BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Eating For Toddlers => Topic started by: kyleian on February 13, 2016, 04:31:54 am
-
DD is 15 months today. Up until 3 weeks ago she still nursed 2x/night, but as I'm 9 weeks pregnant we cut that out now. Ever since she's been waking angry between 5 and 6 and I can't get her back to sleep, and DH usually can't either. I'm pretty sure she's just hungry. That's problem #1.
Problem #2 is that she still nurses every 2 hrs during the day. I can occasionally get her to go 3 but there's usually a fair amount of crankiness somewhere in there if I try to stretch her. Again it wasn't a problem but thinking ahead to tandem nursing I don't want to nurse both kiddos every 2 hours or for her to nurse more than the baby! She has nursed every 2 hrs during the day since she was 6 months, and nothing has helped. She has also been eating TONS at meals lately and is always asking for food, but still nursing every 2 hours.
She has definitely grown in the last few weeks and gotten heavier, and is also working on molars.
Today so far:
6:40 - nursed, both sides, both were very full
7:30 - breakfast - 1.5 eggs, 3x2" square baked oatmeal
9:00 - nursed.
Begging for food while we were doing dishes and so we fed her a couple Tbsp of raisins.
She's been regularly eating an egg+ and then a whole banana for breakfast or dinner... and what she wants is always changing, since some days she refuses favorite foods and scarfs down foods she normally doesn't care about.
So anyway... we're trying to deal with the EW and also stretch her feeds during the day, so any tips really majorly appreciated.
-
I would think at 15 months it's really up to you to decide just how much you are willing to nurse. She doesn't 'need' to nurse every 2 hours and hoping she might extend may be wishful thinking, it may be more a case of you refusing (keep whichever feeds you prefer, make them regular times so she knows clearly when it is acceptable to nurse, or drop all if that's what you want, it's personal choice) and then providing filling meals instead.
High fat and protein foods should help to fill her up and keep her going a bit longer.
Also are you giving water with meals and snacks? She is perhaps nursing to quench her thirst so ensuring she has a drink of water might help (or down the line if you decide to drop some/any of the BF you will need to offer a drink of water and depending what time it is a suitable snack too).
It might be worth batch cooking something filling such as bean burgers or falafel, little sausages or chickpea cup cakes (sugar free) which are high in protein, things you can have easy to hand to offer as a filling snack or in addition to meals if she is still hungry.
-
I know she doesn't need it, but every time we try to get her to extend she's miserable. :/ It has been a tad better this time around, but I just don't know how to help her. She often drinks whenever I drink, but I'll try giving her some with meals.
She slept till 6:27 this morning, so I'm hoping that she's gotten used to not nursing at 5 and the EW will be over... but we'll see. That's been the worst of it.
-
I know she doesn't need it, but every time we try to get her to extend she's miserable.
Sometimes kids don't like what we decide, that's just how it is with some things. If you're fine for BF to continue as it is there there is no point causing any misery around it, but if you want to drop feeds it really is more likely to be a case of telling her it's not an option and giving her something else to eat or drink and that's that.
I had a short phase of mine wanting too much fruit, fruit is healthy of course but at the point when his diet went out of balance and he wasn't taking his regular meals so well (just wanting fruit) I decided I had to make a change. Yes he was miserable and yes I sat on the kitchen floor whilst he sobbed in my arms pointing to the fruit bowl, the fridge and the cupboard with the dried fruit in, asking me for fruit. It wasn't pleasant but within 2-3 days his fruit portions had returned to an acceptable and healthy amount and his other food groups were back on track.
I'll see if more eyes can pop over with any more tips for you
-
I know... it just lasts longer than a few days as she never seems to get used to it. Like wanting to nurse at 5 AM. She was up at 5:40 again this morning and was really angry. :( It's been 2 weeks of this. I'm exhausted and am contemplating reintroducing a 5 AM feed and then dropping it slowly since we had done all night feeds cold turkey. I really don't want to do that but there has been no change in the last 2 weeks.
-
Are you offering full, balanced meals 3 times a day plus a couple of snacks? I often found my DD's appetite increased before I realised and suddenly I had to offer an actual meal rather just individual foods. E.g. Instead of just an egg for breakfast she would suddenly have an egg, toast and fruit plus lots of water. Same with dinner; she needed meat, carbs and veggies plus fruit and yogurt for dessert. She eats as much as my 4yo some days!
Do you get out lots with her? My DD is more likely to ask for a BF if we are home and I'm not paying her attention. So begging for food when you were at the dishwasher could be her way to say "Stop that and come interact with me." Getting out of the house is also useful for distracting my DD. She's .uch less likely to ask or accept a no if we are at a play group or the park for example.
Oh and I'd just ride out the EWs now you've weaned the NFs. My DS2 took a month or more to start sleeping later after we weaned the 5am feed. She just needs to get used to it.
-
I give her portions of whatever we're eating. This morning for breakfast she ate 1.5 eggs, 1/2 a large banana, and 1/2 an orange. She's been picky lately, though, with not always liking food she's liked before (like oranges. She went through 2 days of refusing them, when they're usually her favorite food).
She definitely does better when we're out, but the weather has been yucky so it's been harder to get out as there's not much to do indoors here.
When your DS was waking early after weaning the 5 am feed, did you get him up and start your day or try to get him back to sleep? And then did you count his A time as starting when he woke up or when you got up? I think she's been getting OT from there not being enough time for 2 naps but with the EW she's too tired for just one but we've been trying to do just one. Though this morning she was falling asleep on the couch before 10 AM so I just put her down and we'll try to squeeze in 2 naps today with a late BT.
-
I had a time in my head before which I would not start the day. So if that time was 6am and he woke before then I would just treat it as a NW and try to resettle him. I'd tell him it was still sleepy time and use wiwo once he was in his own room. I would just lie in my bed and use my voice when he was still in our room. We moved him around this time and had weaned in prep for the move in with his brother. Then when 6am hit I would go back in and say good morning in a cheery voice and get him up. I didn't count the time before 6am towards his A time and we did a pretty set one nap. That later nap helped the EWs I believe.
Do you have play groups, indoor swimming pool, library, friend or family to visit perhaps? Even a trip to the supermarket could help break up the day.
-
Ok, thank you! This morning she woke at 6 am after going to bed at 7:30 so I hope it continues. 6:30 is our goal wu time.
We go to the library a few times a week, and two other times a week she gets to play with a bunch of other kids either at playgroup or while I'm teaching English (we live overseas). On other days we get out of the house at least a little. She's been consistently going 3 hrs between feeds now (unless it's before bt or a nap), so in a few more days I may start stretching her more. 3 hours already feels luxurious. ;) We went on an excursion yesterday and I didn't have to feed her the whole time.
-
Sounds great.
-
Ugh. She's been up at 5 again. :( BUT this morning I saw points of two of her molars right under the gum. I have suspected teething, but none of our usual teething remedies have worked so I assumed it wasn't. But it would explain her pickiness eating and why some days she's crankier than others and other days she sleeps better than others. Not sure where her top molars are at right now but it does help to know likely what's causing it which helps me be more patient with her as well as not feel overwhelmed because there is an end coming!
-
Ah bless her. I hope they stop playing havoc with her sleep soon. It does feel better just knowing the reason and that there is an end in sight.