Is feeding milk at 4am wrong?

[greenlady]

Any ideas welcome!

My dd is 19 months and for a few weeks now, she's been waking at 4.00am crying.  I go in and give her a bottle of formula (approx 40ml) and she lays down in her cot with the bottle (I leave her in the dark) and goes back off to sleep with no problems.  I think I remember reading in Traceys book about leaving water in a crib, but am not sure if this is a good thing to do? I'm a bit reluctant to not give her milk, as that will start her crying, and then I'll have to do wi/wo etc, which will just take forever.  So, as it only takes a few seconds to settle her again, the question is - am I going to suffer for this later!!!!!  Anybody had a similar case?

Our routine is:
7.00 wake (used to have milk, but now no point as she's not hungry!)
8.00 breakfast
9.00 go to daycare
11.00 snack at daycare
12.30 lunch at daycare
1.00 home, and straight to sleep
4.00 wake and milk/snack
5.30 supper
6.00 bath
7.00 bed (with formula milk in a bottle in crib)

Hope someone can help and thanks in advance
Julia

[yaya]

hmmmm toughy, if you're not willing to do wi/wo then u'll have to keep doing what ur doing! But at 19mos she shouldnt really need that 4am bottle if u kno wwhat i mean? Is she eating enough during the day? does she bedtime milk?

[maisy]

I am lurking on here to see what everyone else says. For the past 2 weeks (following an illness) My daughter has been waking between 4 and 5am for a drink of milk. I am wary as she slips so easily into the habit of night feeding as she likes the comfort but she knows what milk is and asks for it so I figured she needs it. But she too is now not so hungry for her morning milk so it is impacting her breakfast. But what I am doing is 1oz milk to 3oz water so she thinks she is getting milk but it is just water. She has only woken 1 out of 4 nights recently but I know that she is in the habit now so I will have to break it.

Sorry for all the waffling  I am just interested in the answers you get

x x x x

[elmarie]

I agree that she doesn't need that feed,especially at 19m.  As it is only 40ml and not a full feed I don't think she is hungry and  a cycle of AP can start.  I think maybe you should consider wi/wo as the 4am waking may become a habit.  I know that 4am is an awful time but you will just need to do it for a few days to break the cycle.Maybe you should make supper a bit later or offer her a snack after she has bathed just to get more calories in so you know she is not hungry for the night.

I think it is also possible that she maybe is getting too much day sleep and that A after nap may be too short.  Could you maybe wake her after 2h nap?...........

[greenlady]

Thanks everyone - I  think you're right...it is a ap prob.
Maisey - we started too after a short illness, which might have been teething, but before she used to sleep through the night with no problems.  And as she isn't really hungry by supper (after such a long sleep) she's not putting in the calories in the evening.  I'll try the water and milk, and getting her up sooner.   She is really cranky though if i wake her early - anyone have any tips for that!
Julia

[maisy]

   She is really cranky though if i wake her early - anyone have any tips for that!
Julia

I would say distraction distraction distraction. Just try to distract her and keep her busy to take her mind off the fact she has just woken up. Maybe have a short walk or something she enjoys straight after.

x x x x