[liamt]

surely waking up 3 times a night for a bottle isnt usual for a 10 month old, is it? he goes to bed at around 8pm each night and up around 7am

its not like he is awake. he cries but seems asleep then has some bottle and goes back to sleep.

maybe because he was 7 weeks early we had to feed him every 3 hours so he is used to 3 feeds a night?

its killing us tho, we are shattered all the time.

we have tried him on juice but he spits it out and cries more until he gets some milk

when awake he is a lovely happy little boy.... but at night he is a pain in the bum lol.

[KyleS1]

The best phrase for bringing up a child is "they are all different".
Our little girl used to wake up in the night crying, we assumed she was hungry so fed her (breast feeding made that much easier). It carried on for a couple of weeks about twice a night. We ran an experiment where we just held her until she want back to sleep, popped her in her cot and left her. Basically we went cold turkey on the night feeds, and it made no difference. She carried on waking twice or so a night, we held her, she went back to sleep. That was at about 6 months (she is now 8+) and she hasn't had a night feed since. She mostly sleeps from 7:30 until 5 when she then comes in our bed until 6.
Basically, they don't need the milk, they just want it for comfort. Once you can find another way to soothe them (dummies, cuddles, singing etc), they will soon settle without the feed. They certainly dont *need* to feed through the night at that age.
Is he eating good sized meals throughout the day? Ours has 3 meals a day and never seems hungry outside of meal times.
We just assumed the crying meant hunger. It could be any number of things, and at the moment, ours is teething. 9 times out of 10 a quick cuddle will send her back to sleep, or just popping her dummy in.

[FZR400RRSP]

We're dummy fans too.
Both of ours had dummies, and the only time they'd get upset at night was if the dummy came out and they couldn't quickly find it again.
They both gave up dummies easily enough when we felt it was time to get rid too.
Hard to fathom why some people are so anti-dummy when it does keep the little blighters settled/quiet.
Principals are all very well, but sleep is better!

[liamt]

Originally Posted by FZR400RRSP

We're dummy fans too.
Both of ours had dummies, and the only time they'd get upset at night was if the dummy came out and they couldn't quickly find it again.
They both gave up dummies easily enough when we felt it was time to get rid too.
Hard to fathom why some people are so anti-dummy when it does keep the little blighters settled/quiet.
Principals are all very well, but sleep is better!

my wife was adamant that we didnt use a dummy and he hasnt needed one so far, even though he is teething so i dont want to start it now at almost 10 months. you only get issues when you withdraw it later. plus wife's brother knackered his teeth using a dummy and had to have elocution lessons as a result.

KyleS1 - i will get the wife to try that. she gets up to feed since i work and have sleep problems at the best of times anyway. i just get woken up several times a night.

[KyleS1]

Dummies aren't what they used to be. They are now all orthodontically approved. The best ones we found were Mam. Lola sometimes wakes up in the night, and if she feels her dummy (she spits it out in her sleep), she pops it back in and falls back to sleep. It's great. With out new video monitor too, we can see what she is doing without having to get out of bed.

We were anti dummy at first too. Lola was then diagnosed with reflux, and the doctor recommended one. We were reluctant but it changed our lives. Once she popped it in, the crying stopped. The sucking motion helped with her reflux, and at night it gives her the comfort of feeding. Couldn't be without one now. I don't think you need to worry about dummy and teething problems any more. Lola has teeth (just the 2) but we aren't worried about the fact she is still using her dummy. During the day she rarely uses it at all unless she is going to have a nap. Often if she has it in, she just pulls it out, plays with it, then throws it somewhere.

[liamt]

i wonder if we could use a dummy at night?

had phone call from mrs this morning. little man (Alex) rolled off our bed onto his face. luckily we have a really thick carpet over wooden beam floor so its not exactly hard. she is nipping him to drs just for a checkup. he cant crawl yet (seems more intent on walking first) but has learned to roll around to get where he wants to. slippery little bugger!

ahhh, kids lol.

[KyleS1]

You will get used to the bumps and bruises. Lola threw herself off the sofa at about 6 months (my fault), I felt awful, but she was fine. Landed on carpet. Cried until I picked her up, then was fine. Babies are designed to bounce when they fall over.

You could try it. Sometimes it takes a little while to get them to take it, sometimes they will take it straight away. All depends on how you feel about giving him a dummy. We hated it at first, but when we saw the improvement in her, we stop worrying about it. Before we had her, I thought dummies were the norm anyway.

