Posted by
abhk18
19 yrs ago
any parents can help to cut down the night time feeding for my 2 years old boy?
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how many times does he feed and how much? Also, what are his day time eating habits like?
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He usually has his formula at about 10:30 p.m. before he goes to sleep. But he always gets up at about 2-3 a.m. and yell for milky milky, and another one at about 6-7 a.m. in the morning. In the daytime, he usually has the rice/noodles etc, at 10 a.m., then 6p.m. In between, there are about 2 formulas, especially before a nap and after bathing at 4p.m. Though I have the helper to take care of this, I'm afraid my boy doesn't get enough sleep or a good sleep every day. Please help...........
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at 2 he surely doesn't need feed in the night.
It also sounds like he has too much formula in general. I think at 2 years old, it should be cut down to around 400 mls a day, if not just regular milk. (unless there are allergies.) You should slowly try to decrease the amount of formula and increase the variety of foods and solids in his diet. Good green vegetables, healthy grains, and proteins are all things that he should be consuming. (at 2 he can eat everything you are eating.)
HE associates milk with sleep and that's the only way he can sleep - sucking on the bottle. Be warned that he is also ruining his teeth (sometimes called bottle rot) with this habit, so you are right to be concerned.
There are gentle ways, which take a lot longer, but are highly recommended. Elizabeth Pantleys "No Cry Sleep MEthod" is considered very good for the gentle method. Dr. William Sears is a fan of hers.
If you are more in the mood for a quicker fix, long term change in sleep habits in a shorter time, then I highly recommend Richard Ferber's Book "Solving your child's sleep problems" His method (I used it) is faster, but intially can be a bit heart wrenching.
BOTH methods require discipline on the part of the parents and consistency. If you are not consistent about how you will have your child fall asleep (no bottle, on his own) then you will not have any success. Just because it is EASIER in the immediate to give him the bottle when things get hard, just makes it harder in the long run when you try to take it away. MAke sure you are ready to do this and ready to be firm and consistent, otherwise you will not be successful.
You need to break the association between sleep and his bottle. If he relies on his bottle to fall asleep, if he wakes up at in his light sleep and doesn't have a bottle, then he needs it again to fall asleep.
You are right - he is not getting good sleep. My 2 year old sleeps from 8-7 straight almost every single night. You have every reason to be concerned, so give it a whirl.
Best of luck! It's hard when kids do this to their parents, right?
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Thanks a lot to hkchoichoi and Ruth. I actually bought 2 books about baby sleeping and followed thru but it doesn't work on my baby. (it's written by william sears already). My son is very active in the daytime so he should have lots of exercise. Maybe we are not consistent enough. If we don't give him the bottle, he cries so loud that even disturbs our neighbour. Of course I need a quicker way to solve this problem yet, gentle to our baby. he will flow up sometime if cries for several minute. Any special way to deal with my baby.
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I found Ferber gentle enough. I also think his bedtime is too late. Perhaps moving up his bedtime and start teaching him better sleep associations for naps (not the middle of the night) will be easier and then you wont' worry about the neighbors.
you're going to need to be firm for sure. He's 2 - so it's not like training a baby. He's much older, so more vocal, louder and far more determined and cognizant than a baby, so it will be harder in that respect.
Ferber, if you are consistent and follow through, should work within a week.
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I agree with cara, no milk or formula unless going to bed or for naps.
Two year olds have no need for milk beyond about 400mls a day. They need lots of protein and iron and the vitamins and minerals that come through eating a variety of foods.
Actually children can cut down to two bottles in 24 hours from about 14 months I've found. They develop much healthier eating habits.
Sounds like your child is having tantrums and I'm sorry to say you will have to do the hard work now that you didn't do earlier to break these bad eating habits. it should only take a week or so to help him shift to new habits though. I encourage you to do the hard work now and be stronger than your child in determination because broken sleep is very bad over long periods of time for the nervous system of a child or adult alike. May contribute to his crying and screaming about not getting his way, and less likely to be reasonable and easily settled like a child who is getting enough sleep.
Also consider the damage you are doing to his teeth. The more you weigh up the consequences and importance of getting him onto a better schedule the more determination you will have as amum to do the best thing for him no matter how hard it is.
