Help, I Am Tired! :)

15 months is a growth-spurt time. And she could very well be hungry, as a result. Both my kids went through that too.

If you give her a bottle/milk during the night, the just have her drink water from a sippy after, or keep it in her crib with her. So she can help herself to it.
OR, you wipe her teeth with a moist washcloth afterward.

Lots of kids, will drink milk from a bottle only. It has a nipple... like M.. It is an instinctual thing... not her being spoiled. Milk comes from a nipple... its natural and normal for a child to have this instinct. There is plenty time to "wean" her from it later... if at night, this is the only time she wants a bottle.

The thing is, growth-spurts and hunger, does occur. Every 3 months is a growth-spurt in babies/kids. Thus, their intake needs INCREASES as well, even at night.

Try also to make sure she is given her milk before bed, and make sure she is eating and getting enough milk during the daytime too.

Both my kids, had GINORMOUS HUGE appetites, at growth-spurt periods. Like clockwork. I always fed them at these times.
They needed it. A growing baby/child has growing appetites. Even a Teenager goes through this too. They need it for development and brain development too.

Each child is different. Don't gauge it on your other kids and what they did. Some kids just metabolize food/calories quicker too, thus they get hungry more often.

All the best,
Susan

She's a baby; contrary to what some authors would have us believe, she doesn't manipulate, if she's hungry she needs to be fed. Also contrary to what some of these authors say, she also is not designed to go 11-12 hours without eating (neither are we adults). If the bottle you're giving her is breastmilk, she doesn't need to have water or her teeth wiped after, as breatsmilk does not lead to decay. If she goes to bed with food residue on her mouth, it can acidify during the night. She is likely waking more easily due to motor skills development/growth spurt, as the OP mentioned. Something in the room (fan, noise, light) might be bothering her. Or, she might just be hungry - especially during a growth spurt. CIO raises cortisol levels in the brain and can lead to psychological problems later. As a baby, she has no other way to get help during the night than to cry out. Even adults often rouse during the night for water or to visit the bathroom, including the experts who advise disregarding baby's cries during the night. I'm sure when they wake thirsty, they get some water. They do us parents a disservice by advising us to disregard these babies who depend on us to meet their needs. It sounds like your instincts are telling you to feed her but you feel uncertain based on that advice. It is never wrong to respond with love to your baby's needs.

Best regards
S.

2-4 days of crying it out and your problem will be solved. those nights will be rough, but you're that close to having her sleep through the night.

Hi Robyn,

Hard, isn't it! For our daughter, sleep has always been the best medicine we could give. We did allow her to CIO (we checked on her - I wasn't a fan of "extinction" CIO) to be able to go to sleep on her own - she was already sleeping through the night without a feed, though, so we never had to go through a middle of the night cry, and I know that may be very different. One thought: you said that if you feed her at 11, she will sleep right through. What if you gradually moved that feed time earlier and earlier until it could maybe "disappear". Does that make sense? If she still slept 'til 7 as you did that, maybe you could solve it that way. You didn't say in the post if it is breastmilk or regular milk - you are wise to watch for decay though...check with a dentist if you are concerned.

As the momma, you "get" to decide which is more important to your daughter's health - sleep or that extra feeding. It really could be either one, and only you can tell that. If you decide she needs the feeding, I'd opt for the earlier one instead! ;)

Blessings!
R.

My son is almost 22 months and still doesn't sleep through the night. I have decided to wean him and see if that helps. However, my son is a LOUSY eater so I KNOW that he IS still hungry. It IS possible that your lil girl is hungry in the middle of the night.. actually early morning for her. I nurse my son at 6am now and he goes back to bed until about 8, which is a huge improvement for us. I do keep a sippy cup of water in his crib for him though in case he's thirsty.... that's another option. I see nothing wrong with her having a bottle at 4am but no other times during the day... or doing it the other way around like you suggest... personally if you are already up at 11pm then give her the bottle then if she is awake... otherwise you might have to make the adjustment to your sleep schedule so that you get enough rest. Good luck! :)

Robyn, she should be fine for 11-12 hours at night without a feeding. At this point it's a habit. It may be more difficult to let her CIO at this age, but it could work! We let our daughter CIO at 9 months. The first night we stopped she cried for maybe 30 minutes (not full-blown, but enough for us to hear). The second night it took 10 minutes, and then she was fine-- she sleeps from 7-7/8am. At 15 months it may be more difficult because now she's standing in her crib, walking in her crib, at this age she KNOWS :) I know it's hard, but as long as you know that she ate well during the day, it'll help you feel better about letting her CIO. Also, make sure her night bottle is a large one (8-10 oz) so she feels full. GOOD LUCK!!

I went through the same thing with my daughter until she was 18 months. I'm sure not everyone would agree with what we did, but it worked for us at the time. Since my husband had no problem sleeping through the baby crying or making noise, he had me go to my parents' house to sleep for the night and he let our daughter cry until she fell back asleep. Previously, I had always just given her a bottle to get a little more sleep, but it just reinforced the early waking time. So, after one night of him letting her cry and a really sleepy girl the next day, she has slept through the night since. I know it's a barbaric idea to a lot of people, but it worked for us and it might work for you.

I agree with SH and Shannon. I as I always say you can never spoil a baby. The more you meet her needs now the more secure she will be later. I was told this by a CHOC doctor and nurse. She is still so young she needs to be feed on demand. She is hungry. She needs you and the only way she can tell you is by crying. CIO is not good and could harm her later. This will pass quickly. I remember being so tired I thought I would fall asleep standing up. Any questions just ask me OK.
Sue
Your baby is hungry please feed him. She is still a baby and needs to be fed on demand. My son woke up every 2 hours to eat at this age. She can be growing now. In that case she needs to eat more often. I was very tired but she's is worth it and babies depend on there mommies to take care of them. As I say the more you meet your babies needs now the more secure he will be later. She needs you. As I was told by a CHOC Dr. you can not spoil a baby. If you look on the left side of the mamasourse page you can see different topics and there are other M.'s with the same questions. There is lots of responses to this question She needs her mommy now.
Sue