1 year old still needs bottle to fall asleep

[Sibbo84]

Hi all,

My little boy has just turned 1 and I’m weaning him off formula to full fat milk.

He’s always been a terrible sleeper, he has so much energy! We’re lucky if he has 30 minutes during the day and falls asleep before 9pm! He also won’t go down in his cot, he falls asleep on me then I transfer him or he sleeps with us. However, he will wake up and not settle unless he has a bottle which he falls asleep on.

Should I be worried he’s still falling asleep on his bottle and any ideas as to how I break it?

Thanks

[Hidden]

My LG still falls asleep with bottle at 2. It’s always been a good routine for us and helps her settle x

[Sibbo84 in reply to Hidden]

Yeah it’s his night time bottle he needs. I’ve just heard all these horror stories about the sugar in the milk sticking on their teeth and causing problems but I genuinely don’t know how to break the habit for him x

[Hidden in reply to Sibbo84]

Yeah the HV told me that but I’m on a FB group of babies born same time as mine and loads still use bottles. I know it doesn’t mean it’s right but it’s a good routine for us. You can always change to a beaker as that’s fine according to my HV. We’ve just started in the last few days and she hates it but still takes it x

[Sibbo84 in reply to Hidden]

He takes a sippy cup ok but I think it’s the habit of a bottle at the moment for comfort. It’s so hard because it works but as he gets older I feel like I should change it as I have so many people telling me that. The usual friend who has just the perfect little boy. 1 month older and already in a big boy bed, slept through from 3 months etc... x

[Winter_Girl in reply to Sibbo84]

Don't listen to anyone else - you do what is right for your family. It is very unusual for babies to sleep through from a young age, but there is this massive expectation that they "should". It makes you feel like a rubbish mum, but biologically it is normal for them to wake up. If they sleep through early on then that is brilliant. I know how you feel, my 17 month old still wakes in the night and I have to BF her back to sleep unless her dad sees to her. Some nights it is twice a night other times it can be practically every hour (thankfully this doesn't happen as much now!) My LG is in a toddler bed but only because she was waking every time we put her in her cot, so we had to change something and it has helped. I know lots of people didn't agree with our decision but we stuck with it because it worked for us. She has only just started napping in her bed in the afternoon but I have to feed to sleep while lying in her bed! It isn't ideal but she sleeps for at least 1.5 hours now, which is a miracle for us. X

[Sibbo84 in reply to Winter_Girl]

Thank you 😊 I did feel like a bad mum after speaking to the HV but then others have made me feel better. I think every babies different and it’s just because I have 2 friends whose babies sleep perfectly! Makes me question things. I’m just going to try follow his lead, it’s not ideal like you say but he does sleep better with me and after a night bottle xx

[LauraJ85]

My LB has just turned one and is exactly the same other than hes breast fed so boobed to sleep not bottle. He has been an awful sleeper from about 6 months old, I'm lucky to get one 30 minute nap a day and that's only if I take him out in his pram. Like you say I honestly don't know where they gets their energy from.

He is fed to sleep in the evening but most of the time he will wake up when I transfer him to his cot, he will self settle but this can take a while and I have to stay in the room, he then can wake up between 2 and 6 times a night. Its exhausting.

I did ring my HV last week about it and she said to try him with supper incase he is hungry (although it's more than likely habbit) and if that doesnt work the next stage is controlled crying. I'm hoping for a miracle before I have to do that! Or that once he is walking he will be more tired.

I don't mind so much the feeding to sleep it's all the waking up in between. If having a bottle before bed works for you then I wouldn't worry about changing it x

[MissSaoPaulo in reply to LauraJ85]

I was reading about 'sleep nudging' the other day. We haven't actually done it here, but it's a gentler approach than controlled crying and it made sense to me. Might be worth looking into?

[LauraJ85 in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

Thank you, I will look it up x

[Sibbo84 in reply to LauraJ85]

Wow, that’s a lot of waking up for the boob! I bet your shattered! I’ll try a supper to see if that fills him up but I’m 100% sure it’s a comfort thing. He’s only ever self settle once, it’s near impossible.

I know everyone says let them cry it out but that’s never worked, he’s fought it for so long and gets himself so worked up x

[Olivia1980xxx]

Hi I wouldn’t worry so much . Every baby is different.

My little girl turn 3 . She sleep in her bedroom in her toddler bed but I always go with her to put her to sleep. I usually sat down on floor she laying dow on her back on me cuddling and drinking milk...not cow milk (she only like with cornflakes)formula.

She will only drink formula milk before bed and once if she wake up in a night time she need a bottle of herbal tea for baby’s (she likes tea) .

Sometimes take time till they settle and your little one is only a year hun. Xx

[Sibbo84 in reply to Olivia1980xxx]

Thank you 😊 it’s so hard to know what’s right and wrong. He is such a cuddly little boy and just loved contact so feels very uncomfortable if he is alone. I’m trying to get him off formula and on to normal milk which seems ok but it does need warming up for his morning bottle or he cries xx

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Sibbo84]

My little one always like milk warm but I cut down from 2 bottles to only one before bed.

My girl is 3 and she is cuddly too so I know how u feel.

They growing so fast so we need to get us much cuddles we can 🥰 xx

[Sibbo84 in reply to Olivia1980xxx]

I know! I love the cuddles 🥰 I’m hoping to reduce to just a nighttime bottle but it would be easier if he wasn’t such an early bird. A morning bottle usually gets me an extra half hour I’m bed 🤣 xx

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Sibbo84]

Bless u hun I know the feeling but I have to say my little one love sleeping...she is not very morning person ☺️ She usually wake up around 8.30 9am .

But he is only little he will change hun .

I remember when my was that age she was waking up around 7.30am but I always make sure to send to have a nap around 12 12.30 and not for more then 1 and half so I was always putting her to sleep the same time in evening around 7 or 7.30pm .

But I did try few times to put her for nap after 1pm and on evening she went to bed after 8pm just to see if she sleep bit longer in a morning...and yes did work 👍xx

[Sibbo84 in reply to Olivia1980xxx]

He doesn’t nap either 🤣🤣🤣 and he still won’t fall off until half 8 at the earliest. I’m hoping as he gets older he will grow out of it, he’s been back at nursery and that seems to be tiring him out slightly. But even there they’ve said he has about 30 minutes and just has all this energy!

Also he will very rarely nap unless he is cuddling someone and the second you put him down, bam, wide awake! Think I just have to accept I have a lively child 😊 xx

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Sibbo84]

That right .

Don’t worry to much hun . He is healthy and full of energy little man . He will change us he grow.xx

[lianm8]

Probably not what a HV would advise but my 3 year old still has a bottle (cows milk warmed up) every evening before bed- I wouldn’t worry you do what’s best for you and your little boy xxx

[Sibbo84 in reply to lianm8]

Thank you 😊 it’s hard as there’s so much advise but I agree, if that’s what is best for you and your little girl then do it. I think I’m going to stop worrying as much and just follow his lead xxx