Sleep Habits?eating Habits? Is This Teething Possibly or a Growth Spurt?

I wish I could help you, my son has always been an eater and I know he probably eats too much if anything. I would call my doctor for sure, just to be on the safe side if I were you. Sorry I could not offer more assistance. Good luck.

Hi Sarah,
First of all, you are never all alone! No matter what, don't forget that.
If you've discussed all this with your pediatrician and they have had no cause for alarm, try to relax about it all. All of what you have mentioned is part of developing/growing. His needing to feed less frequently could be a result of discomfort from his teeth. You may also find that he will drool much more frequently. If he is happens to swallow lots of this drool, it could either upset his tummy a little or just fill up his tummy so he isn't as hungry right now but it is nothing to worry about. You may also notice that he may run a slight fever and that could be possibly why he isn't eating as much. The thing I watched with that is to be extra careful he doesn't get choaked on his drool. Also, not that it's uncommon, but he will try to put EVERYTHING in his mouth right now and will for some time to come so please be very careful what he can get his hands on. While I was playing with my last baby, we were sitting in the living room floor. I got up to answer the door (in the same room) I turned around and she was standing in front of the couch "eating" at the cushions!
If you feel that the majority of the changes may be his teething, there are gobs of options for you. Of course, there are the little teething rings and pacifiers in the freezer but honestly, my little one liked flavored-water-frozen wash cloths. I could give her that and a big bib and she was set. She would continue to chew it even when it wasn't frozen. The biggest thing about this was to be careful she didn't lay it down on the floor or rub the kitty with it. But she really liked it when we were just playing. She would chew on it and play blocks or xylophone or whatever we were doing. I didn't have to worry about her swallowing it either. I did make sure it didn't have holes or stains and only used white ones.
Whatever you use though, just be sure that your little one can't swallow it. Generally speaking, anything they can get completely in their mouth is a choaking hazard. Avoid chunky ice and even popscicles until they are semi soft. But the closed popscicle in the tube is good to teethe with too it he is sitting in his chair at the table with you. It's fun too, when he sees you cut it open, pour it in a bowl (soft but not completely liquid) and feed it to him in a spoon! Both of mine loved that!!! It helped them with their fever too a bit.
His sleep habits can and should change during nearly any stage. It sounds like he is just getting to the point where he will want to sleep completely through the night. If there are any huge changes, that is time to consult your pediatrician. He may not be sleeping as much during the day again either because he is uncomfortable with the teething. Some children just don't sleep as much as they go through certain stages. Just be sure he has a good 12 hours per day to rest. He needs that for good brain development.
The most minute changes we see in our little ones can cause us alarm. Try to remember that his body is growing and adapting faster now that it will the rest of his entire life. It's just simply amazing to watch!
I wish you all the best,
L.

Sarah!!!
You are not alone!!!!! With the teeth coming in, he is probably more uncomfortable and sleeps less because of that and becoming more aware of his surroundings and his own capabilities. Your doing great, don't worry, all moms go through wondering why their kids are doing something new or different. Hang in there it just gets better and better, he will change constantly, trust yourself, believe it or not, we do have motherly instincts, ya just have to learn to trust them. You will and then you can give out advice too, it comes full circle!!!!
Good luck!!!

Out situation sounds very similar. The biggest difference is that Marissa is breast fed and won't take a bottle. I read that when a baby shows signs of disinterest in nursing or their bottle it's a sign that they're getting ready for solid foods and using a sippy cup. Marissa doesn't really drink out of hers, just enjoys gumming it. She just turned 8 mos and her 1st tooth came in the same week! Her 2nd is coming in now and she wants to gum everything. I take her rubbing her mouth and nose with her fist as a sign of discomfort from teething and have been giving her Teething Tablets (Hyland's Homeopathic from Meijers/Walmart/Baby's R Us). They work wonderfully and she seems to think they taste good. They help her settle down and sleep better.
Good luck with everything!

