Advice on Toddler Waking At11:30 Every Night?

I guess I'll be in the minority. I say if he wants a bottle, then give him one. He could be going through a growth spurt and be hungry. I HATE CIO and REFUSE to use it. I never used it on my oldest and will NOT use it with my baby. I think its cruel. If you think it might be teeth, you can try some teething tablets or Orajel when he wakes up. If that makes him stop crying, then give him some infant Motrin. I'm not all for giving meds on a just in case basis. You could also give him a sippy cup of water instead of a bottle of formula. I look at it like this, if I wake up at any time during the night and I'm thirsty, I get up and get a drink of water. Why should it be different for our children? Why should he cry and scream over something as simple as a bottle?
I think you are doing a GREAT job making sure he's full and happy. No need to beat yourself up over it.

I bet he is teething.. try giving him advil or motrin at bedtime.

advil lasts 8 hours so it should take him through the night. if you give him advil and he sleeps through..then you can bet that something was hurting him and that was waking him up.

some people dont know they make kids advil. it is great.. works better than tylenol for fevers too.

Hi there,
Each of my kids starting crying out in the night at about that age, sometime around then, I believe, they start to dream and have different wake/sleep cycles.
For his sake and yours, you need to make sure he can get himself back to sleep. Giving him a bottle sets an expectation of food and attention at midnight. If you do give him a bottle in bed, make sure it's WATER, esp if he's getting teeth.
As cruel and cold as this sounds, try just not going in. You will be chewing on your fists outside his door, but really, he should just cry for a minute or two, or six, and then go back to sleep. Maybe it will take a few days because he's learned you've been coming in for the rescue, but soon enough he should forget, roll over, and call it a night.
One more thing -- if he's got a head cold, he might have an ear infection, kids sometimes get them with no accompanying fever to clue you in. If he resists going down in the first place, it could be from the discomfort in the ear that is caused by being prone. And then waking up with pain at 11:30 etc. If you think there's a chance of that, Motrin (best for that type of pain) lasts for 8 hours and then take him to the doctor next day.

Good luck,
K.

Are you from England? You call it a dummy!....If you are I am aswell!!

Anyway yes bad habit giving the bottle but you just want to sleep I understand. Are you asleep at 11.30 and he wakes you? If you are up try going in 10 mins or so before and move him a little , just enough to disturb him but not wake him , it may break the cycle. My kids have done this (3rd child being the worst) , I have to admit that I go in and check on her , if all is ok & I have shhshhh and patted her back , I walk out the room and leave her to it. Sometimes she has cried for 30 mins or so , but she does go back to sleep ,after a couple of nights the cycle has broken.

It's really common for their sleep cycles to go through MANY changes over the first few years.

Just reading your message, I'm wondering if you can consolidate the 2 naps during the day into one and push back the bedtime a little bit.

Instead of a bottle at bedtime, could you try a snack in the event the bottle isn't enough to fill him and sustain him overnight? Our kids both have milk at bedtime in a sippy cup, but they also usually have a snack depending on when we eat dinner.

Good luck. I don't judge about the bottle in the middle of the night. I don't do, it, but I do bring my kids in bed with me. It's the easiest way for us all to get back to sleep and not be horribly exhausted.

Some kids need a little extra nourishment/comfort so do not think you are doing anything wrong by giving him a bottle. No need to be too stringent about this. If he seems hungry, a bottle is fine. You can brush his teeth in the morning after breakfast. He will probably out grow this before long. I'll
bet he loves it when you give him that bottle!

stop giving him the bottle. Let him cry it out and just go in and reassure him to let him know that youre there...but it has got to stop sometime. He needs to learn on his own. Do this and he will not wake up anymore after a few days even. yes..he will cry..maybe even alot. But that is okay.

If you think he is teething - give him some Tylenol before bed. It does help them to sleep a little more since it hurts for the teeth to work there way out.

You already know that you are getting into a bad habit... could he be hungry still? Has his eating habits changed as well as his sleeping? Is he eating less at Nanny's or is she not offering 2nd - he may be going through a growning spurt & need more food then normal. Have you offered a sanck before brushing teeth & bed? I see you give him a bottle, but milk digests a lot faster the normal foods - even a small bowl of cereal or something like that might help a little. Also, are you putting him to bed to early? Have you tried putting him down a little later - not a lot... sometimes even a half hour of extra play time will help them sleep through the night.

I wish you luck in finding the right way to get him to sleep through the night. I still have a few issues with my kids... but they are in their rooms by 8:00 for the 2 & 4 yr old and 8:30 (after homework) for the 5 yr old. But that doesn't mean they don't play in their rooms for a little while (sometimes we have to go turn off their lights a few times and show them we mean business or they will stay up forever).

If he's had a cold recently or been congested, you might want to have a doc check for ear infections. That's what it _always_ seems like it is for us....

Also, as I understand it, the problem with bottles at night is the sugars in either the juice or formula or milk and the damage they do to their teeth when it just pools in their mouth all night. So if you must do a bottle, try just water which wouldn't cause that problem. If you have it by the bed ready to go, you'll just have to walk in and pass it to him and then go right back to sleep yourself!!