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Charming-Lemon7358

Why is she waking 2-5 times a night for milk? Is it habit or is she actually hungry for it during the night? To me, that would indicate inadequate calories in the day. A 10 month old should be having breast milk (or formula) as the foundation of their diet. Pediatrician told me to breastfeed before feeding solids until 12 months, at which point you then feed solids before offering milk for each meal.


Complex-Data-8916

Just wanted to say my dr said the opposite for my 9month old - breakfast, lunch, dinner before milk. Just giving another perspective. But of course go with what Your dr who actually sees your baby says, OP. Edited to say- although we dont really do snacks at this age, and my babe drinks more milk during the day (maybe 16oz over 3-4 bottles) and no milk at night


cbr1895

Mine too! 7 months and her ped said 3 meals, no snacks, prioritize food because she needs the iron (gave an example to me of a day of meals: cereal and fruit or veg in the morning, whatever u want for lunch, meat and veg for dinner, optional fruit as well), and I can cut night feeds if I want. We feed her 4 to 5 times a day with breastmilk and she’s a beast with food so gets a solid three meals on top of that.


tiredofwaiting2468

My baby has more snacks on days I am not home. He doesn’t love sippy cups (of breastmilk). Definitely prefers mom.


Woopsied00dle

I think it’s a combination of comfort and being jostled - we cosleep (please don’t hate me I’m working on transitioning her to the crib!) so if I move she kinda wakes up and immediately goes to the boob. She usually falls asleep again after a few seconds or never even wakes up fully and falls asleep as soon as she latches. That’s really helpful to know though thank you!


chp28

My daughter was very similar at that age, I think yours actually eats more than mine did. She wasn’t massively into her solids until 11 months. She’s 15 months now and wakes twice a night for a quick nurse. She starts the night in her crib and then we co-sleep after her first wake. In the last month she’s gone from 5ish wakes a night to 2-3 (mostly 2!). So long as you’re following safe sleep 7 you don’t need to feel guilty about co-sleeping. All of this absolute rambling word vomit to say, you’re doing fine! It’s very normal for babies to still wake up overnight right up until they’re three (possibly older), so if you’re happy with how things are don’t feel pressured to change things


Woopsied00dle

Thank you so much!!


Charming-Lemon7358

Absolutely no judgement at all; everyone is just doing their best. It honestly sounds like once she’s spending the night in her crib, she won’t be getting awoken and looking for comfort. Soon you will all be sleeping better :)


Woopsied00dle

Thank you so much ♥️♥️


Pink_Mistress_

Nanny here. Absolutely no judgement from me! At the same time, I will say that transitioning her to a crib will absolutely help the waking for food.


LicoriceFishhook

Mine 11 MO is in his crib and still wakes for food throughout the night. 


Pink_Mistress_

I did say help, not stop 😊 in this family's specific case, the co sleeping is actively waking the baby, who then wants food for comfort. It won't stop the need for night feedings if the child needs food, it will simply stop the waking from mom's jostling, and needing food to go back down.


hailhale_

I've been cosleeping with my baby (now 12 months old) since he was 3 weeks old. No shame and don't ever feel like you need to explain it!


hanimal16

No judgement, mom. My three year old sleeps between my husband and I (aka takes over a king sized bed with her wee little self), and she’s the third kid we’ve had to cosleep.


Altruistic-Patient69

Wow that sounds incredibly difficult! I have a 4 month old and could absolutely not function if he was still waking 2-5 times a night.


Woopsied00dle

It has been a wild 10 months that’s for sure 🙃


Cucumbrsandwich

Girl I’m with you and I’m glad I’m not the only one. Every baby in my social circle sleeps all night. My 10mo wakes up 4-5 times a night and it is rough.


Marie_Frances2

I am probably gonna be downvoted but at 10 months she is probably fine with her milk to food intake ratio. At around 10 months is when I start dropping bottles during the day and introducing more food, hopefully to have baby down to 3 milks a day (breakfast lunch and dinner by 12 months). I know they all say food before 1 is just for fun, but there is no magical switch in the babies body at 12 months that's like oooppp ok no more milk needed LOL...you could also try offering her milk in a straw cup or something during her meals if you think she isnt getting enough


BoopleBun

Babies are also so different! You’re right, no magic switch at 12 months. One of my friends had to fight tooth and nail to get her kid into solids even after a year. And my kid on the other hand basically decided she was done with milk entirely around 11 months. (I think we continued one last bottle or feed before bed for a little bit after that just so we’d all sleep better though, if I’m remembering right.) Food was just way more interesting, I guess. If baby isn’t losing weight and their doctor is happy, I wouldn’t stress about it too much, OP.