THIS IS SO NORMAL!!! My now 16 month old son also did the same thing when he was 7 month old. He used to have a great nap schedule with one in the morning and another late afternoon then off to bed fairly early to sleep through the night and wake around 6/6:30am. Then all of a sudden he wasn't drinking his bottles the same way which we then found out that his gums were under pressure with future teeth wanting to peek through and his naps turned from one in the morning around 9am, another around 1pm and then a nap around 4pm with bed at 6:30pm. Go figure, it will change again, again, and again but just make sure you are aware of any teeth that might be coming in because then you may have to help him along with some numbing gel and some of the pedia-frozen pops. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BIB AND NAPKIN FOR THOSE. My son stopped his morning naps about 3 weeks ago and started back a few days ago. It's never changing. SO glad to hear you have a child that has a great routine. It makes for happier babies!!!

Hi Sarah,

As my now 13 month old was about that age, eating patterns and bowel patterns changed as she was teething. She got her first teeth at about 6 months old and she has always gotten more than one tooth at a time. Right now she is working on 4. Also, as we added more solid/table foods she ate and slept differently. At first her routine was similar to your son's. Now she most often takes a 2 to 3 hour nap after lunch. Sometimes it's a 1 hour morning and a 1 hour afternoon nap. She has always been in the 75th percentile for both height and weight so something has been working right. Another clue I've heard to teething is a runny nose. Good luck and just wait til he starts cruising! Put on your running shoes!

My little guy did the same type of things at that age. He was teething (I guess the 1st ones are the worst). He dropped a feeding and didn't nap as well as before. I would give him Tylenol 1/2 hour before his nap and before bed and he slept better and was much happier when awake. He still didn't eat as much though. His appetite went back to normal after the 1st couple of teeth were in but he never added back the missing bottle. After that 1st bout his naps were never as long, only about 1 hour morning and afternoon but did go back to 12 hours at night (thank god). Other bouts of teething were not as bad, some slight fever and diarrea.

You're not alone! My baby's almost 9 months old now, but when she was around 6 months old, she was on a perfect schedule. She would eat 2-3 oz. of solids three times a day, take two 2 1/2 hour naps a day and sleep from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and drink all of her bottles. During the last month or so, she started not finishing her bottles, wakes up once or twice during the night, only takes cat naps (20 min to 30 min) during the day, and I'm lucky if I can get her to eat solids even once a day. So far I haven't found any cure-alls, so if you do, please let me know:)

Dear Sarah,

As a mother on a 16-month old, I can only say that your baby son is doing great. As he starts teething, eating more solids and most importantly, become more aware of things around him, it is so normal that he will cut down on the milk, start grazing more and sleep less. There is no need to worry about it, in a week or so he might have an entirely different schedule but there will be a rhythm to it once again.

I.

Personally, I see what you're going through as very normal. As the children grow and work into new foods, etc. their other habits (sleep, wanting a bottle) will change too. It truly is a trial and error situation as the children enter new stages.

From my experience with my children (now ages 10, 8, and soon to be 6) once we hit around 7-8 months they were up at the usual time, about 6:00 (we were naturally early risers too) and we ate, played, and did our usual daily activities (with a light snack of some rice with a little fruit mid morning) and didn't settle into a nap until about 9:30. At that point my little one would truly be ready to zonk out (we're talking 2 solid hours) and when they woke up it would be lunch right away (start with, say 4 oz bottle with cereal, a veggie and more milk at the end if they were still thirsty). More play time and resettling for an afternoon nap around 2:00 (for 2 hours or a little more). We'd get in a small snack and lots of playtime before that 6:00 dinner time (which, since everyone is gathered together, is a great time to experiment with finger foods as he grows since you're role modeling "how to eat big food" while you sit with him). Then after the night routine of tub time, stories, songs etc I would always offer that last minute cuddle and bottle and they didn't always want it all.

I might ask if you think he's ready to lessen the number of naps?(when mine went to two naps they usually slept more soundly at night). Also, since he's starting to take in more "real" food have you considered guiding him to a more traditional meal situation? A breakfast with cereal, fruit, milk, a.m. snack (whatever you prefer), lunch with cereal, veggie, milk, p.m. snack, dinner with cereal, veggie, fruit, milk, and that late bottle.

A last idea on the "teething" side....although he's a bit young have you thought about experimenting with a sippy cup? I'm not talking about sole use of it, but when one of mine was chewing on his hands a lot (at 8 months)I gave him one of these (it was free flowing....not requiring suction) with maybe 2 ounces of milk in it tops. I let him have it usually at the dinner meal (after the snuggle bottle and during the sitting part). He loved rolling it around, chewing on it (only rarely getting milk of any amount)and learning how it works . A side note is it kept him very busy once he was finished eating.