We are firm with our boys about night time and bed time, because ultimately it benefits them and us.
Oh and two is not really a baby anymore, they are growing up in so many ways at this age, should be toilet training, eating by themselves, talking etc.
Gentleness is great and have lots of time for that at other times during the day, but love includes discipline and training and you are the one who is best to do that job cause you love him the most.
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Thank you for you all advices. You know, i'm so determined to try out all your suggestions here to cut down his milk today and as expected, He cried and flowed up a little bit due to continous screaming. I felt so sorry in my heart yet, I know I need to help him out asap. I kept him awake though he looks so tired and forced him to have dinner with us instead of milk at about 7:00 p.m. At about 8:45p.m. he started to yell for bottle and I told him ok, and went to bed with him, gave him a bottle and he fell asleep in about 15 minutes.
I don't know if I'm right or not, but I need to try, though it's very hard for me. Now, assuming he will get up again at about 2:00 a.m. or so, what is the next step forward? Await your precious suggestions.
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when u say 1/2 bottle, do u mean diluting it with less formula, or simply reduce it from 8 oz to 4 oz?
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I agree with cutting down the formula gradually as Cara has suggested.
However, I still think a bottle to bed, although easier, is asking for disaster later when you want to cut it out. (not to mention the destruction on the teeth.) IF your son finished the bottle, is awake, hands it to you and then lies down, that is one thing. (that would be okay I think.) However, if he takes the bottle, then sucks it and drifts off to dreamland with it in his mouth, that will cause problems because he is obviously RELYING on the bottle to get to sleep. This is causing the problem with the other sleep. It also means that milk could be left in his mouth causing tooth decay as well. Many children in Seoul do this, and their teeth are disgusting as many have no front teeth from age 3 as they were totally rotten and pulled out.
IF you wanted to REALLY draw a firm line, and get this over quickly, I'd eliminate the bottle completely. You can offer formula in a sippy cup (the playtex ones have a pout with a rubber tip that feels a bit like a bottle so he can get used to the sucking motion but the feeling is still different from a bottle) and eliminate the bottles completely from his sight. Most pediatricians in Western countries advocate the elimination of the bottle from a year old, in order to promote healthier eating habits as well as sleep habits. This is, of course, only a Western perspective, as I notice that Koreans do not draw this strong of a line it seems.
If he's tired, he'll sleep. Regardless of the bottle. It will just be harder initially. I think if you just get rid of the psychological idea of the bottle, although it may be hard initially, it will eliminate his need for it a lot quicker. It sends mixed messages - you can have the bottle at other times, but not when you want it most? That doesn't seem to fair to him.
Then let him cry - using Ferber's method - the graduated crying method - 5 minutes then go in, 10 minutes, and then go in, and then 15 minutes go in. I think being stronger about this now - and if you get the falling asleep during the naps and the original night time, then he will quickly eliminate the night time wakings.
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simply cut it out even if he wakes up at 2:00 a.m.? I tried that last night, but he keeps on crying that disturbs everybody. I tried to give him water on the bottle and he knows it rightaway and push it out. I'm really tired.
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are you giving him a bottle when he first goes to bed?
meaning, when it is his original night time, does he have a bottle at that time?
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Yes. any other better way that he can fall asleep on his own without a bottle? he doesn't like story telling non lullaby.
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I am advising a more "strong" and firm method to going to sleep. You have to be ready to do this.
In my experience (and I have advised more than 10 friends on this very thing) that the nighttime conditions that your toddler falls asleep with are the conditions he wants in the middle of the night. SO he falls asleep with the bottle - he'll want it when he wakes up.
Toddlers are VERY adaptable if they need to be. They are used to routine, and so if you develop one and don't veer from it, then he will eventually get used to it. So instead of the bottle right before his bedtime, offer him a sippy cup to drink while you read to him after his bath and dinner. if he likes TV (I dont' love this idea, but anything to get him to unwind and sit down and enjoy milk without it being lying down in bed) sit next to him as he drinks his milk and watch and converse as he watches. Don't let the TV be his babysitter, but enjoy that physical closeness and as he drinks his milk with you nearby, he will relax. After he finishes that, he lies down to go to bed. No bottle. He will cry, he will fuss, but he will eventually go to sleep, believe me. You can look online for more Ferber pointers.