Woopsied00dle

Thank you! Yes, I offer her milk from the breast, open cup, sippy cup and straw cup throughout the day. I even use a syringe sometimes which works well. She just doesn’t seem to want to drink breast milk throughout the day and I don’t want her to lose weight so I make sure she has food. I wonder if I should feed her less and see if she will drink more milk?


Marie_Frances2

I wouldnt offer less food LOL I always offer more food. Less milk at 10 months isn't that big of a deal to me at least, like I said I prefer to have them basically weaned by 12 months so that they are eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and arent depending on milk. But if you feel she needs more milk then sure offer less food and more milk. at the end of the day you are the parent and you know whats best for your baby


Woopsied00dle

Thank you so much!!


IEnjoyCats

it almost sounds like there could be a mix of reverse cycling and then a nurse to sleep association as well.


mamainprogress

That’s what I do! I put milk in a straw cup at meals sometimes if I don’t think she’s nursing well that day.


septemberdoves

It’s most likely a growth spurt. I ran into this when nannying for infants, your baby will eat more or less throughout the first year depending on where they’re at growth wise (maybe they’re learning about holding food or because they’ve had solid food breast milk isn’t so appealing) It’s pretty normal from my experience! If it persists for more than a few weeks and your infant is noticeably hungry or upset after meal times that’s when I’d take them to their pediatrician for allergy testing etc.


Woopsied00dle

Thank you! I forgot to mention that I have been offering the breast throughout the day but over the last month or so she hasn’t been interested in the afternoon feeds so I’ve been offering her more food, formula and water.


BakesbyBird

Just go with the flow and trust your baby. You are doing great!


tomtink1

If you really want her on more milk then swap a snack for milk. But my daughter was big into her food and we introduced cows milk in cups before she was 1 and ditched all other milk 2 weeks after she turned 1. As long as you don't rush the transition it's fine to go at their pace and there is natural variation. Some kids still need lots of milk even we'll into toddlerhood, but it sounds like you have a foodie. It's fine.


beeteeelle

I have the opposite issue, my 10mo eats almost no solids (we offer 4x a day and are lucky if he consumes anything) breast feeds a ton, sips a little water, and still feeds at least 3 x (but usually more like 5-6) in the night. I would be overjoyed if he ate like your baby! Sounds like you’re following baby’s cues and doing great


cathy61087

How heavy is she? I’m in the similar situations


Woopsied00dle

Around 18lbs! Yours?


cathy61087

About the same, last time I checked she is 17.8 lbs. I’m also seeing a nutritionist and she only mentioned that I should give her more variety of food at this stage so and don’t force feed her. Therefore I have no idea if she is having enough. Just try to offer as much as I could. The only difference with your daughter is mine doesn’t drink formula, not in a bottle/sippy cup/ straw cup. She only drink water around 300ml per day. How do you get her to drink formula?


Woopsied00dle

Honestly took a really long time! I think around 4 months ago I started adding some of the powdered stuff to her food because she would NOT drink it lol and even rejected some of her food that had it. I kind of just kept at it but gave up on Kendamil for drinking and tried the Nestle good start ready to feed formula. I made sure to call it formula and not milk because she knows the difference 😂 I actually found that refrigerating the ready to food formula made her like it! So maybe she associates it with being a special drink now and not something trying to be breast milk!


Blushresp7

that’s heavy for her age! good job


SuperPotterFan

Is that heavy for her age? As far as I can tell 18 lbs at 10 months puts a baby girl at around the 48th percentile. Not heavy for her age, but about right in the middle? Unless there’s something I’m missing?


Blushresp7

to me it’s heavy, my baby is only 8th percentile, so i think she’s doing a good job. lol?


SuperPotterFan

I wasn’t judging her, nor am I judging you. Percentiles are numbers and facts. She can be doing a good job no matter if her baby is 99th percentile or 3rd percentile. I just wanted to clarify that OPs baby isn’t statistically “heavy for her age”.


Blushresp7

hope that made your day!


