Mama Needs More Sleep!

Best thing is totally eliminate bottles. Sippy cup w/water is fine. All mine were off the bottle by 10 or 11 mos. and slept all night.

Hi C.,
I suggest the book "On Becoming Baby Wise". I got my daughter to sleep through the night using his techniques in just 3 days! Good luck

My daughter was doing that same thing and I read a trick in the What to Expect the First Year book. They said to slowly dilute her formula to water and the baby won't wake up for water. For 2-3 days make it 1/4 water, 3/4 formula, then switch to 1/2 and 1/2, then 3/4 water and 1/4 formula for a couple days, then only water. It worked like a charm for us. If she woke up after that, I'd just go in and pat her back with little interaction. Getting water made her mad and she stopped waking up. As far as the morning routine goes, I'd try to just get her up and feed her breakfast, then have play time, etc and back down for a morning nap around 8:30 or 9:00. She should be eating every 4 hours or so during the day so wouldn't need to eat again until she woke up from her nap. Then you have awake time again for awhile, nap, then food, etc. The waking up and going right back to sleep will throw her daily schedule off and perpetuate the eat then back to sleep pattern. The daily schedule in the book Baby Wise helped me allot, although I wasn't as strict as they suggest. Good Luck!

My daughter stopped waking so much at 1 when we stopped giving her bottles and only offered a sippy cup of water at night. It isn't good for her teeth to have anything but water once you have brushed them for the night anyhow- and imagine how much more she'll start waking if she gets a toothache!

Ours did this. The pediatrician finally told me to just ignore it...let her cry it out. I didn't think I could do it, but I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown for lack of sleep. So, we put baby down one night, cracked a bottle of wine, went to bed and shut the door! It only took one night to break her of the habit. Best thing we ever did. PS...at this age, she is not waking for the bottle itself, just the comfort. Hope this helps!

At this age the nighttime bottle is more of a habit than a need. It is hard to break the habit, but you have to put her backt o bed without the bottle and she will eventually stop waking up for it. I found with my two that it takes about three days to break a habit, so stay vigilant and know that she will adjust if you can keep from giving in!
Jess

My oldest woke up at 3 am every night - it was miserable. What we finally did was to give her water intstead of formula. I don't think it took more than a night or two b/c she didn't want the water. I never thought of diluting it like the pp, smart if you can't stand the crying that goes with the first night switch!

Dear C.,
Have you tryed putting just a little bit of cereal in her bottle? That should help hold her over till closed to morning. She is hungry the reason she is waking up for a bottle. good luck.
J. G

Hey C. -
Both of my kids did the same thing. For my son, I weaned him by offering fewer ounces each time until he didn't wake anymore (about a week). For my daughter (who is stubborn as all get out), I just let her cry it out. And, trust me, it was excrutiating that first night. She cried a LONG time. But, she hasn't awakened since that first night, so it was really the best way to go because it was a one night thing.

Also, we eat dinner at 5/5:30 and so the last thing I give her before bedtime (7PM) is a bottle and then I brush her teeth. So, I know that she has a full belly when she goes to bed.

Of course, my daughter is hungry at 6AM and I get her up and feed her. I don't expect her to go past 6AM without eating.

-L.

have you treyied bigger more filling dinner that stays longer. also might try getting her to take a sippy cup and then leaver her a water sippy that is what broke my 1 yr old son. we eat dinner alittle closer to bed and try to have foods that last longer... ( not starchy not sugary mostly protien) then bath then he gets water cuppy with ice ( he wont drinmk water uness cold) then he lays down almost never drinks the cuppy but kknkow that it is there seemed to fix the up and down.

She may need a more substantial meal before bedtime. She could also be going through a growth spurt (it seems like they're always going through one). My little guy just started sleeping through the night - 29 months!

It is quite easy if you have the stomach for it. What you do is stop giving her the bottle when she wakes up. this would not be pleasant for the first few days as she will fight it. If you persist. then she will see no benefit in waking up. Make sure she is well fed before bed. then do not even pick her up when she wakes up in the night. just let her lay there and go back to sleep.

goodluck.
remember you must not give in if you want it to work

My son did something pretty similar. After he turned 12 months we stopped all night-time feedings. If he woke up during the night, I would go into his room and pat his back to get him to calm back down and go to sleep. No bottle and I wouldn't even pick him up. The first few nights he was not too happy but in less than a week it worked.

Good luck!

I understand your frustration. My 8 yr old is also named Bella and she also woke up like this. Finally when she was 14mths old the doctor gave me a strong talking to. He said at this age she should be sleeping through the night and can go without eating just like we as adults do at night. I took his advice and I let her cry it out. It took about 3 nights and that was it. I cried with her and it was hard to go go into her room but I knew I had to. The time she cried got less with every night until the 4 night it just stopped and never happened again.

I was so mad at myself that this was all it took.

Also, might I suggest taking the bottle away. I took it away from all 3 of my girls at 1 and they did great. The bottle just disappeared.

tough love! It will be hard on you to do this, but I think it would work if you stick to it for a while. Start by trying to just comfort her instead of getting her a bottle. If that doesn't work, give her a little less than normal. So lets say she usually has 4 oz. at 1am, give her 2, then 1, then just water. Do the same thing at the 6AM feeding too. Eventually, just offer water, and she will probably decide she doesn't want it. At 1 year old, she should not be "hungry" during the night, but it could be a comfort/habit thing. My 18mo old still stirs around 5am almost daily. I finally go to where I just ignore him and he usually goes back to sleep. sometimes I go get him...you are the mom, you know when you need to get her vs. when you can let her fuss a bit to put herself back to sleep. I guess what I'm getting at is we all have sleep cycles where we are sleeping less soundly at times and those are probably her less sound times and she's used to you comfortering her.

Baby Bella may be used to her nightly feeding but she may not be geeting all the nutrietns she needs from her feeding. I suggest adding a vitamin mineral supplement called Shaklee Baby. The reason why is it contains 23 vitamins/minerals that are food based; not synthetic. Plus Baby Bella will get a probiotic in this powder mix. 1 serving a day and she will have all the nutrients her body needs. Find out more please visit
http://choice-wellness.myshaklee.com

There are also Incredivites a childrens chewable vitamin/mineral for older children and Migthy Smart chews with DHA for chidlren that may be of interest for you for Jacob. Please be sure to compare your labels to any childrens multi on the market; most are synthetic and contain tar and coal as fillers and binders; go with the Shaklee it is the best on the market and can only be ordered online.

Best Wishes,
S.