Eating at Night

Do you give him a pacifier? Sometimes kids like the soothing sucking motion that they get from sucking a bottle. Also, its never too late to try Babywise. It is a book by pediatricians about how to get a baby on a schedule which leads to them sleeping through the night. It worked on both of my children like a charm. Its a struggle the first week, but be consistent and persistent. Good luck!!

I have a 20-month-old who went through the exact same thing. I just waited it out, and eventually it stopped. I did use a pacifer, however, and that seems to calm her sometimes. I probably did everything that I wasn't supposed to do, but what ended up working was just rocking her when she woke up screaming. The waking up soon passed and now I can sleep through the night.

You know my son has trouble sleeping through the night still at six months. He was doing it for awhile last month and now he has stopped again. I have done a lot of research on this issue as lack of sleep has made me feel like I am losing my mind. I have given my advice on this same issue several times, but here is the reality I have found. All babies are different and even though it is rare, some babies continue to have trouble sleeping clear into the first year of their life. Crying it out does not work for some children, including mine. My baby ( not uncommon) will cry until you console them. My son will fall asleep after crying for an hour, but then wakes up again screaming after 20 minutes. So "let him cry it out advice" does not work for everyone. If you have tried letting him cry it out and it is not working, I would not advise you to keep trying, because it is just traumatic to you and your baby. It has helped my son a lot to have a sound machine in his room, but he also demands to eat several times a night. Some nights he makes it through the night, some times he does not. I have tried absolutley everything and have finally resigned that this is just my son and although, I am exhausted, I have quit fighting us both and it has made it easier. S.

I don't have any advice. I am just glad to hear there are other babies out there not sleeping through the night at 8 months old. My 8 month old son still wakes up to nurse during the. I think it is just a comfort thing, but I indulge so we all get some sleep. I am waiting patiently for the day he sleeps through the night.

I have a a 9 month old, and she doesn't sleep through the night either. She wakes up often to nurse. I think it might be a comfort issue. Does he really want to eat, or just cuddle with you?
Also, she eats a ton of solid food- soup, yogurts, strained meat and veggies. She drinks between 4-10 oz of formula a day, and drinks water the rest of the time. A full belly seems to help her sleep a little longer. Good luck.

If you have tried everything and your doctor is not concerned with his weight then that is really all you can do. Just keep trying to withhold the bottle or try giving less amounts each time. My friends doctor told her to decrease the bottles at night by one ounce each night until (hopefully) the child will just realize it is not worth eating.
Don't beat yourself up over this some children are just this way and there are many children who won't sleep through the night.

My daughter did that until she was 1. The only thing I can suggest is give him water in his bottle instead of milk. My doctors told me to do this as there was no reason for her to be eating so much at night. "supposedly" he will realize that he is not going to get milk and then will not wake up. This didn't work so well with my daughter. It was only when she was fully weaned and was cuddled for a minute and put back in bed that she stopped thinking she needed food at night, but up until she was 13 months she was waking up 3 and 4 times a night. I understand your frustration and know it is hard to hear your baby scream. I don't mean that you should leave him to cry, but substitute the milk or cut down on the amount you give him at night, it could be that he just needs to suck on something to sooth himself back to sleep.

I hate to tell ya but you'll have to slowly cut out one bottle at a time. I have a 6mo. old who's been sleeping all night since she was 1 1/2 mo. old. She now sleeps 12 hrs. a night. She will wake up around 2am but it's only to talk and sing for about 10 min. then she goes back to sleep.
How did I do this you may ask?? I let her cry in the middle of the night. I never gave her a bottle once she went to bed (after she was 2 mo. old and was sleeping 8hrs. at night.
You are going to have to spend 1 week taking away the one bottle he least needs and just letting him cry. He WILL gag and choke and act like he's gonna die. But just let him cry. Stuff a pillow over your head and try to get through it. The minute you go comfort him with a bottle, it's over and he's won the battle. He may cry for 45 min. before he finally gives up. By 4-5 days, he'll sleep through that bottle.
After a couple of days of sleeping through that bottle, take the 2nd least needed bottle away and go through the same processes until he slepping all night.
It will take strong will power and you will feel guilty for letting him cry. But it seems he's the man in charge and you need to take back control of the situation. Be the parent. He doesn't need to be drinking all that formula.
If all else fails, just put water in the bottles and he'll learn that milk isn't coming anymore.
Good luck and stay strong!!

I will not be much help. I have the same problem. I have a 21 month old that is addicted to her bottle. She still wakes up one or two times a night for it. If I do not give it to her she cries until I do. I have been told she will give up the bottle when she is ready. I sure hope it is soon.

Hi M., I'm an older Mother but maybe I can help you. Have you thought about giving him a bottle of Karo water at night? All I ever did was fill a bottle with slightly warm water and then add dark Karo syrup. The reason for the dark is so you can tell how much you use and when it is all shook up and mixed good. All 5 of my children and my 4 grandchildren did very good on it and slowly stopped wanting a night time bottle. some of mine used a binky and some didn't but I would put one in they bed just in case they decided to take it during the night..I hope this helps some but if nothing else it can't hurt and good luck. Please let me know how he does!

Hi,
I totally agree with the other lady about the formula. That is way too much formula to be giving him. He shouldnt be having more than like 32 oz of formula a day. You definantely need to be trying some table food like mashed potatoes or fruits. Double check with your pediatrician, but it shouldnt be a problem. Sorry to say my son didn't sleep through the night until he turned a year old. Hope you find relief soon, i can feel your pain.

