Help please! My almost 12 month old is waking up every 2-3 hours at night all of a sudden. I'm very confused and tired. What can I do to get her to sleep longer blocks of time again. Note, I try to make sure she eats well during the day to be sure she's getting proper nutrition. I'm afraid to not feed her when she wakes because she is already tiny, about 18 pds, and she drinks about 4 ounces each time she wakes.
Dear E., At 12 months my children were cutting their molars (back teeth) this could be waking her up. If this is the case, it won't last long. Grandma Mary
I have four children and that happened with all of my kids. What I did worked EVERYTIME..before bedtime I would give them their last feeding with cereal in the bottle. You have to make sure you buy the appropriate nipple with a larger opening so that the cereal doesn't get stuck. The bottle was so nice and heavy that it knocked them out and I got a decent night sleep. Each kid is different so a decent night sleep for 1 kid would be 6hrs straight and for another it would be 12hours...but I'd welcome even 5hrs of STRAIGHT sleep if I was sleep deprived!! I hope this helped..Good Luck!
I doubt she is really hungry. A 12 month old would not wake up because she is hungry if she is getting a typical amount of food during the day. Something else is waking her up and she is using the bottle for comfort. It could be teethe, or night terrors. Try giving her motrin before bed and see if that helps. If not, try letting her cry for a little while and see if she falls back to sleep, if you want, go in an soothe her (rub her back) but leave the lights off and don't say anything... My daughter had night terrors for a while, and she would scream, but wasn't really awake. Soothing her was the best thing and she went back to sleep... waking her more made it worse. I have also used crying it out a couple of times with great success... and my kids do not hate me and they are normal, well ajusted, happy kids!! And, my daughter has always been very tiny (7lbs at birth, and only 14.5 lbs at 1 year!) And she never woke up due to hunger... the DR. said if she was happy, energetic and developing normally, there is no reason to worry... somebody has to be in the 1st percentile!). Just try to rule out pain, and if that isn't the issue, just be consistant. Good Luck.
Hi there
We had the same thing with my second child - she was only 16 pounds at a year old. She was waking up in the night and we were giving her formula, and like you I was worried that she needed it to keep her weight up. But eventually we decided we were just encouraging the waking by giving her a bottle and we stopped. All that happened was that she had a better appetite during the day - we had actually been making her less hungry for "real" food during the day by giving her milk in the night.
We just comforted her and put her back down again. Within a few nights she had stopped waking up. So just give it a try. She is old enough to go all night without feeding and she will eat what she needs during the day.
Also, if she is otherwise healthy, don't worry too much about her being so petite. Some kids are just tiny. I spent so much time worrying about my daughter, but it is just how she is. She is now nearly 5 and still only weighs 30 pounds, but is a bright, happy little girl - just doesn't weigh much!
It sounds to me like she is either getting new teeth or using the bottle and you to soothe herself back to sleep. If it is the teeth, it should pass soon enough. Try your favorite teething methods to help her pass this painful stage. If it lasts longer, she's likely decided she prefers to be soothed back to sleep with a bottle and mama than by herself. You could try giving her water instead of milk to help her switch her nutritional needs back to daytime hours, and eventually she should stop asking for the bottle and sleep through the night again.
Regarding her weight, my daughter was 19 lbs at 1 year, so I understand your anxiety. They say a child triples her weight at a year. My daughter was 6 lbs 6 oz at birth, so she was right on track. If you had a small newborn, she is probably just a petite girl and perfectly healthy. She won't starve if you stop feeding her at night. She's old enough to eat enough during the day to sustain her through the night.
My advice? Sneak in naps during the day. UGH. My 13 month old (25 pound!) son is doing the same. thing. He eats at 8:30 and then wakes up every 2-4 hours for the rest of the night. All of a sudden!
I tried to let him cry it out the other night (I know, I know...just one night? It isn't enough to form a new "habit.") After an hour and a half, EVERYONE in the house was awake (from the hubs to the 3 year old) and we decided that it's better for everyone if I just get up.
If your girl is on a bottle, maybe you and the hubs could take turns getting up? That way at least you get 4-6 hours at a time!
My babe is only 6m but sounds like a growth spurt?!
Both my kids were about that size at 12 mos. Neither of them was above 20 lbs at 1. The thing is, she is more then capable to make it through the night. And she will become more dependent on the nighttime feedings if you keep doing them. When she wakes at night, give her a binky and turn on some soft music and tell her its time to sleep.
She could be getting her molars. My son did this, and that's what it was with him. Your ped should hopefully be able to confirm/deny that at the next checkup. In the meantime, you need some sleep. I don't do this often, but you could try to give her a dose of motrin or tylenol before bed to see if that has any effect on the wakings. If it does, then you know it's the teeth! Good luck! Just remember too that it will pass.
