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Toddler weaning affecting sleep

79Q: Please help! My son is 16 months old and perfectly healthy. He goes to sleep at about 08:00 with me lying next to him while he drinks his bottle (approximately 150ml) and I then put him in his cot (awake) with some soft toys to fall asleep. The problem is that he wakes up frequently (sometimes every hour) for either a bottle or his dummy. How do I wean him from the bottle at night before I start controlled crying? Please also advise when your toddler workshop will take place. 

A: Oh dear, it sounds as though you are having a tough time with your little one. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to wean a toddler off a bottle that he really does not need anyway! The only way to stop him waking at night is to do it cold turkey! As his expectation is that he gets a bottle or dummy every time he wakes, he will obviously cry if that expectation is not met.

  • Make sure he is not ill
  • He is not hungry as he is having a night bottle before falling asleep, so rest assured, he does not need nutrition in the night any more
  • Speak to your clinic sister about an iron supplement – frequent waking can sometimes be attributed to an iron deficiency
  • When he wakes for the first time, go to him and comfort him
  • When he is settled and calm ( this may take you a while) – you can pick him up to do this – put him back into his cot ( he may protest – keep going!)
  • Commence controlled crying
  • See the controlled crying on another question/answer on the website for this month. Follow the guidelines
  • Get yourself a copy of my new book “Toddler Sense”, where there is plenty of step by step information as to how to get Toddlers sleeping

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