Get Ferber's book if you are looking for the real firm solution. If not, I cannot advise you anymore, because my advise is far more rigid and unyielding than what other mothers may do. But I do know, that when my older one had sleep problems (right after her sister was born, she kept waking up multiple times in the night), that Ferber is the one that stopped the nighttime wakings. ONce she fell asleep on her own without any crutch (my sitting next to her, singing to her etc.) and slept on her own, ALL the nighttime wakings stopped cold. No more after that.
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As everyone has said, a 2 year old should not be waking up in the nights for milk. If he's had enough to eat during the day, then he should be able to sleep through the night. If he's waking up for milk, it could just be out of habit and you have to break that habit. Also, he should be having 3 meals of solid a day - a breakfast, lunch and dinner, and some healthy snacks like bananas, apple, rice cakes, etc in between. I normally give my 2 year old milk twice a day, once around 4pm and one before bed. Occasionally, he goes without his 4pm milk. I give about 180ml to 360ml of milk a day but after the last feed, we make him brush his teeth before bed. He sometimes wakes up in the night (maybe nightmare) but never for milk. You have to be strong and let him cry. As others have said, have a good bedtime routine and if he refuses to go to bed and starts crying, attend to him but only to say to him that he needs to go to sleep. Then if he keeps on crying, you just have to let him cry it out. It may last for a few days but he'll eventually stop. Also, with the night time wakings, you have to stop giving him milk. You can do it gradually as someone suggested but it has to stop. Inform your neighbours about what you're trying to do so they'll be prepared to hear the crying. It will break your heart to hear the crying but it's for his own good. GOOD LUCK!
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Dr. Ferber's book explains so much that you should address for your child's health and your sanity. Our 3 year old just had 4 cavities repaired, including 1 cap - because we fed him juice at night at his insistence. Our 6 month old was not sleeping through the night, he would wake to feed every 3 to 4 hours. My wife and I had no sanity, and would feed him to stop the crying because we didn't understand what he needed. It took 1 week of following Dr. Ferber's book, but we were rewarded with 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It may take a little longer with your 2 year old, but the reward to him and to you will be well worth a few nights of crying. Be STRONG! Know that doing this will help him and you.
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My 20 mth old used to go to sleep on his own and stayed asleep most nights, but after we had some overnight guests recently as well as a bout of high fever, now he can only goes to sleep while I am cuddling him. I tried crying out method before coz it worked so well with my elder son. But this one just cries and cries and then throws up. This happens EVERY NIGHT! I don't mind listening to the crying but when they throw up, that's where I throw in the towel (no pun intended). Any advice? I have tried moving his bedtime later so he will be tired but nothing is successful so far. I would like to move him back to his brother's room when he is 2 so I really need him to sleep well.
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Hi there, I cut out all the bottles for my son today, not even before he went to sleep just now. Instead, I put Elmo and Ernie next to him, and told him that his two friends do not need any bottle and they went to sleep already, then within 5 mins, he went to sleep on his own. I hope he will able to adapt to this routine very soon, though I've prepared to go thru at least 5 crying nights. I need a lot of prayers to gain the strength and patience as I really want to help my son to break this habit.
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ABHK -
GOOD JOB! did he cry much? If he falls asleep without the bottle, in a few days he won't wake up in the middle of the night without it. give us an update - that will be great!
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The baby didn't cry without a bottle before he went to bed with Elmo and Ernie. However, he waked up at 2:00 a.m. We comforted him saying there was no more milk at home and we promised him to get him the formula in the morning. But he insisted and called everyone's name at home to give him the bottle. My husband and my mom gave in as they said the baby needs to go to playgroup tomorrow morning (that is this morning)and they said they preferred a progressive approach rather than cut it out from one go. They break their promise to me which was all agreed before went to bed.
