Sorry about this being long-winded, but I felt I needed to provide some history. 13 month old son was born early, had weight gain issues, acid reflux and milk protein allergy. He had always been a horrible sleeper. At 10 months we tried sleep training and were successful (it took 10 days) in that his naps increased from 45 minutes to 2 hours, he was able to fall asleep on his own and he slept from 7:30 pm to 5am. After travel, teething and being weaned to a sippy cup, his waking has gotten earlier and earlier. Did I mention the fact that he is the worst eater? He barely gets in 900 calories a day.
All of the sudden, he started waking at 11pm hysterically looking for the sippy cup acting like he is famished. If I provide water, he drinks all that, but still acts hungry. If I let him cry, he will cry for 30-45 minutes and wake at 30 minute intervals until I go in to feed him. It's definitely not an attachement to the bottle and he clearly acts hungry, but won't eat more during the day. Any explanation and advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks for everyone's responses. Since he only woke up that early and seemed so hungry for only two nights, I can't help but think that it was a growth spurt. It could have been some breakthrough reflux, but he is on medicine and I can't imagine it happening two nights in a row and then stop. However, it seems that with him, if you give him an inch, he will definitely take a mile and it will quickly turn into a habit. So, we went back to letting him cry it out. For the first two nights after that, I went in to make sure he was okay, pat him, gave him some water and left the room for him to cry it out. Last night he only woke up at 5am. I handed him a cup of water and left the room. No fussing at all and he slept until 8am. I think we are on our way and I will definitely look into giving him some higher caloric shakes of some kind. Thanks again!
Have you tried feeding him his supper closer to bed time so he goes to bed full? Or maybe trying to get him to eat a couple cookies before he goes to bed. Granny
this is not normal see yoru pediatrician
You HAVE to rule out anything physical or emotional though that can be a very long process. You just don't leave them to cry if you care about them! There could really be something going on here. Get second opinions if you have to!
I would let him cry it out. I have a 10, 6 and 3 year old and they all went through this stage. We all wake up through the night and we all have to learn to put ourselves back to sleep. If you respond to him he will learn that when he wakes up Mommy and Daddy will come to him. A little reassurance by a pat on the back or soft voice may be OK but I doubt at this age he is hungry or thirsty every night. The less you interact with him in the middle of the night the better it will be for you later. If you are concerned if he is OK maybe a video monitor would be good for you. That way you can look in on him and he won't know it. Good luck to you it will get better!
S.,
While I do agree with the other Moms that it could be stage and attention seeking there is another possibility. My daughter who is now 11 was born early, had reflux and has major lung issues. She was not even walking by 13 months because of her size. You didn't mention how early he was or how much he currently weighs.
It could be that he is refluxing in his sleep. My daughter did that along with vomiting every meal. What we did was elevate the head of the bed to help keep the gravity working for us.
They won't starve themselves but when you have a preemie you do have to be a bit more careful than with a normal toddler. I would definitely see your pediatrician to make sure the reflux hasn't gotten worse.
Good Luck
N.
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I have a friend who went through something similar with her son. He has always been a very picky eater and difficult to get to sleep at night. He was also very relentless in crying especially at night. We used to talk about it all of the time. I strongly believe kids will not starve themselves and they will eat when they are hungry. A long time ago(11 yrs) a pediatrician told my brother that about his son who was a picky eater. I figure the same for my child. I really don't believe he is hungry or thirsty just attention seeking. It's the age, they go through sooooo many stages and this sounds like one. Maybe some of the things you did for sleep training could be reinforced? I think the more you tend to him when he is crying out the more likely he will continue it. I know my daughter still will occasionally need some reassurance in the middle of the night which I give her and tell her to go back to sleep. I am sure you have tried everything by now but I really, really wouldn't keep giving him food and drink throughout the night and be consistent in reassuring him and telling him to go to sleep, that it's ok. Sounds like the sippy cup is more of a comfort to him in the middle of the night than anything. Have you tried a special toy, blanket, etc? Have you talked to the pediatrician and gotten any suggestions from them? I wish I could be more helpful but my best advice is to be consistent and hang in there! It will get better!
I have to agree with the earlier responder ~ my son had terrible reflux, and if you had any kind of reflux during pregnancy you might remember that it burns horribly. We also had to elevate the bed and let my son sleep on an incline in order to alleviate his symptoms, also the types of food he ate were bland and low in acids especially at night. We supplemented him with source of life shakes and he thrived.
Hang in there and know that the trying things will pass. :)
Hi,
It sounds like he's hungry, so I'd feed him. If it takes care of his immediate problem, great. If it doesn't then you will need to look into other possibilities. In any case, there's no reason to ignore your little one just because it's night time.
Hi S.,
It's so frustrating trying to figure out something like this without your child being able to tell you what he's thinking or feeling! I would suggest calling your pediatrician and seeing what they say. You could also try giving him some milk before he goes to sleep. If you do story time with your son before he goes to bed give him milk to drink while you read stories. We put a sippy cup of water next to my sons bed every night before he goes to sleep because he does wake up thirsty sometimes. He doesn't wake us because he knows his cup is right there. Good luck!
N.
Wow - at only 13 months (and being born early with weight gain issues) I would absolutely expect that he needs more calories at night.... I would give him what he is telling you that he needs. Keep in mind that this is a typical growth spurt...usually around 12-14 months when kids need even more calories than they were usually taking in. In your case, your little one already is having trouble getting enough calories by day, so I would totally not deny him what he is crying for at night. Water will not do it, neither will just letting him cry. Thirteen months is still soooo young. He needs you and needs more nourishment, even at night :-)
Thinking back, my daughter nursed day and night every couple of hours until about 18 months...it was her body style, needs and metablism....she needed me both physically for food and emotionally for development. I never have inderstood the need for sleep training... I just went with her needs and adjusted my life to what she needed rather than trying to do it the other way around. Sometimes there is so much old-fashioned "training" advice out there that we follow it for lack of hearing about anything different that has worked for others... I too have done that with some things, but I try to follow my children when it comes to natural things that you really can't change unless you want to fight and battle with your own baby... sleep, eating and emotional needs....
I say give him what he is crying for.... you and some nourishment at night.... he will love you for it and be a happy boy! This time in his life is soooo short, enjoy it and make it fun for both of you :-)
