Our 1 year old has been sleeping through the night since 9 months, but has changed a bunch of things lately and now we're trying to pinpoint why. He was up last night screaming for 3 hours and calmed down with a nursing, but he's a BIG boy (27 lbs., 32" wearing 2T/3T - yes, in proportion and off the chart) and hasn't been eating much this week with two molars working their way in. He wants meatballs, bananas, pears, raisins, Gerber puffs and toast - no water, no milk, even rejecting yogurt and all consistencies of baby food (tried runny to chunky). This is the kid that was eating 2 jars at a sitting last week. He's had ear tubes (Feb) and reflux (resolved around the time of the tubes), but last night, it was almost like a TANTRUM? My husband insists he was mad, not in pain, and I honestly don't have a gut feeling about this - more perplexed than anything! No fever, no loose stool, no rash, no changes visible in the mouth, no tell tale "pink" cheeks. Just wants to nurse more than ever. My daughter self weaned at a year and I'm confused why he wants to nurse even MORE now. Normal or call the doc?
UPDATE: Still wanted no baby food at breakfast, and lunch part 1 was pitiful - grapes, canteloupe, tossed everything else (spaghetti, peas, bread, and spit out baby food). Let him roam and lunch part 2 was TWO jars of Stage 3 and 2 food...at the end, started spitting it out, but ate well. So I think we're onto something - teething all week, now getting hungry. Think we'll just keep offering food, even if it's not "meal time". Just not looking to nurse at night!
Thanks, everyone. I think you nailed it - growth spurt on the heels of molar teething pain! We've gone back to multiple meals in a day - 6x in high chair until he throws his food, instead of 3x and snacks. Still figuring it out:)
It sounds like a growth spurt and he's getting hungry when he wasn't before.
When they are hungry they just cry till they get fed and they get mad if you ignore it.
It might be a combo of several things - between 9mos and 15mos they practice their large motor skills in their sleep, making them lighter sleepers and making them hungrier sometimes; first year molars made my son uber sensitive to foods and ended up only eating applesauce for the longest, definitely avoiding all bottles as the sucking seemed to agravate the pain; growth spurt as others said. Good luck!
He probably really is hungry. I would just feed him right away when he wakes up. You might find that he goes back to sleep without too much trouble. Also, I'm really suprised he's eating any baby food at all. My oldest stopped eating it around 9 months, and my youngest refused at about 7 months. It was finger food for them. They wanted to self feed. Try giving him foods that he can do by himself.
Try some hylands teething tablets or gel. It will make him feel better and has ingredients that are natural and will calm him. Give him some infant tylenol or infant motrin. Do this in conjunction with the hylands. I think this will help him sleep better and help his mood. I think it is normal to want to nurse when upset because it helps him self soothe.
Growth spurt maybe. Also, right around a year it is *very* common for them to start waking when they have been champ sleepers. They become much more aware of the world around them and when they wake in the middle of the night they want to make sure they aren't missing out. And they are confused when they wake sometimes since they are more aware it adds to the confusion.
I learned about this when my champ sleeper (10-13 hours a night from 7 months) suddenly started waking right around age 1. I jumped on line and learned it's very common. I just stuck to our routine, followed his lead ( like your little one wanting to nurse more-let him-he's telling you what he needs right now) and it settled back down to normal.
Remember infant/child sleep is never static. All the news experiences that they have can disrupt their sleep routine temporarily.