Surpising to myself, I'd rather prefer hearing my baby to cry it out (which I was quite opposed to this idea previously) as I'm really afraid the bottle will do more harm than good when you guys gave me the above warnings. And what's more, he needs to have potty training too. He has 6 months to learn cutting out bottle as well as the diapers when he needs to go to pre-nursery this September. I wish my baby can overcome these and I don't want him being looked down by other mums/adults for still having bottle and diapers at school.
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ahhh...
the "others" in the house that don't agree with the method. You know what? It will be FASTER if they don't interfere at this point. because it just means that he can get the bottle if he cries hard enough and loud enough. Yes - he'll be tired at play group tomorrow, but eventually he will sleep. I'm really proud of your stance and determination though. IT will get easier in a few days.
Instead of just totally crying him out, do the interval method. it will probably be more effective if only ONE of you is involved in the night time wakings. So no grandma and no hubby. (funny how it is always the mom who has to draw the harder line, eh?) AS long as you are trying suggestions...
When he wakes up in the middle of the night, asking for bottle (incidentally have you hid all of the bottles and formula and tried new sippy cup? Get them out of sight...so he can't find them. Must be gone - I've seen it on a program where there is a trash bin, the child himself throws the bottles away saying he is a big boy and then gets a new cup. playtex straw sippys look cool. I thought it was really effective.) SO he wakes up asking for a bottle, then say "no bottle I'm sorry." Leave and shut the door. Let him cry for 5 minutes. Then go back in if he is still crying. SAy something reassuring like "It is night time. GO to bed. You are a big boy now." And then leave and shut the door. Shut it for 10 minutes. Then go back in again. AGain - if he continues to cry - say a few reassuring words, and then leave again. shut the door for 15 minutes.
When you go in, you are not listening to his requests for a bottle. You are simply saying, "it is night time go to bed." You don't need to argue with him, and you can just keep your voice very very calm. It will work - be patient.
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no advice abut your specific problem but you must definitely hide all the bottles in the house - my son will drink happily from his cup but the minute he sees the bottle, it's over.
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addis
19 yrs ago
abhk18,
I understand how frustrating it can be when other members of your family are not as steadfast in their resolve to discipline a child. Anyway, I think it is the 2 am feed that you should go for, first. I am assuming, of course that he does not sleep for long after that 6/7 am feed.
I agree with many of the other posters above that at two years of age, he should not be having that much milk (prevents him from having a more balanced diet) and definitely not during the night (can lead to early childhood caries). Both breast & bottle feeding can cause tooth decay. Sometimes parents feel that it is baby teeth, after all, so what's the big deal but do remember that baby teeth have relatively thin enamel and can become decayed/infected easily. And the kids need those teeth to last them their childhood years!
my boy never really went to bed with a bottle but he used to wake up for feeds at 1pm and 5pm. Would cry, on feeling hungry; when offered the bottle, he would drink up in less than 5 mins, with his eyes still closed! On the advice of a paediatric dentist, I cut those feeds a month or so after he cut his first teeth (ie when he was about 9 months old). It really was difficult for one week when he would wake up in the middle of the night and start crying. We used to cosleep - so I had to cuddle him and walk around the house at those unearthly hours but the bottomline is, it worked and he was sleeping through the night. Then when he was about 13 months old he went through this phase where he was eating very little and I was forced to reintroduce one nightime feed. At 17 months, when his eating habits had greatly improved, we decided to do away with the bottles as also the night feed (with absolutely no problems) and also made nightime brushing a daily ritual. Now, (at 27 months) he has a daytime nap (sometimes upto 2 hours) and nightime sleep is generally 9:30 pm to 7:30 am. Regular naps and early bedtime supposedly improve nightime sleep. As far as his intake of milk is concerned, it is 250 ml of whole milk on waking up and then milk with cereal or yogurt after playtime in the evening.
One bit of advice - don't push potty training (if you are) at this stage and make it too taxing for him.
shall definitely keep you and your boy in my prayers.
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Thank you so much to you all here. I will try again tonight. I'm so touched with the support that you all give me here.............May God bless us all.
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keep us posted on your progress. It's always nice to hear of other people's victories...you've already taken the first step - you're determined to do it and you've gotten rid of the bottles. CONGRATS.
