15 mo old night waking again!!! "adictted" to milk?

[hrosario]

Hi again! Need some help... again!!! DD is 15 mo now and started to walk on her own a few days ago. Bur even before that, she is waking in the middle of the night (or around 1 am, or 4 am) and starts talking to herself for a least 1 hr and then she start to cry out. We try to settle her down, calm her, sing, tap on her back until we are so tired that we just giver her a bottle of milk and then she calms. The thing is that we think she is "addicted" to this milk in the middle of the night, because she is refusing to take the bottle when she goes to bed. We are getting very frustrated with this and really don't know what to do.
Do you ladies have any ideas? 

[Layla]

The only way to break this habit is to stop feeding her at night & do wi/wo instead(or one of the other methods). Here's a link to sleep training methods for toddlers https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63896.0

I'll be honest.... its not going to be easy & she's going to cry alot but you really need to stop feeding her at night. How is she eating during the day?

Hi can you tell me what her daytime schedule looks like?

Layla

Also going to pop this over to sleeping for toddlers. Hope you don't mind

[hrosario]

I donīt mind at all. Thanks!
She is eating very well during the day. She's a good eater. The only "problem" is at breakfast when she will take just some milk and a litle piece of bread, but 1h and 1/2 later she has fruit, so it's ok.
Her routine is quite stable now:
8 am wake up
8.30 am  breakfast
8.45/9.am small trip to gradma where she stays during the day
10/10.30 fruit
12.30 lunch (vegetable soup, rice/pasta/... and protein and fruit)
1.pm nap
2.30 wake
3.30/4 pm yougurt or cereals
6 pm mom arrives to take her home
7/ 7.15 pm bath
8.pm dinner
8.30/8.45 milk and bed
We know that maybe she should go to bed earlier, but with our work schedules and having to drive back and foward to pick her from gradma house is almost impossible.
Last night she slept trough the night, but she has been waking so much this last weeks that I don't know if this is real change.

[Layla]

It might help if you put her down around 30mins earlier but you can only do your best. Another thing you can try doing is extending the start of her nap to 1.30pm so that its from 1.30-3 & then bedtime is 8ish & then she is not so overtired by bedtime. The av A time is 5-5.5hrs so she might be able to manage 5.5hrs now....

If she did it last night she can do it again... so I would go to her (if she wakes again) without the bottle. Stick to the training method & you'll see results soon.

Let me know how you go... YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Forget the milk at night & she'll get the idea eventually!!!
Layla

[hrosario]

I will let you know for sure! You're right, she did last night, so she can do it again!!!!! I hope! 
What method should I use? That is my question. She wakes talks to her self and then she cries. I think she is bored and wants some company...

[Layla]

I would do the wi/wo. So if she's up at night & crying then you go to her & tell her its night time, etc..., leave & start counting. If she's still crying at the end of your count then you go bacl to tell her its night time (maybe rub her back or something reassuring), leave & count again. If she's not crying at the end of your count then you don't go in.

Good luck... consistency pays off when sleep training so if you at some point decide you can't handle it & she's crying too hard, rather than giving her a bottle (& confuse her even more) you could try spend more time soothing her (no rocking or anything... but rubbing back & saying soothing words "its ok, your tired, go to sleep"). Remember that you are not making her cry. You are helping her learn something new & she'll be crying because she won't understand what you want of her.... up until now she thinks she needs a bottle to get back to sleep so you are teaching her otherwise

Will be waiting for your reply

[hrosario]

Hi! Bad night again ! She woke arround 4 am talking to herself and not crying. She stayed like that for 1 hour and then started to cry a litle. As I take sleep mediaction, I'm really myself during the night. I have a bad insomnia problem! So dh (sweet, sweet man) was there trying to calm her when I, half asleep, run into the room to solve the problem, because I haven't realize that he was there. Of course, she became alert again and he had a hard time putting her to sleep and gave her the botlle. I have told him what you told me, but he is nor really sure he wants to do it. We have to talk it better. I'll keep you posted. Thanks

[Layla]

I know its hard but giving a bottle is really taking a BIG step back . Its confusing to the child.... you do need to be on the same page so have a good chat to DH & make sure you & him respond to her the same way

Layla

[mari]

When I first came her for help with my sleep problems with Alex, she was having up to 5 bottles a night.

How does she fall asleep for bedtime and naps?

[hrosario]

Hi ladies and friends! This was a good night. She woke up arround 4 am and started to talk to herself, but in a very quiet way. Maybe she thought: "let's not wake mom and dad! " and neither of us went there because she was not crying, so she went back to sleep on her own. DD and I agreed on the "no botlle" question. Let us see tonight! I'll keep you noticed. Thanks soo much!!! 

[hrosario]

Hello again. Just to keep you posted. Things are going much better. We are putting dd a little later for her nap and she is going to bed as soon as we can, that is around 8.40 pm. We decided to giver fruit during the day and not at the end of the meals (specially at dinner) so that she can have her milk which she loves and helps her to sleep. She still wakes sometimes during the night but she doesn't cry or call us. She stays theres talking quietly to herself and falls a sleep on her own.
The problem now is that is getting a bit cold at night and she doesn't manage to stay under the bed clothes, and always wakes out of the blankets and with her hands. arms and feet a bit cold. maybe I should buy a sleeping bag.
Thanks for all your support and help. As always, this site and you are a mine gold. I'm always recommend it to my friends and colleagues with small children. You are great!   

[Layla]

Thats great to hear!

Sleeping sacks are a good idea or you could just dress her as if she didn't have blankets (which is what I do with Jasmine).

Let us know if you need any help in the future