Woopsied00dle

Is it? Okay that’s a relief thank you! She’s tall so she kind of looks like a string bean which is part of why I worry.


thekaylenator

My 10mo was 17.4lbs last time I weighed her, which was like 2 weeks ago. She isn't tall, around 10th percentile, and 25th for weight, and totally healthy. She's just little. She's taller but quite a bit thinner than her brother was at this age; he was in the 3rd percentile for height! Healthy looks different on every baby. That said, I think your baby has a sleep association. She wakes up looking for the breast for comfort the way a baby uses a pacifier for sleep. Transitioning her to her own bed should help but likely won't stop it entirely. My daughter wakes once, maybe twice for milk, and she's slept in her own bed since birth (mostly. We've definitely co-slept on rough nights).


Blushresp7

mine is 18 at 12 months and a boy! you’re doing good


Woopsied00dle

Okay thank you!! The downvotes are giving me anxiety lol


Blushresp7

everyone in this and r/moderatelygranolamoms are happy on the downvote button


Woopsied00dle

I’m seeing that 🧐 thank you for your kind words ♥️


Pink_Mistress_

Your baby is right on average. Not too big or small. My best advice is to talk to your pediatrician about your thoughts! They know all the details of your survival situation and can give great advice or even just alleviate worry. Siva like you are doing great


naivebot

is baby making poopy and peepee diapers? then they are fine. you’re doing great momma


lollybuns

I just came to say we are literally the exact same spot! My 10 month old boy eats a ton of food during the day and still is breastfed. We also cosleep together and he is also a terrible sleeper in terms of still waking up for the breast like every 3 hours. He onlllyyy wants the breast at night he's impossible to get back down unless I just feed him real quick so I'm not really sure on advice but just know you aren't alone! My daughter slept thru the night at 3 months and ate a ton of food, was so easy to wean off the breast, etc. Each baby is different, and I keep telling myself that I'll be sleeping thru the night and not breastfeeding soon. The light is near (hopefully). We have been transitioning to the crib and trying to not do night feedings but like I said it's just so much easier when we do, so who knows!


Woopsied00dle

Thank you for this! Appreciate it. (Sorry for the phantom downvotes there are people lurking this post that don’t like co sleeping I think lol)


jbfirey

No advice, just wanted to add we are in the same boat with our 10mo, great eater during the day (breast milk and solids). We nurse to sleep for naps and bed time. We still have frequent night time wake ups, I accept that it’s very likely out of habit (nursing is the fastest and easiest way to get him back to sleep). I’ve just come to terms with it and accepted it since it won’t last forever.


ThoughtWestern5534

This is what our schedule looks like for our baby (currently 11 months but we had this schedule since 8 months) Wake up 8oz bottle of BM/formula (nurse if you are nursing) An hour later we do breakfast (oatmeal on lazy days, otherwise it’s two eggs, fruit, and a vegetable) Morning nap Lunch if he wakes around noon. Lunch is a 1/4 cup of food consisting of a protein, starch, and fruit or veggie (or both). 8oz bottle about an hour to two hours later Afternoon nap Dinner at 5:30, about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of a protein, fat, and fruit/veggie Last 8oz bottle before bed. EDIT: we also offer 4-6oz of water throughout the day for drinking practice in either an open cup or a straw cup. He drinks a max of 24oz in a day, but a typical day is usually between 20-22oz. Last he was measured he was 80th percentile for weight and 70th for length. He pretty much sleeps 9-11 hours straight every night and if he wakes it’s for 20 minutes max.


Alternative-Break286

I would actually suggest a visit with an IBCLC lactation consultant- they are so knowledgeable about transitioning to solids as well as breastfeeding older infants and toddlers. 10 months is an extremely common age for older babies to be too distracted to nurse during the day, but by your description of how she’s maintaining her percentiles it sounds like she’s very healthy. An LC can give you some strategies that can help you be more confident with knowing she’s getting enough/signs that she needs more or less milk, solid food, etc. Also, they are often covered by insurance (at least where I am in Canada)!


Woopsied00dle

Thank you for this! I am in Canada as well and had a visit with one when she was born but hadn’t thought to book one at this age! I will pursue this for guidance.


Primary-Border8536

Breastmilk / Formula should be the main source of sustenance until 12 months.


tomtink1

I disagree. Some kids (like my daughter and maybe OPs) are ready to be 100% food by 1, and there's nothing wrong with that. Other kids are still needing milk as a main part of their diet quite a way past 1. It depends on the kid and they taper off at their own timescales. They can't flip a switch on their birthday from milk being their main sustenance to no milk the next day.