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Hi there, my baby got up at about 6 am this morning and as agreed with my domestic helper, we gave him the milk. I reminded her and my mom not to give him the bottle in the day time and they did it sucecssfully. That's the best news to me today. However, when we try to ask the boy to go to bed at about 10:30p.m. (his usual bed time), he didn't behave as good as last night even though we gave him a cup of milk, Elmo and Ernie. He cried and cried for bottle and my mom finally gave in again. That was about 11:00p.m. We had a quarrel in front of the boy because of this, though I know it's totally incorrect as this would even create a confusing message to the boy. We finally settled to give the milk, not on the bed, in the living room instead, as I explained to them that we could not associate sleeping with the bottle as experts said. I know she doesn't agree with this approach much but was trying to make a settlement with me only.
My mom sat beside the boy who is drinking from the bottle, and asked him to finish it quickly so that they could go to bed together. Good boy, he finished it in 5 mins. He firstly handed the empty bottle over to my mom as requested, but tried to take it back from her hand. We gently explained to him it's finished and it's time to go to bed. He cried and cried and the domestic helper lifted him up and comforted him to sleep in about 5 mins.
The whole process did break my heart as I want to help my child to overcome this yet I don't want any quarrel with my family, especially in front of the boy. I went to the bathroom, feel helplessly, do my prayer, and come out to type this message.
Boy boy, mommy loves you and I need your cooperation.
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you're in a tough spot. I'm guessing you are of Asian descent, because the older generation has a harder time with the hard line of discipline. They think babies should be babies until the very end and they shouldn't cry. So when you decide something new, they are VERY opposed. (I had similar arguments and disagreements with my mother in law, my maternal grandmother and my own mom. 3 people teamed up against me.) I understand your position.
Given all that however, I think you yourself are not being firm enough. If it were your own mother in law, I would tread a bit more softly out of respect, but since it is your own mother, I think you can draw a firmer line. Your son, has learned through these past two days, that if he screams hard enough for the bottle, it is STILL there. You just have to get rid of them. Hide them from mom and domestic helper as well since they can't seem to follow your guidelines. If you draw the hard line, your child will also follow. You're ready to draw it, but it seems those around you are not. Discuss with them why it is necessary (tooth decay) and the other reasons.
Kids WANT boundaries - he's testing the limits to see how much he can get. Once there are no bottles in the house, no one promising him any more milk, and a new cup, it will get better.
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My boy got up at about 4:30a.m instead of 2am his usual time. He, of course, screamed for his milk. As per all the suggestions here, we didn't give it to him, instead, comforted him and explained to him that it's time to go to bed. After 30 minutes crying (yell for everybody's name for help), he looked tired. He held the milk powder tin (which is empty) and fell asleep with the tin. He woke up at about 9am this morning.
Though the whole process drawed very much energy from everyone at home, at least we've got a little improvement. Today is Wednesday, the 3rd night since we started this approach. Let's see how he is performing.
Am I doing right by giving him some milk before going to bed? I will try to serve him on cup instead of bottle. Welcome any comment and suggestion.
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he likes the milk - give him some before bed, as you did last night. NOT in his bed, and not in a bottle. You will do better if he realizes that there are NO BOTTLES in the house. It was GREAT that you held out last night and didn't give him the bottle. Tonight it may be HARDER that last night (because he's going to try even harder to get you to give in) but tomorrow will be easier if you stick to your guns.
I'm really proud of your commitment to this. a 4:30 wakeup is better than 2:00 and soon you'll eliminate even that. You're totally on the right track and this will sort itself out very very soon.
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addis
19 yrs ago
abhk18, your lil one sleeping with the empty milk powder tin... well, it brought tears to my eyes. As parents, it does break our hearts to see them cry themselves to sleep but then the discipline is necessary for their own good. As hkchoichoi says, you are right on track.
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@@
19 yrs ago
We got rid of bottles with my oldest with the "Bottle Fairy"
One night we left the bottle out on a tray and the next morning a little gift was in it's place.
You've had lots of great advice from the other Mum's here so no need for me to chime in with the same info.
You're doing a great job being strong and once you get the results that many others have you wont regret it!
