My son is 10 months old and still wakes for 2 feeds a night

Blackwood - posted on 05/31/2011

My son is soon to be 22 months, still has an 8 oz bottle of formula for this age before bed and will sometimes wake up crying for another (not every nite, but he will a couple times a week) for another 6 oz bottle. I can't give him milk becuz he doesn't digest it properly, for some reason it makes him so he can't go, so I know he's not lactose intolerant becuz he can eat yogurt. I'm fine with him having the formula, he only eats peas for vegs, gets plenty of fruits, but at least with the formula I know he is getting the vits he needs. I have decided not to put pressure on him or me to stop him at this point. I'll worry more about it when he's closer to 2.5years old if he doesn't grow out of it by then. I have seen many mom's say cereal, I tried this but it just wasn't enough, I hear it works for some baby's. Best of luck

Jessica - posted on 05/31/2011

I think every child is different, what's normal for some, isn't normal for others, so for your son, and my 12month old daughter, yes it is normal. I've heard that at this age they shouldn't be waking up throughout the night because they're hungry, there stomaches are bigger now, so can hold more food for longer periods. My daughter has stomache and eating issues, so for her we have to do smaller amounts more often though, and she wakes up about 4times a night. Anyways, are you bottle feeding or breastfeeding? Either way, it's best to start out by cutting out one feeding every 5days or so, that way it isn't too drastic for baby. (I've heard one way to ween for breastfeeding is to start by cutting out one feeding{the one that he least cares about, so definately not the one before bed, ya know what I mean}and lengthen the feeding that is before and after the one you're cutting out by say 8mintues[if the feeding was 16minutes that you cut out], do that like every 5days or so, nothing drastic that will cause you to loose your milk supply, if you don't want to lengthen the 2feedings you can pump one breast while feeding him on the other.})
If he gets fussy and you don't think he's hungry, try offering a cup of water(he may just get thirsty, just like adults sometimes wake up and need a drink of water), diaper change, a cuddle, rocking, massage(maybe use some lavender lotion and rub on his tummy, legs, and feet, lullaby, etc. I think it would be a great idea to offer some rice or whole grain cereal before bedtime as well, maybe feed him then do a bath, then book, and bedtime or something, he'll be much fuller, and prob sleep better. I think it's quite possible that he's waking up out of habit, so just start by rubbing his back for a few minutes, and he may fall asleep. Sometimes when my daughter wakes up, I'll turn on her lullaby monkey, give her a little stuffed animal to cuddle(I think it comforts her, she likes to feel it and cuddle it, just like she used to always have to have a hand touching me, to make sure I'm there){take stuffed animal away when sleeping though}, and I'd rub her back, and when it works she's sleeping in 2-3minutes. When that dosen't work(and I know she dosen't need to be fed or changed) I just hold her(longways),standing, gently rocking back and forth, whispering I love you and lullabys. Maybe it's worth a shot to try a few of these ideas, but of coase what works for some may not work for others, good luck to you and your precious little peanut.(luving his cute lil cheeks haha)

Jennifer - posted on 05/31/2011

Sleeping through the night, like walking and talking is a milestone. All kids reach it when they are ready. I have 4 kids and all 4 have been completely different. My oldest slept through the night at 4 months. My 2nd was only 2 weeks. My 4 was 15 months before he slept through the night, and my last is 8 months and occasionally sleeps through the night, and other times wakes 1-2 times for a bottle. With my 3rd, once he reached 12 months and wasn't getting as much liquid through the day because he was eating more solid food, I switched to water at night.

Gwen - posted on 05/31/2011

So did my daughter. Around a year old, I began offering less in the bottle and gradually watered it down so it wasn't very appealing. Then for awhile, she had a water cup in bed with her.

Heather - posted on 05/30/2011

Every kid is different. Are you nursing or bottle feeding? I nursed both my boys and my 1st son woke very often to nurse at night sometimes every hour and a half or so untill he was 31 months and he weened. Now he is 7 and he still wakes 1 or 2 times to get a drink of water. My little guy nursed at night till he was almost 4 (he weened 2 wks before his 4th bday) and he often would not wake up at all during the night to nurse 2-4 nights a week but on the other 3-5 nights he would wake 1 or 2 times to nurse and even after he weened he wakes 1-or 2 times a night to cuddle. Sometimes kids are hungry, or thirsty or lonely or scared and need something but maybe not to eat. You could try giving him a drink of water? or cuddle him or rub his back to see if you can get away with out feeding him. I also found with both my boys that if they really ate well (meaning no junk and lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains that they grazed on all day) then they were less likely to be hungry at night...they may still wake for cuddles or water or to go to the bathroom but did not need food. Also helped them to sleep more hours in a row when they had good chunks of outside time especially evening outside time. Ihope that helps a little bit :O)

Christy - posted on 05/30/2011

What types of foods are you currently feeding him? What does he eat his last feeding before bedtime? Are you giving him cereal? Before bedtime, I'd give him cereal and then top it off with milk. The cereal will keep him more full.