It's all gone wrong!!!!

[nicabery]

My 9 month old DS was a great eater and sleeper but in the past few weeks things are not what they used to be.  One the food front, Jonah refuses to eat, eats very little or will only eat avocado and banana.  ( He will drink milk though) Previously he was eating everything and was happy to try new foods. He also refuses to sit in his high chair and needs to be encouraged to do so . We are giving him lots of praise and since he has just learnt to clap we get him to clap himself too.
As for the sleep. There are 2 problems. As a result of the reduce food intake ( and teething, a cough and the hot weather) he has started to wake up in the night. At first I thought it was because of discomfort etc but when I offered him milk he has downed 8 oz without stopping and falls straight back to sleep. He used to sleep 7-7 so this is really a change in behaviour.
As for naps and getting him down, he kicks and screams!  and refuses to go down in the morning despite being completely exhausted. I try to put him down at the first sign of tiredness but the crying and refusal begins and so does the exhaustion. I've tried using PU/ PD which seems to work but there isn't any consistency or ease in the process.  It can still take up to an hour with lots of crying, arching of his back, sitting up, standing, chewing the cot and waving of the arms. He's a very alert and interested baby and seems to know that there are things going on outside of his bedroom. If we do take him out of his room, he calms down immediately until we approach the bedroom.  We have kept the routines the same but something is obviously bothering him. As a result he is exhausted and can take up to an hour to get down.
I'm really clueless about what is going on and why all these things have happened at once. I'm totally exhausted and need to feel like we are making some progress. I really look forward to hearing some suggestions and getting some much needed advice.

Thanks in advance.
Nic

[*Natasha*]

Hi Nic,

Big Hugs to you. Could you please post your routine for us with amounts of food/milk and length of naps.

[nicabery]

6.45-7.45 Wake up and breakfast ( cereal or yoghurt or toast, fruit) then 4 oz formula
At first signs of tiredness, which is usually about 45 mins-1.5 hours later, we go in to bedroom, read story and get ready for nap.
Do PU/PD to get down if resistant ( took 25 mins this morning)
Nap 1.5-2 hours
11am snack ( rice cakes, rusk or fruit)
12.30 Lunch ( pasta, jacket potato etc and fruit)
1.15-2pm Tired and ready for nap ( do same as above if resistant)
NAp is usually 45 mins -1.5 hours
3pm 5 oz fomula
4.45-5.15pm Tea ( sandwich, pasta, veggies etc and yoghurt or fruit)
6pm start bedtime routine ( story, bath, 8oz formula, lullabies and PU/ PD if resistant)
7-7.15 asleep

Fior the past week, Jonah has been waking up once in the night  (at different times ranging from 12.45- 4.30am) I tried giving him water and using PU/PD but he has been REALLy hungry and has downed 7oz of fomula without a break!

I look forward to suggestions
Nic

[HeatherC]

As long as you've ruled out any medical problems interfering with his eating, here are my thoughts and suggestions.
Is he on the verge of new developmental milestones?  Learning to pull up, cruise, beginning to take steps can all lead to refusal to nap.  It's not anything you have done or necessarily anything wrong with his routine.  Simply he's learned something new and he doesn't want to be prohibited from trying it out all day long.  If that's the case, then it will pass on it's own.  My other thought with the first nap refusal is that he is not really ready for a nap.  LO's can appear tired soon after waking (don't we all), but aren't really ready to go back to sleep.  At his age, he can probably handle 2.5-3 hrs of A time.  Try distracting him when he seems tired so soon in the morning and see if he can last a bit longer.  That might help curb the fight to go down for a nap.  Otherwise, stay strong with the pu/pd.
My thoughts about the night bottle are to try and phase that out so he'll add those oz to his daytime consumption.  You can either make the bottle less appealing by adding more and more water to it each night, or offer less and less in hopes that he'll take it during the day and not wake for it in the night.  At 9 months old, if there is nothing medically wrong, Tracy says that no lo that age should need to eat in the night (aside from growth spurts).  It very well could be a growth spurt, but if it doesn't end soon, you might need to consider if he's waking for the bottle for comfort and has just gotten into a pattern of having those calories in the night rather than the day.
Best wishes!

[nicabery]

Thanks for the advice. LO has just stated crawling and pulling himself up so that might explain the problems.  Last night was much better. He did wake up but it was at 11 and then slept all the way through until 6.15. He's eaten pretty well today and had lots of milk so hopefully he'll be back on track.

[nicabery]

Just when I thought it was going okay... He's now teething with a fever and a mild ear infection!!!
Help
Nic

[HeatherC]

Nic, when sick, my dd usually just wants some extra sleep, and to sit around in my lap.  Use what medications you are comfortable with to keep him comfortable.  It will pass.

[nicabery]

We've got the naps back on track but the past 3 nights have been nearly all nighters! He's also been eating more today so that it good too. I'm hoping that everything will get back to normal soon. Thanks for your advice