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Hi everyone here. My husband and I were home late last night for a dinner out. When we got back home, it's already about 11p.m. but our baby son were yet to go to sleep. We were all very tired and so we had a little chat with him and we all went to bed.
I was so tired these days but I still heard him crying last night. I didn't get up at all as I knew somebody was taking care of him. What I knew is he cried less than the past 2 nights.
When I got up this morning, I checked with my domestic helper about the crying time. She said it was about 5:45a.m. WoW ! to me, it's a big improovement. First night was 2am, Second night was 4:30a.m. And third night was 5:45a.m. It's really improving ! And he only yelled for about 5 minutes and went to sleep again with his empty milk powder tin. Both my husband and my mom are very pleased with his performance.
Now, it's gonna be our 4th night on this approach. Baby, will you sleep thru the night?
My mom reported that my baby is still looking for a bottle after wake up. He didn't drink from the cup in the morning. Should I insist or let him have some milk from the bottle? just afraid that he doesn't get enough nutrients.
I'm really really touched with all the support you guys give me here........... Thousand thanks.................
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ABHK -
excellent! See how quick that progress was once you stuck to your guns? that is just so AWESOME.
no bottles. milk only in a cup. don't send mixed messages. THERE ARE NO BOTTLES IN THE HOUSE.
he doesn't NEED the nutrition in milk - he needs to be eating solid foods. HE is a toddler, not a baby. SO don't worry =kids don't starve themselves. He'll eat other things.
For a while, you may have to try giving food in creative ways - shaped sandwiches, creative "concept" foods - "this is ants on a log" = which is really a celery stick filled with peanut butter and raisins. Stuff like that to encourage him.
You're doing great. You're almost done.
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Hi there
My baby got up at 5:25am this morning. Again, we told him there is no milk until we see the sun, and we need to go back to sleep as it's dark. He screamed for almost 30 mins and didn't go back to his bed.
He actually didn't have much milk before he went to bed as he doesn't like to drink from the cup. So I guess he is really really hungry and that's why he cried for so long.
We wait and wait until the sky turned bright and we gave him the cup again. He refused and screamed much louder. I was so worry about his hungry and so we gave him the bottle this morning. He finished it in about 5 mins and gave us the bottle back. But, he still screamed for nothing, and until 7:15a.m. He went to sleep again.
I'm really worry about having my kid starving as it may affect his development. How can I make him like his cup and drink more milk from the cup before going to bed and whenever he wants something to drink? I need your advice.
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its habit.
he needs only about 400 mls of milk a day at this point. Everything else should be food. 400 mls is not that much.
he wants it because it's comfort and what he's used to, not because he's hungry necessarily.
he should be getting calories and nutrtion from FOOD not milk. His higher milk intake is probably hindering his solid food intake.
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@@
19 yrs ago
If you are worried about him not taking milk from a cup try putting it in his cereal, give him cheese and yogurt.
Try not to keep giving in and allowing him the bottle, it will make the process that much more confusing for your child and will certainly take longer.
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abhk18, check your PM please.
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Yes, I do need to give him more different kind of healthy food.
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My friends here:
I'm pleased to let you know that my son has firstly slept thru the night from 10:45p.m. to 7:25a.m since he was born 2 years ago.! It took us 5 days to cut out his night time feeding since Monday and now he only use his bottle in the morning after wake up. What a magic moment for all my family members, though it drained us a lot of energy this week.
I hope my son will able to keep this good habit and sleep thru all the nights from now on. Thank you so much to all of you here. We wouldn't able to do it without your continous support and repeated reminders. Please accept a little gift from me. Please check your private message box.
God Bless.
Once again. Thank you very much and please do keep in touch.
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CONGRATULATIONS!!
isn't it marvelous?
the five days were hard work, but the future looks bright and it will be easier. Better teeth, better health, better mood for family and DH. All in all very positive outcomes for 5 days of hard work. (a 5 day investment is actually not that costly considering all the harm that could have come to your son's teeth.)
Congratulations - and sweet dreams for a full night.