[liamt]

Originally Posted by KyleS1

You will get used to the bumps and bruises. Lola threw herself off the sofa at about 6 months (my fault), I felt awful, but she was fine. Landed on carpet. Cried until I picked her up, then was fine. Babies are designed to bounce when they fall over.

You could try it. Sometimes it takes a little while to get them to take it, sometimes they will take it straight away. All depends on how you feel about giving him a dummy. We hated it at first, but when we saw the improvement in her, we stop worrying about it. Before we had her, I thought dummies were the norm anyway.

yeah. they are flexible and rubbery. although i have a flat bit on the back of my head that my mum admitted last year was due to me rolling off the kitchen worktop onto a hard floor.

worst was my mate who has a bozzy eye. he found out in his 20s his mum dropped him on the corner of a fireplace and that gave him the bozzy eye!

[KyleS1]

Haha.
My parents had all number of accidents with me, that they seem quite proud to tell everyone!

[richardb70]

Has he only started doing this recently? If so, could be teething, could be a growth spurt (remember baby stomachs are tiny), could be other factors if anything's changed in his life.

Our little girl got used to being rocked to sleep which was a major problem. All babies wake up during the night, but they need to be able to get themselves back to sleep! We were up every few hours so like zombies by the time we decided to sort it out. Basically, this involved going to her, giving her a hug and putting her straight back, no talking, no fuss. She'd cry, we'd wait a couple of minutes, repeat the hug, and leave slightly more time before going in again.

Surprisingly, a couple of weeks later and she was sleeping through the night. Some people advised us to leave her to "cry it out" but that's something I would never do.

[neilios]

Originally Posted by liamt

surely waking up 3 times a night for a bottle isnt usual for a 10 month old, is it? he goes to bed at around 8pm each night and up around 7am

its not like he is awake. he cries but seems asleep then has some bottle and goes back to sleep.

maybe because he was 7 weeks early we had to feed him every 3 hours so he is used to 3 feeds a night?

its killing us tho, we are shattered all the time.

we have tried him on juice but he spits it out and cries more until he gets some milk

when awake he is a lovely happy little boy.... but at night he is a pain in the bum lol.

We've had this with lottie for 13 months,she's down to one feed now,thank god,still tiring though,the mrs wont allow a dummy she too reckons they can damage the teeth(she used to be a dental nurse).

We've tried it all, controlled crying,3 meals during the day etc,etc,baths,soothing music,no chance if she wanted something to eat she'd scream the house down till she got it.
During the day though she's wonderful,night time she turns into a little imp,wont settle and thinks its time to play,bashing the railings,throwing the teddies everywhere,shouting,crying,bucking bloody bronco,completely nuts,then you go in the room ten mins later and she's fast asleep..

We did think about getting a mobile above her cot that plays the mike oldfield tubular bells song,we thought it might be more apt...

[liamt]

Originally Posted by neilios

We've had this with lottie for 13 months,she's down to one feed now,thank god,still tiring though,the mrs wont allow a dummy she too reckons they can damage the teeth(she used to be a dental nurse).

We've tried it all, controlled crying,3 meals during the day etc,etc,baths,soothing music,no chance if she wanted something to eat she'd scream the house down till she got it.
During the day though she's wonderful,night time she turns into a little imp,wont settle and thinks its time to play,bashing the railings,throwing the teddies everywhere,shouting,crying,bucking bloody bronco,completely nuts,then you go in the room ten mins later and she's fast asleep..

We did think about getting a mobile above her cot that plays the mike oldfield tubular bells song,we thought it might be more apt...

lol. i hear you!

Alex has been worse the last few days, maybe the heat? his room is south facing though but due to it being a dorma it doesnt hold the heat like a 'proper' house lol.

he doesnt like going to bed so will either fall asleep on me or we take him up when he looks tired. i laugh at some of the noises he makes. the best being his raspberry noise (i always think of 2 ronnies 'phantom raspberry blower') which he can do for ages. he doesnt have a strop but he fidgets about for 10mins then sleeps.

my mum told me i was always hungry as a child, we call him 'nibbler' as in the character from Futurama who has a black hole in his belly.

[neilios]

Originally Posted by liamt

lol. i hear you!

Alex has been worse the last few days, maybe the heat? his room is south facing though but due to it being a dorma it doesnt hold the heat like a 'proper' house lol.

he doesnt like going to bed so will either fall asleep on me or we take him up when he looks tired. i laugh at some of the noises he makes. the best being his raspberry noise (i always think of 2 ronnies 'phantom raspberry blower') which he can do for ages. he doesnt have a strop but he fidgets about for 10mins then sleeps.

my mum told me i was always hungry as a child, we call him 'nibbler' as in the character from Futurama who has a black hole in his belly.

