Still Wants Night Feeding at 10 Months

Updated on March 12, 2008
C.H. asks from Cuyahoga Falls, OH
11 answers

i need some advice on what to do about my 10 month old getting up at midnight wanting a bottle. it's always midnight that he wakes up, regardless of what time he fell asleep, and he won't go back to sleep without a bottle of formula. then he'll be out until about 7 in the morning. i've tried just giving him a couple ounces of warm water, but he just cries harder. is it typical for babies at this age to still need a bottle in the middle of the night? i know all babies are different and have different needs, but should he be past this by now? we sleep in the same room, but this has happened when i stick to the couch as well. is there anything that i can do?

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K.M.

answers from Columbus on

My daughter still night-nursed once each night until she self-weaned at 20 months. My DS, on the other hand, slept through the night at 7 months and never looked back. It depends on your baby. I don't think it is abnormal. It can just be exhausting for the mommy!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Dayton on

mine too. both of them. but really, my son (5) nursed a couple times in the middle of the night for 13 months. i don't remember much of it! they grow up so quickly, why worry about it? your son probably just wants a visit from mommy since he misses you while you're gone during the day. ( i'm a full time student, i know what it's like :)
as long as you get enough sleep to perform well in school and work, what's the problem?

1 mom found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from South Bend on

My son goes through periods where he'll wake up like clockwork at 3:14. No matter what time he goes down. From research that I've done, I would reccomend anticipating when he will wake up and give him a bottle of water. If he doesn't take water, start gradulally adding more water to the formula until it is just plain water. The trick is to not let him wake you up so it doesn't become a habit.

Good luck

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Columbus on

Hi C.,
Babies are creatures of habit. If this is the habit he is in, he will stay there until you break it. At 4 months (unless a premie) babies can go through the night without the need to eat. So this isnt a need he has. He needs the bottle to soothe himself back to sleep. I would break that asap. Different moms have different opinions on whether or not to let their babies cry it out. I am believer in letting them cry and its worked well for me. They have to learn to self soothe. Its a tool they need as they grow. The first few nights he may cry for hours its h*** o* you. But after a few nights the time will get shorter and shorter... and in the future if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will know how to get back to sleep on his own. However, if you are against letting him cry, I would at least replace the bottle with something else. Maybe some sort of blanket or stuffed animal. Try and replace it with something that can stay in his crib and he can learn to use that to soothe. The problem is if you repalce the bottle with cuddle time, or rocking, then you are just teaching him to rely on you now to go back to sleep and he is still not learning to sleep through the night. I know its hard because no mother likes to her their baby cry. We associate that with pain and our instincts want to make it better. But this is really a skill that you need to teach him for the future. Good Luck

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

hi C., from my having raised 10 children i have found out they are all different.10 months is just a baby, nothing wrong with giving him a bottle at night.do yu give him cereal before he goes to sleep, that helps . when he gets ready to stop this night feeding he will by his self.my last child wanted a bottle when she was little older when she went to bed , but she didnt drink it, just wanted it like a security blanket, finnaly she didnt want it anymore. give that baby his bottle at nightplease. i wish yu the best, M.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.D.

answers from Cleveland on

Unfortunatley I don't have advice but my 10 month old daughter is doing the same thing only slightly worse. She wakes up at 10 and 2 every night. I too tried the warm water to no avail. To complicate matters for me, my daughter is weaning from a steriod which increases her hunger so I always feed her. I try to make the best of it and think of it as extra time with my girl. Best of luck. I will be watching for responses to your question too.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.J.

answers from Fort Wayne on

i would give the baby a slightly larger meal before bed , then what i did was i would go check on them ( all 3 of mine went to their own rooms at 4 months ) , if they didnt need a diaper change i would just give them back thier pacifier and tell them good night . the first time will be the longest they keep crying and each night after will be less time . mine all slept through the night by the time they went in thier own rooms

1 mom found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I had one of my sons do that till he was 18 months and sometimes you just have to go with it and tell yourself it will end. when it does you will wonder where the baby years went! I was very frustrated with him and seeing as he had to sleep in the same room with his four yr old sister I couldnt' let him cry or they would both be up..

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H.A.

answers from Cleveland on

So we just let our infants cry for how long?
My daughter is the same age ten months old ...and she wakes up by 1-3am and its like clockwork either needs a bottle (4-6oz warm) or a diaper and abottle! After youve worked 2nd shift or your up since five AM? you want a good 6 hours of sleep!
Otherwise I love her to death and we are weening her from wanting in our bed after shes slept in her crib from 10p-1(2)a. Other than that she is still somewhat teething too!

What is a parent to do! my son didnt do any of this!!! ( he is not ten yrs old LOL)

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A.B.

answers from Cleveland on

I would let him cry it out...I did this with my daughter and it only took maybe 2 nights! (I did put cereal in her last bottle though, I know what a bad mom! lol)

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A.O.

answers from Indianapolis on

I had this problem with my son. I am a light sleeper so every time I heard him I thought I had to get up with him. My mom told me to let him cry and he would go back to sleep. I did this and she was right. It only took a week and he was finally sleeping through the night. It was hard for me because I wanted to make sure he was ok. Try it, you will feel like a new woman when you get a full night of sleep.
good luck

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