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adhk18,
it's truly wonderful news to hear of your success. now you can finally enjoy a good night's sleep!
like i mentioned in my private reply to you, gifts are not necessary - the best gift you can give as an appreciation is to share your experience on this forum and elsewhere with future mums who experience the same challenge.
sleep tight! :)
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Congratulations! Hope this is the start of peaceful nights for you and family. Just a word of warning though... if he does wake up tonight (hoping he doesn't), then don't take it as a setback. Just stick to your guns and do what you've been doing to break his habit. Good luck and good night.
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Hi there
It's me again. My boy can now sleep thru for most of the nights but he usually gets up at 6am (he go to bed at about 10:30p.m.). We insist not to give him the milk until about 7 to 7:30a.m. and so just pat him for about 5 min and ask him to go to bed. Could anybody give me advice how I can make him sleep better and get up only at 7am? You know, 6am is still a little bit early for most of us and the sky is still dark esp in winter time.
Also, my boy seems not willing to drink milk from the cup. We try every method, say giving him some funny cup, but when he sees there is something looks like milk inside, he refused to drink from it. I tried Holick last night as I want him to get some more food to fill up the tummy before going to bed, but since it's in milk color, my boy refused to drink even though I told him it's Holick, not milk. Do you think I can feed him "Ovaltine" which contains cocoa? I heard every cocoa has a little bit caffine and that's what I'm most worried. Please advise.
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put him down for bed earlier than 10,30pm, that might help him sleep later.
when he does wake up at 6am, does he cry? if not, you don't have to go to him immediately - let this be his "quiet" time, have some little toys and books that he can amuse himself with in bed until 7am.
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another thing, he is already 2 years old so he should be having 3 solid meals a day which should fill him up sufficiently. he's no longer a baby, so the milk he drinks now is more for calcium and other nutrients instead of tanking him up for the night. of course it is a nice bedtime ritual to have a cup of milk or water before bed but if he doesn't want it, don't force him and make it a battle.
if he is not drinking much milk anymore because the bottle is gone, try to give him more yoghurt, cheese and milk with his cereal.
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19 yrs ago
aabhk18,
Such wonerful news and really worth all the effort you have put in over the past week. Congratulations!
Give it time with the early mornings, he might adjust over time as long as you continue to hold out until at least 7 for his milk.
You may need to make sure there is nothing waking him, too much light or noise - does he sleep in his own room?
I personally believe a 2 year old should be getting more sleep over night, does your fellow have lots of naps still? Both my kids at 3 and 6 still sleep 12 hours a night (but do not nap)
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He has his nap for about 1-1.5 hours. But he is only willing to go to bed until 10:30p.m. Nothing wakes him up and it looks like that he gets use to wake up at 6 and he did cry for a bit but could go back to sleep with a little bit comfort.
I prefer serving him hot food before going to bed instead of yoghurt. He also looks boring with cake, biscuit as a night time snack.
Is "Ovaltine" good or not for a 2 year old boy?
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hi abhk18,
i wasn't suggesting that you feed yoghurt before bed, i wouldn't eat it either! :)
what i'm trying to suggest is that at this point, milk is for the calcium and essential nutrients but it should no longer form a major parrt of his diet, if your toddler is happily eating 3 solid meals a day, you don't have to worry about feeding him milk just before bed so that he fills up his tummy. but if you are concerned about his dairy intake, you can feed him yoghurt/cheese for snacks during the day and give him milk with cereal for breakfast.
i don't think toddlers should have cakes or biscuits at 10.30pm either....perhaps they might develop a sweet tooth?
if he is really used to waking up at 6am, maybe you can try my suggestion - have a little book or a safe little toy that he can play with until you come and get him in the morning.
not sure about ovaltine!!
good luck!
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you need to bring forward his bedtime gradually. My almost 3 year old still has a 2 hour nap at school and still is in bed by 8:15 although she sometimes doesn't fall asleep until closer to 9:00. But suddenly saying to him "time to sleep at 8:00" isnt' going to work. TOmorrow, settle him to bed 15 minutes earlier (10:15) for the next three days, and then 10:00 pm for the following three, and then 9:45 for the following three and so on and so forth. He won't be able to do it immediately, but gradually over time he will adjust to this schedule. If he has 1 hour nap, I still think 9:00 is a bit late, and 8:00 more ideal, but you'll have to use your judgment on this. If he is OVER TIRED (which I suspect he must be by 10:30) it will actually be HARDER for him to go to bed.