Eventually he might calm down a little,i just think babies are all different,a few friends and relatives also had babies last yr and theirs all sleep through,from 7pm-7am ,that would be bliss...

[liamt]

Originally Posted by richardb70

Has he only started doing this recently? If so, could be teething, could be a growth spurt (remember baby stomachs are tiny), could be other factors if anything's changed in his life.

Our little girl got used to being rocked to sleep which was a major problem. All babies wake up during the night, but they need to be able to get themselves back to sleep! We were up every few hours so like zombies by the time we decided to sort it out. Basically, this involved going to her, giving her a hug and putting her straight back, no talking, no fuss. She'd cry, we'd wait a couple of minutes, repeat the hug, and leave slightly more time before going in again.

Surprisingly, a couple of weeks later and she was sleeping through the night. Some people advised us to leave her to "cry it out" but that's something I would never do.

i guess it started around teething time. at xmas he slept through but didnt go to bed until we did (11pm ish).

sorry, missed this one before. but i will give your ideas a go. even if we can reduce it to 1 time a night i would be cool with that.

he has also very recently started waking up at 4am - 5am and not going back to sleep unless my mrs takes him into bed with her, where after a bit he falls asleep. which means the spare room.

[richardb70]

The hot weather is a big factor these days, as is the early dawn and bird song! Ours has just started "chatting" to herself until 9pm or so, and she's in bed around 7:45pm after a bath and a couple of stories.

If your lad is teething then a dose of Calpol never hurts. White noise can help too - we have a "sounds of the sea" on an MP3 player in her room most nights. Also, we have one of those aquarium things clipped to the side of the cot that plays soothing music.

Good luck!

[KyleS1]

Originally Posted by liamt

he has also very recently started waking up at 4am - 5am and not going back to sleep unless my mrs takes him into bed with her, where after a bit he falls asleep. which means the spare room.

Lola does this every night without fail (usually closer to 5am) then comes in our bed often for a kip, or to try and pull my ears off.

[Geezer69]

+1 for the quick hug and put straght back to bed. If everything is ticked off, dry, fed, winded, not in pain, then she just wants a cuddle.

[liamt]

Originally Posted by richardb70

The hot weather is a big factor these days, as is the early dawn and bird song! Ours has just started "chatting" to herself until 9pm or so, and she's in bed around 7:45pm after a bath and a couple of stories.

If your lad is teething then a dose of Calpol never hurts. White noise can help too - we have a "sounds of the sea" on an MP3 player in her room most nights. Also, we have one of those aquarium things clipped to the side of the cot that plays soothing music.

Good luck!

yeah, seems worse with the sun but last night it wasnt as hot and he was up 4 times.

man, i hope he isnt hyperactive, i dont have the energy lol. we have a seahorse thing that plays mellow music that helps him drift off but it doesnt stay on for long before it automatically goes off

[liamt]

Originally Posted by Geezer69

+1 for the quick hug and put straght back to bed. If everything is ticked off, dry, fed, winded, not in pain, then she just wants a cuddle.

but alex appears to be asleep. maybe lucid dreaming? i used to do that a lot as a kid (wish i could now, it was amazing!)

[FZR400RRSP]

We had no issues getting our two off dummies.
We got them to a stage where it was night use only, then had a party one day where they hung their dummies on a tree in the garden where the 'dummy fairy' would get it and they would get a toy in exchange.
They both fully accepted that, no whining for it afterwards at all.
No teeth problems either, and their dentist sure as hell is a picky so and so.

[shodan]

My first thought was that if he is genuinely hungry then maybe he needs to go onto solids during the day or more solids so he isn't hungry.
Mentioned this thread to my missus who reminded me that with our first, who was formula fed, we were told to water down the night feeds. ie if you give him 3oz of formula (3 scoops of formula and 3oz of water) then make it 3oz water with two scoops. Then slowly go down to 1 scoop per 3oz of water and then less powder. We tried this and it worked after about the third night.
It was like he was in a routine of waking up for a feed and when waking up for the feed didn't satisfy the urge to feed, he didn't bother waking up again.

