NW at nearly 11months due to hunger?

[dumbmum101]

Hi

LO hasn't STTN for months now. First put this down to lack of DT sleep since started nursery (was only napping x2 30 mins (has improved slightly since then - they sometimes get 1x 30 mins and 1x1hr 10 mins).

Then she was ill/teething on and off for about 6 weeks. So wasn't eating much solid food and therefore waking at night hungry.

She appears to have just had a massive growth spurt and literally doubled her solid intake last week, but still was waking at night. Was trying to settle with just sh/pat, but would often hear her tummy rumble so would feed her and usually this seems to settle her v quickly. She wakes at completely random times - no pattern or habitual waking going on, I don't think.

Her solid intake has decreased a bit this week, but still NW. She's just learnt to crawl in the last week and is proving hard to settle as she's keen to practice her new skill 

She has 3x 180 mls of formula (soya after tummy bugs as directed by doctor) in the day.  I try and get her to eat as much solids in the day as poss but unless she's ravenous, she tends to get bored after 20 mins of eating and starts refusing more food.

Routine:

7:00 bottle 180 mls
8:00 solids, porridge or toast, fruit and Cheerios
10:00 ish snack
10:30 ish nap
11:00 - 11:30 wakes
11:30 lunch
2:00 bottle 180 mls
2:15 snack
2:30 nap
3:30-4:00 wakes - possible snack
5:00 -5:30 dinner
7:00 - bottle 180 mls
7:15 bath
7:30 BT


Do you think it's hunger - any obvious issues with routine?

[Erin M]

Hi there -- first off, have you read this link: 10/ 11mo sleep gone wonky? Read this first! -- that might explain some of your sleep issues. 

Secondly, I know that lots of moms are still doing bottles 4x a day at 11 months -- 4 hour(ish) EASY -- so if you're worried about her intake, I'd actually up the milk intake (formula has lots more fat/calories/nutrition then solids anyway), doing bottles at roughly 7, 11, 3:30, and BT (even if you have to lose a snack in order to do so). 

The crawling can definitely mess with sleep -- sometimes you just have to push through the developmental stuff until they work it out and start sleeping better.

[dumbmum101]

Thanks

Dropped the 11am bottle some time ago due to massive lack of interest on her part in her milk in general. Had thought about re-introducing it but thought that maybe at 11months it was best to leave it to 3x180mls so as not work against her solid intake?

However, tried an 11am bottle yesterday and she wolfed it down as well as a 3pm bottle and her BT bottle AND didn't seem to interfere with her interest in her solids. However, doesn't work for when she goes back to nursery, as although they're very good at following your routine, logistically, they have to do lunch around 11:30am... So not sure what to do when she goes back next week...

[Erin M]

However, tried an 11am bottle yesterday and she wolfed it down as well as a 3pm bottle and her BT bottle AND didn't seem to interfere with her interest in her solids.

Did it help your night at all?

Do you think that nursery could maybe do her bottle with her lunch to get some more calories in her? 

With the 2-1 switch -- it could work with nursey if you get them to keep that first nap on the shorter side (I'd start at 45 minutes) and then bring her second nap forward.  You could go down to 30 minutes if need be -- just enough to get her to that second nap and then she'd be up at lunch time.  Do you think that would work?

[dumbmum101]

Sorry for the late reply.

Things have improved a lot. Her appetite has settled down and I am more confident that she's not hungry during the night.

The biggest change has been that I decided to get rid of the baby monitor, which means we're not leaping out of bed and responding to every sound she makes.  She wakes 1 or 2 times a night but self-settles after a bit of mumbling usually.

Kept bottles the same as she has been leaving about 30 mls at the end of her 2pm and 7pm bottle - so figured she wasn't that desperate for milk....

[Erin M]

Sounds like you're doing great.