...usually its around 6oz. So...30oz or so daily..
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  • PhieryBFlyPhieryBFly member
    It really sounds like you need a new Pedi. A lot of what you are doing is what's recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the pedi should know that and know better.
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