An entry that is too long and I hope that it helps. But honestly know in your heart....that no matter the advice that you get you are the one that knows your little man the best and your instincts will serve you well.

Best wishes

KJ

Hi Sarah, I am a mother of two sweet little boys, ages 3 years and 17 months. I am no expert, but am an experienced Mommy. I would first suggest that your son is trying to self eliminate some of his bottle feedings. Once a child is eating cereal and fruit and/or veggies, he will be needing less formula. Your Ped should be able to tell you an ideal amount he should have in a 24 hour period. I would think that his napping irregularities could definately be because of teething. Typically when a child goes thru a growth spurt, they sleep and sleep and sleep. It sounds like your nighttime routine is very good right now. I would completely eliminate the middle of the night feeding however, that is unnecessary for him at his age and is probably more of a habit at this point. Babies are all different, but they typically tell you what they want...it's just not with words. If he is nibbling or playing with the bottle, he is showing that he is not interested.

I am a 30 year old mother of a two year old (almost three), so I wouldn't consider myself to be an expert, but what you are describing sounds normal. As my daughter started eating solid foods (rice cereal etc.) she started eating less and less of her bottle. It became more of a supplement rather than her main course. Her sleep schedule started to change too as she became more and more aware of her surroundings. At about 7-9 months, her naps went from 2 1/2 hours down to one hour, twice a day. I remember this clearly because MAN I LOVED NAP TIME!! :) Once she started walking at around 11months, her naps got a little longer because she wore herself out more. Then a few months later until present, she only naps once a day for anywhere between 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours depending on how tired she is.

If he is starting to cut teeth, which from what you described sounds like could be the case, he may lose a little of his appetite too. I wouldn't worry unless he starts losing weight and becoming lethargic during his awake hours. Oh the many changes they go thru....

Good luck!!

As babies get older, they will want more food instead of milk. Maybe him being picky about the bottle is his way of expressing he wants more babyfood. When my son was about that age (my daughters too) they had juice, water, and babyfood plus a bottle or 2 of formula a day. By this age they were eating a jar of either fruit or vegie at lunch and dinner. Breakfast was cereal and milk.
Babies sleep when they are growing and growth spurts come and go. He may be slowing down a bit but again, some babies require more sleep than others. Their habits change just like ours.
With teething, all my kids did get a runny nose and were a little grouchy. Oragel came in handy!!!

Sarah,
I am having the same problems with my 6 month old. She takes forever to finish a bottle or she just eats a couple of ounces and is preoccupied with surroundings. Naps are also shorter, if she will take one. I think we are in the same boat, must be the teeth.
J.

As annoying as it is I have found that around 7 months or so, kids seem to change some of their habits. I have a 3 year old and 10 month old twins, and this has happened to them too. I would not be at all concerned about the bottle feedings. If he does not desire to drink all of his bottle, so what! He is eating food and gaining weight. And, the nap issue... he is still getting one, and as long as he isn't "fighting" sleep, I would let him take one nap in the morning and one in the afternoon, he is still sleeping good at night. I think your baby is on a great schedule and you are not alone!! Hang in there!

Hi,
Sounds like you have a few issues going around here. Yes, he probably is teething. As far as rolling the bottle or playing with it, he really isn't hungry, it's habit. The more table food or baby food he gets the less evening bottles he will need. I found mine not to really be hungry at that age when they woke at night. It was usually a wet bottom. I got in the habit of changing them and lightly rubbing their back. Nine times out of ten they went back to sleep. If they didn't I would give them a few ounces of water and they seemed to drift back off pronto. Sometimes I found at nap time if they didn't sleep their usual pattern and then went down to sleep in another hour or so mine had this habit believe it or not of having to be burped. I found if they had a bottle or food before nap if I put them over my shoulder like when they were real small and rubbed their back a while they would let out a big belch. Then they would nap forever it seemed like. But they always got up in a good mood and playful. Just my experience with mine but maybe it will help. Also I didn't give them juice or liquid with sugar before nap time.