15 Month Old Not Sleeping Through the Night, Needs 2-3 Bottles During Night

The first thing to tackle is getting him to sleep through the night. Let him have his bedtime bottle and the one when he wakes up in the morning. Eliminate the middle of the night feeding. It will be tough, but not impossible. After he's sleeping through the night for awhile you can think about taking the other bottles away. I wouldn't do it all at once. You might put him to bed earlier too. My 17 mo old sleeps better when I keep her on a schedule. If we put her in bed at 10 pm (when we are traveling etc...) she is more likely to awaken in the middle of the night. I don't know why this is but an 8 pm bedtime works much better. I think they can get overtired. Hope this helps! ;)

I see a couple of issues that need to be addressed. The child isn't getting enough sleep and therefore, neither are the parents! First, they need to know that he doesn't need the extra feedings at night. Check with their pediatrican and make sure he is getting balanced meals during the day. The extra milk is likely not needed if he is getting enough nutrients during the day. So basically, he doesn't the bottles in the middle of the night. It is tough, but I believe the best thing to do is to let him cry it out when he wakes up in the middle of the night. This won't last long and he'll learn to put himself back to sleep without a bottle. He can do this and so can they! They just have to have the will power! It is tough, but it shouldn't last too long. He desperately needs his sleep and it doesn't sound like he is getting enough of it--and then obviously, neither are the parents.

This leads me to my second point. (No, it is not that he should be off the bottle altogether. My daughter wasn't ready to give up her bottle until 18 months, but she ONLY got a bottle one time at night and then we completely transitioned to the sippy cup. If the baby gets a bottle at other times during the day, they need to start working on the sippy cup now and transition to it). My second point is that this baby is not getting enough sleep! Children his age need 12-14 hours of sleep at night. If he's not going to bed until 10pm and then he gets up at 2 and again at 6:30, the parents are not giving this baby enough sleep!! He really needs to get to bed earlier. Most experts say that babies his age should be in bed by 7:30 or 8:00. My daughter goes to bed at 8 and doesn't get up until 7 EVERY DAY! It is hard to get them on a schedule, but it is the BEST thing for the child and the parents! The parents will get a little extra time at night and then the child will be getting the sleep he needs. It isn't easy to get your baby on a schedule, but it sounds like it is overdue, considering everyone is so tired! Some working parents don't want to do this because they don't get to see enough of their children if they go to bed early. Being a working mom myself, I can sympathize with this, but keeping the baby up is just being selfish. The baby needs his sleep!

Parenting is not an easy job. But, there are some things that we have to do and I am a really firm believer in schedules. My daughter sleeps 11 hours at night and then takes a 2-3 hour nap every day. She wasn't always this way. When she was younger, I didn't have her on the schedule she is on now. Someone gave me all of the advice I am trying to give and I tried it and it worked! Now, pregnant with my second child, I will make sure to follow some sort of schedule MUCH earlier because it makes for a happier family altogether. It is only hard at the beginning and then it makes life so much easier for everyone. Good luck to your daughter!!

D.,
she could try adding formula to his last bottle of the night to make him stay more full longer. this is probably more of a behavior issue at this point because he shouldn't need to be up every 4 hours now, but his little body is used to eating at certain times so he's going to feel he needs it. you don't mention if he's eating solid foods but i'd say try to keep him as full as you can especially in the evening. i'm sure you'll get lots of good advice on here but i would just slowly get him used to eating less often. good luck to you and your daughter.

I've breastfed both of my babies, so no bottles, and the night time feedings didn't seem like that big of a deal, but I did get the advice (which made sense to me) to try giving them a bottle of water when they wake up in the middle of the night, and they will get their bottle, but eventually find that it's not really worth it. When I finally felt like my older daughter really needed to sleep through the night (as in I was pg again), I replaced the nursing in the middle of the night with oatmeal (we got up in the middle of the night and made oatmeal), and it turns out she really was hungry, so I moved the oatmeal to right before bed and she slept through the night.

Also, don't feel guilty about your baby still taking bottles. Sure they suggest stopping at a year, but don't let it make you feel bad. Remember kids are all different and have different needs. Love your baby and take care of her as is best for her and your family!

K.

This will likely involve some schedule change and some tough love. An earlier bedtime is likely to help as by 10pm he is likely to be overtired and overwired (Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child is a GREAT resource for sleep for babies) and overtired babies wake frequently in the night. He is also getting a habit feed in the night...it is simply a habit. As long as he is growing well they can eliminate that night feeding...either cold turkey or by giving him an ounce less every 2 nights until he is down to nothing. It is likely that he will be unhappy about this because he likes the company and the feeling of the bottle but for his own health and his parents he needs to sleep through the night. They should also put him to bed drowsy but awake at night and nap time, otherwise, if he is getting rocked to sleep he will expect the arms to come back and rock him every time he wakes up a little bit (every 2-4 hours is normal for mini night time wakings for all ages). If he is drowsy but awake, he can put himSELF to sleep...huge and wonderful skill for a baby/toddler! This is where self consoling and self dependence start.

I hope this helps!

She is simply hungry. Try feeding her before bed. And Start maybe on Saturday with weaning from the bottle. What worked for me twice is only offer water in a bottle. Tell the child if they want milk or juice they have to use a cup. Feed before bed time and then create a new habit. Read or sing to the child instead of giving a bottle. That way they still get the security of the bottle without the acutal bottle. Pretty soon baby girl will forget about the bottle and ask for the cup. You can do this. I am a working mother with 3 kids and a working husband. Its hard but your presistence will pay off.

I've read lots of great advice here, but would just want to add one more...instead of trying to get him on the sippy cup, try to get him to use a cup with a straw...they have them built-in and spill resistant. Using a straw is much more advised these days. I work with children with disabilities, and now our speech therapists are advising skipping the sippy cup altogether and going for the straw. Different muscles in the mouth are used with sucking through a straw, and help to increase speech/talking. This is for all children, not just those with a disability. Good Luck!!!!

As I am sure you know, the child is not the "problem", it is his/her parents. At 15 months, a baby should not still be taking a bottle. If mom/dad give in, of course the pattern will continues. Slowly wean the baby off of the bottle (I assume the sippy cup has been introduced), and then remove from sight. Yes, it will be difficult for a week or so..but worth it in the end.

A. HL