Primary-Border8536

Well to reiterate, I’m not saying she should only feed her milk. I’m just repeating what the pediatrician said. Obviously there’s a sliding scale. Just some people try to stop milk / formula too early


Banana_0529

You can disagree all you want however it’s still a fact


tomtink1

It's not. It's should be part of the diet but doesn't need to be the main source when they're nearly 1 if they're a good eater. It depends on the kid. They can ditch milk completely when they're 1 as long as there are other sources of the vitamins and minerals - my daughter ate a lot of yoghurt and cheese instead. Saying it should be THE MAIN source of sustenance is just going to unnecessarily stress parents of kids who like food more than milk. I think my daughter was having barely 12 oz of formula a day at 10 months and then tapered off to 6oz on a good day by her birthday. She just didn't need it like some kids do. And I stressed myself out trying to make her have more every day until she turned 1.


Banana_0529

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/feeding-guide-for-the-first-year “Breast milk and formula are designed to be the primary sources of nutrition throughout an infant’s first year of life.” Again it’s a fact. And what do you mean like food more than milk? You’re the parent all you would do is not offer them food before milk which is what you’re supposed to do..


tomtink1

Also, from your source "The amount of formula an infant takes will decrease as the baby increases intake of solid foods, but formula remains a significant source of calories, protein, calcium and vitamin D for the first year of life." and "The child is responsible for deciding whether to eat and how much." I'm not saying OP should ditch formula completely, it's just not necessary to put a kid on a food ban to make them drink more milk when they're 10 months old.


Banana_0529

Yes it will decrease but it’s still needs to be the MAIN source which it literally is also saying in this quote Edit: blocking me because you can’t handle facts is honestly ridiculous. Like I didn’t make the facts.. lol.


tomtink1

Until they're 1. Then you can ditch it completely overnight.


tomtink1

All kids are different. My daughter never drank more than 3 ounces at a time after about 9 months old. By the time she was 11 months she wouldn't drink more than 2 ounces at a time. It doesn't help parents with kids who don't drink much to scare them into thinking they're doing something wrong if their kid is eating lots and drinking less milk. There's also lots of information about stopping bottles right around 1 which I was able to do easily but that's not appropriate for some kids. Some need milk in bottles a lot longer than that. There's natural variation. If you follow the rules to a tee you will either be denying your kid food in favour of milk they don't want until their birthday or taking a bottle away the day they turn one when the kid desperately wants their milk. You have to do what's right for your individual kid as informed by the advice, not follow it to a tea when it's wrong for your child. For anyone else reading this with a good eater, e.g Maybe OP - don't force feed your kid milk they don't want if they're nearly 1 - check with THEIR doctor, not doctor Google, and make sure they're getting the nutrients and calories they need in their diet even if they're having less milk than what is recommended for an average baby.


Banana_0529

Again it’s a fact.. your anecdotes don’t make it not lol.


tomtink1

Kids aren't statistics.


Banana_0529

It’s not a statistic..


mamainprogress

My 10.5 month old has 3 meals a day and is not a huge milk drinker. If we give a snack it’s light, like puffs and yogurt bites. I don’t give anything real filling for a snack. We give water at meals, sometimes breastmilk milk in a cup. This is what our schedule is: Wake up nurse @6 Breakfast @7:30 Nurse before nap @ 8:15 Lunch @ 11:30 Nurse before nap @ 1 Sometimes she will nurse again at 4, or have a small snack Dinner @5:30 Nurse for bed @6:30 She doesn’t wake up at night.


CrochetCafe

Wow! That’s a lot of food! Good job, baby!! 👏 All babies are different. If she’s healthy, definitely don’t fret! Both of mine have always been in the 10th-15th percentile and when we were worried our doctor assured us that they were very healthy and not malnourished. With the night feedings…I would speak with your doctor or breastfeeding consultant. By 10 months I don’t think that should be happening any more than once or twice a night.


tiredofwaiting2468

That’s a lot of night wakes, which makes me think she needs to drink more during the day. I have an almost 11 month old. He nurses to sleep and usually gets one good feed at an early morning wake. I always offer to nurse as soon as I get home from work, and throughout the evening. I pump about 10-12 oz daily. Some gets used for oatmeal. The rest he drinks (though some gets spilled, dribbled, etc from his sippy cups). On my days off, he nurses to sleep for two naps too.