I need feeding opinions

[callmeal]

DS will be 11 months tomorrow. He is a BIG boy - 90+ percentile for height and weight. He weighs almost 25 pounds already. He is and always has been formula fed, and is doing great with table food. Even though he eats a big dinner and a 6 to 8 oz bottle at bedtime, he is STILL demanding a bottle between 3 and 4 AM every night.

We are about a month from intro'ing WCM and weaning from bottles and formula. What would you do? Slowly offer less formula at that feeding until I just offer a water cup? Any other ideas? I don't want to fail to feed a hungry child, but I feel like he's probably just eating out of habit. I don't know... I'm lost.... 

Give me your wisdom.

[k8teeintx]

I don't have any advice to offer, since we're dealing with a similar problem and I'm at a loss myself, but I just wanted to say I feel your pain. We breastfeed and my DS still wakes up several times a night to nurse (he's 18 months). I'm pretty sure he's doing it out of habit, but I don't know how to break the habit and he's barely on the weight charts, so I'm hesitant not to provide him food when he wants it. He's also had 4 illnesses in a row over the last month, lost a pound in the process, and I'm pretty sure he's getting his 2 year molars right now, so the poor kid is having a rough time and I don't want to make it worse by taking away his nighttime comfort. Ugh! What's a mama to do???

[TJ]

callmeal I would try switching it with water for a few nights. That will show you whether he's waking out of hunger, thirst, or habit.

k8teeintx With a BF baby, and who is low on the weight charts, I wouldn't cut the overnight feed unless you are sure you can make up those calories another time. I know it's hard to still be doing overnight wake ups at 18m, but he needs those calories!

[Deleted]

This happened w my gfs son. A big, healthy boy like your son. She started offering him 1oz less at that late night/early feeding...over a short period of time she continued to offer less and less until he got nothing. She may have done a little sleep training after the feeding itself was completely eliminated (sushing him, patting his back, etc). For them it was more of a habit than anything else.

She did check w her pedi first of course to be safe...and he is not starving. He is 14 months now and in size 24 month clothing. Lol! Gl!!

[k8teeintx]

TJ I'm definitely not trying to night wean for now. I just wish I could get more than a couple of hours sleep in a row (on a good night)!!

[callmeal]

@ducky719 I think that's what I'm going to try. We'll see if it works or not.

k8teeintx Hang in there! My 3 yr old still doesn't sleep through the night most nights and I know how incredibly hard it is. Sleep deprivation is the hardest part of parenting for me!

TJ I hadn't really thought about him possibly being thirsty; that's a good thought.

I don't know if I'm tagging correctly. Hm.

[leahb12]

DS2 was the exact same way. 97th %ile for height and weight, head is so far off the charts. He was 26lbs by a year. Until right around 12 months, he was up for a bottle by 4 at the latest. I gave it to him. It wasn't a large bottle, but I figured that he is a big kid and is probably legitimately hungry. It stopped as I weaned him off his bottle and gave him wcm. Now he sleeps 11-12 hours a night. My guess is that it will stop soon.

[leahb12]

Also, I remember telling myself that I would go with it until 12 months. If we reached that point and he was still getting up, I'd try some water or sleep training. It never got to that point though.

[TJ]

Jan 21, 2015 15:42:37 GMT -5 k8teeintx said:

TJ I'm definitely not trying to night wean for now. I just wish I could get more than a couple of hours sleep in a row (on a good night)!!

Oh, I didn't see that it was several times. Ouch! I hope it gets better soon.

[k8teeintx]

Jan 21, 2015 18:58:43 GMT -5 TJ said:

Jan 21, 2015 15:42:37 GMT -5 k8teeintx said:

TJ I'm definitely not trying to night wean for now. I just wish I could get more than a couple of hours sleep in a row (on a good night)!!

Oh, I didn't see that it was several times. Ouch! I hope it gets better soon.

Thanks @tj1079! It's my own fault really. I didn't realize that my pumped breastmilk had excess lipase making it taste bad,. So, from about 4 months DS began refusing many of his bottles at daycare and reverse cycling. Of course, I didn't figure this our until he was 12 months old so the night waking habit was firmly ingrained by then!

Live and learn!!

This is just one of the many reasons I'd like a second baby. I can attempt to correct all the things I messed up with poor O!!

[callmeal]

leahb12 That gives me hope!!!