As for food, he can have a nice hot meal at 6:30ish, whatever the family is having, and then a bath and then if he's still hungry his milk while he reads a book. But if he doesnt' want his milk, I wouldn't make a big deal of it at this point. He'll make it up in other ways and for now, losing a bit of milk won't kill him. I think you worry too much about the milk factor. My own 2 year old went through a stage of refusing milk, and I just let it be, and after about 2 months, she decided she wanted it again, without my prodding her. I offered it to her, and if she wanted it, she took it and if not, no matter. you probably are so used to him taking in large quantities of milk while he was bottle feeding that his lack of milk now is strange to you, but I assure you he doesn't need that much milk as a 2 year old.
Before my daughter goes to sleep, she has 1/2 an apple or 1/2 pear if she likes - no biscuits or cakes or anything with sugar or additives as they may stimulate her before bedtime.
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Hi there, it's me again with a little boy of 2 years old who used to keep on night time feeding but has cut out this habit 3 weeks ago with all the recommendations received here.
For the last 5 days, he used to get up at 2:30a.m and 5:45 a.m. two times a night. We, of course, didn't give him any bottle, instead, just pat him back to sleep.
We don't know why he keeps on waking at night and this really drained us a lot as it usually take 5 mins for him to go back to sleep. The boy shares his room with the maid and my grandma.
I need your help again !
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how is he falling asleep?
in other words, how does he go to bed? Is someone helping him to go to bed by patting him? If that is the case, if he wakes up he'll need patting to get back to sleep.
the best way to ensure he sleeps through the night is for him to fall asleep on his own, no bottle or anything.
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Yes, he does fall asleep on his own, no patting. We usually turn off the lights together, go to the bed, and kiss goodnight. He may have some tender chit chat himself in the first 5 mins, then will fall asleep afterwards
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okay
what I am advising is a bit inconvenient, especially for helper and grandma - but perhaps they could sleep in another room until this is sorted out.
When your son wakes up, you ask him to go back to sleep, and if he doesn't, you tell him if he doesn't quiet and settle down you will leave the room.
and if he doesn't do that - you actually go out and leave the room and shut the door and keep it shut for 2 minutes.
go back in and if he still is crying and fussing, again go out and leave the room 4 minutes.
still no sleeping, then 6 minutes.
once he is lying down, still in bed, then you go back in and say that you will leave the door open and then he should go to sleep.
the co sleeping arrangements make this a bit trickier, but I do think this method is highly effective. If you can figure out a way to make it work, I can give you more specific advise. It's great that he's falling asleep on his own - so if he can do that he can definitely settle himself to sleep on his own.
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My boy is not sleeping in his baby crib anymore. He is having a normal size bed of adult so it's impossible that I can leave him alone inside the room as it would be very dangerous that he would fall down from the bed and/or hit anywhere inside the room when it's still very dark in midnight.
He woke up 3 times and cried, yell for bottle, Daddy, Mommy, but we just let the domestic helper to pat him back to sleep. Yet, his noise did wake up everybody from the good dream. Very annoying and yet very worrying as he still doesn't have a good sleep.
He used to go to bed at 10:30p.m. For the past few days, we went to bed at about 10pm. He went to bed at about 9:45pm last night too. But he did cried more than before. Not sure if this change made him feel uncomfortable.
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does he have a bottle during the day? so it's only at night that you're not letting him have it?
if he's having a bottle during the day - your son is clever - if he can have it during the day why not at night?
I'd eliminate bottle during the day - try not to worry too much about his milk intake initially. He'll eventually make it up in food.
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no bottle in day, except one in the morning at about 6 - 630a.m.
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well - I'd try and get rid of that bottle as well.
and see how nighttime sleep goes.
if possible, I think it might be effective to ignore him in the night - I know with your current sleeping arrangements that is really hard. I think he's getting up more out of habit than anything else.
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