Hope this helps

[liamt]

Originally Posted by FZR400RRSP

We had no issues getting our two off dummies.
We got them to a stage where it was night use only, then had a party one day where they hung their dummies on a tree in the garden where the 'dummy fairy' would get it and they would get a toy in exchange.
They both fully accepted that, no whining for it afterwards at all.
No teeth problems either, and their dentist sure as hell is a picky so and so.

the problem i have with dummies at night is that like me, he often has a blocked nose, so he breathes through his mouth. would this cut off the air supply?

last night he was much better, so maybe its the heat? was still twice but then up at 6am for a nap with mummy, rather than 4 times and up at 4-5am!

he eats plenty in the daytime and tells us when full (puts his hand infront of his mouth and stops us feeding him any more). he eats solids 3 times in a day and sometimes has supper before bed (making it 4 times). we have been told he still needs 3 bottles a day as well as solids and he just doesnt do that in the day.

will try the watering down thing on bottles though. it is formula as the mrs is on medication which means she cannot breast feed

[KyleS1]

Nah they wont cut off his air supply. They can breath round them, or often they just spit them out if they can't breath properly. Babies are extremely clever, and their reflexes take care of everything.

Lola has a morning breastfeed around 6:30, breakfast at 8:00, formula at 12:00, lunch at 13:00, tea at 17:00 and breastfeed at 19:00. Doesn't eat any other meals and no night time feeds. She is a shortarse though (like her mum and dad).
We were getting up with her 2 or 3 times a night for a couple of months after we stopped the feeds, and either the dummy or a cuddle was enough to help her back off. She has been teething and had a long cold too which didn't help.

By all means try watering down the formula, but my guess is that he just wants a cuddle as you said he takes very little from the bottle anyway.

[liamt]

Originally Posted by KyleS1

Nah they wont cut off his air supply. They can breath round them, or often they just spit them out if they can't breath properly. Babies are extremely clever, and their reflexes take care of everything.

Lola has a morning breastfeed around 6:30, breakfast at 8:00, formula at 12:00, lunch at 13:00, tea at 17:00 and breastfeed at 19:00. Doesn't eat any other meals and no night time feeds. She is a shortarse though (like her mum and dad).
We were getting up with her 2 or 3 times a night for a couple of months after we stopped the feeds, and either the dummy or a cuddle was enough to help her back off. She has been teething and had a long cold too which didn't help.

By all means try watering down the formula, but my guess is that he just wants a cuddle as you said he takes very little from the bottle anyway.

will try that. he does actually usually finish a bottle. often 3 bottles during the night!

[FZR400RRSP]

Originally Posted by liamt

the problem i have with dummies at night is that like me, he often has a blocked nose, so he breathes through his mouth. would this cut off the air supply?

Rather than cut off the air supply, there's a train of thought that dummies actually keep airways open.
It's one of the reasons put forward as to why 'cot deaths' reduce dramatically when babies are given dummies (90 per cent reduction)
Another reason they think dummies reduce 'cot deaths' is that they discourage babies from falling into too deep a sleep, where overheating or other difficulties become an issue.
Please note none of these reasons are why we have ours dummies.
We just gave them dummies to shut them the hell up, day or night (putting it bluntly, you know what I mean)

[IronGiant]

Succinctly put

I don't think I'd heard that about dummies and cot death before, thanks . But my knowledge as a parent of a new born is 8 years out of date so that may explain it.

[FZR400RRSP]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

Succinctly put

Well....
There's nothing worse than a screaming kid, and you're sitting there thinking "shove a bloody dummy in its mouth".

[liamt]

Originally Posted by FZR400RRSP

Well....
There's nothing worse than a screaming kid, and you're sitting there thinking "shove a bloody dummy in its mouth".

to be fair my little man doesnt cry much at all. he is a happy little fella. big smile on his face and laughing.

certainly not one of them annoying kids (apart from his ravenous appetite at night)

[neilios]

Originally Posted by FZR400RRSP

Well....
There's nothing worse than a screaming kid, and you're sitting there thinking "shove a bloody dummy in its mouth".

Got to admit ,we have another baby due in jan, feb time,and i've said we're using a dummy this time,i'm not prepared to put up with another 13 months of no pacifier...

[Geezer69]

Originally Posted by liamt

.....certainly not one of them annoying kids

My wife really couldn't stand the thought of dummies with our first and quoted teeth etc... Secretly, she just didn't like them. One night of screaming too many for me and I just went in there and gave him a dummy. Peace and quiet

My third child is just six weeks old and if he needs one when he is older, he will definately be allowed one

Agree with other posts, they are now seen in a positive light. Helps with wind and can reduce the risk of cot death. Plus also, sometimes they just something to suck. I am fighting the urge now for a snide remark about my wife