How to get my 1 year old to stop waking during th night for milk?

Question

Ive just moved my 1 year old daughter into the same room as her older 3 year sister and into a bed instead of a cot. She used to sleep through perfectly but not anymore. She now wakes at least once a night and the only thing which settles her is a bottle of milk. Ive tried to give her water instead of the milk, it worked for a few nights but now it doesnt. I cant just ignore her as iv tried and she doesnt give up and also wakes her sister up too. I didnt have any problems like this with her sister. How can I get her to sleep through again and stop having milk during th night?

Answer 1

You have to STOP giving her the milk. She will cry herself back to sleep. If she isn't sick, just leave her be.

Answer 2

Don't be in such a hurry for her to grow up, she is not ready to be in a big bed and feels insecure. Is money a problem? Is that why you don't want her to have milk? She obviously wants it, needs it even, so why not give it to her. It seems you might be judging her growth against the older sibling but they grow at their own rate. I think if she slept through when she was on her own in a cot then maybe she should go back to that for a little while yet.

I just saw an answer up there from a mother/nurse, holy crap! Stop night time feedings at 3 months, for crying out loud where did all these cruel parents come from. This child is only one year old! She still needs nourishment on her own terms.

Answer 3

She's probably waking up becuase the poor thing is thirsty. I can't believe people are telling you to just quit paying attention to her at night when she obviously needs you. I could never ignore my babies like that. Try giving her more to drink during the day, and remember it's only a phase. Children grow up so quickly, this will all seem like a dream in no time.

P.S. Weaning her off milk completely like some suggested is plain stupidity, children need the fat from whole milk or breastmilk for proper brain development up until 3 years of age.

Answer 4

Try and give her some milk right before bed. This should last her through the night. Then if she does wake, you need to absolutely not go get her some milk, she needs to learn that you won't bring her things in the middle of the night. I know it might wake the sister, but it will probably only take about 2 or 3 nights and she won't wake anymore, she just needs to get used to it.
Another thing you can try is leaving a cup in the bed with her, that way she can get it herself if she is thirsty. My 2 year old sleeps with a cup and I never hear from him.

Answer 5

I asked Yahoo!Answers this very same question when my little one was 10 months old and all the answers told me to stop giving bottle completely and they did warn me that it would be hard work!! I took their advice and after about a week she stopped waking up for night feeds. It may seem harsh, but use the "let her cry method" - it does work. If you can get someone to alternate nights with you then it is even better. The first night we didn't give our daughter milk, she cried for nearly an hour (it is heartbreaking but you have to do it!) It was exhausting but it paid off.

Answer 6

Stop giving her the milk give her some water like you have already done. it will probably take her quite a few nights before she stops waking up but all the time you give into her over the milk she will wake up for it

Answer 7

You have to just bite the bullet and stop giving her the milk when she wakes at night. That is WHY she wakes...because she knows you'll come with a bottle. Once you stop doing it, she'll stop expecting it. You may have a few rough nights ahead of you when you stop doing this but it will all be worth it.

GOod luck.

Answer 8

Well the best solution would be to stop giving her milk for awhile which will get rid of her dependency for milk. After a while, you'll notice some improvements in her sleeping routines and then you can start giving her milk again, but not too much as to rebuild her dependency.

Answer 9

My little boy just turned one and sometimes wakes during the night, i know that it is hard but try not to give them the milk during the night, as long as they have had plenty to eat during the day as they will wake up wanting it every night.

my husband one night gave him a bottle to get him back to sleep and the next night he woke at the same time looking for his bottle although you know that he is not hungry, i had to nurse him and cuddle him nearly all night.
good luck

Answer 10

I have a 21 month old that still drinks 2 bottles of warm milk every night - One when we put her down and another when she inevitably wakes up between midnight and 2am. I hope you realize that

A) Milk is GOOD for your child.

B) A child waking up is part of being a parent.

Sorry - You can sleep later in life, but now is time to be a parent. Not much you can do to change that.

Answer 11

This time will go by so fast, that I would suggest getting up to give her that bottle of milk and a snuggle session before putting her back to bed. She is probably just trying to adjust to the new sleeping arrangements.

note: Allow her to sit up for a few minutes before returning to bed so that the milk does not sit on her teeth as she sleeps.


Strap her down???

3 months? Where did that information come from. Not feeding a hungry baby IS cruel, not just SOUNDS cruel. Babies caloric needs are extremely high and it is very normal for a child this age to NEED to eat at night.