Hi M.! I have been having the same problem with my 7 1/2 mth old. She seems to be hungry all the time. Also waking up at least 2x a night wanting a bottle. What I have done with her that really helped was fixing her bottles of "watered down" milk. I started off fixing her and 8oz bottle and putting the equavlent of a 6oz bottle of milk. I did that for a week and then the next week, I would fix her a 6oz bottle with the equavlent of 4oz of milk. I just kept cutting her back and now knock on wood, this week she hasnt woke up at night. During the day, she gets the 8oz bottle with 6oz milk, baby food, cereal, and snack such as wagon wheels.. This really helped her cut back on the amount that she was eating. I would speak to your ped. about the amount of milk that your child is taking in. At this age, about 32-38oz is the recommended amount. And from what I have been told, too much milk intake could be harmful. Good Luck and I hope this helps you like it did me!

Hello M.. My Name is A... I think I am having the same Problems as you are.. I have a 7 1/2 month old, who will be 8 months on the 20th of Febuary.. He is still waking up 2 times a nite for a bottle, but wakes up some when he loosing his pacifier.. He is on Baby food and cereal as well.. Mine does not gag, but he does get a little mad.. Mine is only eats about 32 ounces a day.. I have tried giving him more to eat but does not seem to work...I have had other mom's on here before to tell me that their kids did not sleep all through the night.. I have a mother of 1 and happily married.. A.

M.

Maybe you should talk to your baby's doctor...my oldest son was like that...he would eat all day long and finally I took him to the pediatrian and he started him on table food...mashed potatoes...etc...good luck.
T.

I don't know the whole situation, but it may be that he's not eating enough during the day. Does he sleep late or takes long naps?

My son, he would sleep late and eat late, especially at night. So, I had to get him on a regular schedule and adjust his diet. For example, start eliminating one to maybe two bottles with meals or fruit cups. When he screams for a bottle, maybe give him some fruit first, then if it doesn't work, then give him a bottle. When he gets hungry at night, give him something light (only if he's had good meals during the day). Gerber graduates fruit puffs (only if he's ready) works great at night along with a fruit cup and some juice or water.

I can't speak for everyone, but I was able to get my son off the bottle by the time he was 1. Just try a few methods and see if it works.

I know that this is repetitive, but you need to start now with weaning him from the bottle.

I hope that this helps!

Hi M., My first son is 3 years old now and he still wakes up hungry at night. I have a 15 month old that would wake up at night and I would get up to nurse him. I then tried weaning him and that has not worked. So my pediatrician said to let him cry it out. You let him cry for 5 minutes the first night before you go in there. Then 10 minutes the second night and so on up to 45 minutes. This only took about 4 nights and he sleeps until 7am every night. Another thing you can do is give him table food. It will be much better for him that a lot of formula and baby food. I started my youngest at 7 months and he did not even have teeth yet. Just make sure it does not have High Fructose Corn Syrup in the food. A lot of baby foods have that as a filler and it is the worst thing you can give them. It is hindering his brain development and thus why he stays hungry all the time. He needs fiber to make him feel full. I hope you find something that works.

K. S
www.kristies.fourpointmoms.com

hi M. my name is berni. I have 3 older children and 4 grandchildren and I can tell u from experience that the baby will give up the bottle not to worry I think its too soon they each have there own time belive me! just let him have it . GOD BLESS. YOUR FRIEND BERNI.

Your baby is HUNGRY!!! The advice given for what age to start babies is just an average. Your son sounds like he is ready for thicker meals. A child will not give up a bottle unless given another alternative. 50-60 ounces a day is twice the amount he should be eating. Try him on table foods by mashing up what you are eating. Meat can be grinded up in a blender. He sounds like he is just getting up at night for the bottle because it is his "norm". I hope this works I also am the mother of 2 hungry children and this works for me.

M.,
I have a 7 month old little boy and just recently talked w/his Pediatrician about his waking up at night for a feeding. She simply called this term; trained night-feeder. lol. They (babies) are so used to it that it is hard for them to turn a loose of that 'extra' feeding that they now do not need. The Dr. also said he (my baby) does not need this feeding-that he has enough fat on him, etc. to get him through the night and that if I offer him anything to let it be maybe an ounce or two of water. Maybe this will help for you too?? What has been happening since that talk is that my 7 month old will wake up early in the morning like around 4 or 5 am and sometimes he wants something or acts like it, sometimes he does not. But when and if I do feed him a bottle, I always count this as ounces that go toward his recommended 24-32 oz. per day. I must say 50 to 60 ozs. of formula sounds like ALOT plus baby food a day for an 8 mo. old! So you may want to check w/your baby's doctor to make sure all is well. Another idea that you may want to try is instead of going complete 'cold turkey' (no more bottles at night in other words) when you fix his bottle say tonight, let it only be a couple ounces, then each night, let them get less and less. Then try the water offering. Eventually he will realize this is all he will be offered and he won't want it. Trust me, he is prob. not hungry at night in the first place, it is just a habit from babyhood and he will most likely eat his breakfast/cereal, etc. much better when he wakes up in the morn. Good Luck, and I hope it gets better for you!

My daughter did the same thing. She had never taken a pacifier before, but I started giving her one instead of a bottle and that worked sometimes to get her through the night. Sometimes she still refused, it may just be something they have to grow out of. Good luck!