DS just turned two and is still waking through the night. Often up to 3 times and often each episode can go on for 20 minutes or more.

He cries and carries on asking for a bottle. We were happy to allow him one as it always got him back to sleep straight away and he had recently weaned from the breast when it started (16 months). But it is now getting beyond a joke.

He wakes again and again and again asking for more 'bottle'.

We say no, change his bottom, sit with him, walk out of the room etc..

It always ends up in him screaming for sometimes half an hour until he conks out. Sometimes he is still whinging an hour later, getting in and out of bed. It's driving us nuts!

We tried no bottles at all for a week. Everyone said he would eventually stop waking for a bottle. But that week was just terrible. He woke every night even more often being even louder!! We were soooo tired and so cranky by the end of it. He was even waking our 3 year old and 10 weeks old from his screaming.

DP ended up in DS's bed most nights, or DS would come in with us. Which is awful because i breastfeed and there is simply no room!!!!!

DD sleeps through the night perfectly. OUr baby still wakes for a feed but it is very calm and he goes back to sleep easily.

Our 2 year old is causing so much frustration. We just need some sleep. I am sick with a cold and have lost my voice. I can't seem to get better though because i am getting no proper rest. DP works 2 jobs and also needs his sleep.

I know night waking is part of having kids but he has never ever been a good sleeper. He has never slept through the night. I also don't believe all of these bottles he has is a good thing. He is quite a solid little boy and i also worry about his teeth.

What can i do??? i really feel like this is starting to affect our daily lives as we are so tired, exhausted beacuse of it. I wish it was our 10 week old waking us up, not our screaming two year old who is so hard to please.


I must sound awful, but my PND is coming back, i am sick, i feel like this won't ever end.

It seems as soon as my head hits the pillow he starts his crying!!

Oh and we have tried panadol etc. His teeth have come through and he isn't unwell.

I just have no clue how to get this to stop

Josh is almost 2 1/2 now and we have the same thing!

I started off being very strict and refusing to give him a bottle but we've since caved in and have been giving him a bottle.

I honestly think the reason he is wanting a bottle is because he's hungry. He's not the best eater and goes through stages of eating lots and then hardly anything. I do make sure I brush his teeth as soon as he gets up in the morning.

I don't mind giving him a bottle now. It means he goes straight back to sleep and isn't so grumpy during the day and hubby and I get some much needed sleep also.

My girls both went through it too but it didn't last long

Good Luck - hope he grows out of it quickly for you!

oh boy! unfortunately your post is familar to me too though yours is worse I really feel for you.

Ive had a cold and/or bronchitis for 3 months now because i can never rest to get over it with a 4 mth old and a 2.5 yr old - who wants to wake at least twice in the night and comes into our bed at 6am. its very frustrating ESPECIALLY when you have a baby in the house you have miraculously got to sleep through

For us i think we need to do cold turkey and stick with it for 2-4 really bad nights. we have done it in the past with DD1 when she was 18mths and waking in the night coming into our bed and it did work it just meant VERY big tantrums and no sleep and guilt

The way i see it its better to make them unhappy for a few nights rather than crying EVRY night and having everyone unhappy every single day.

I would check he is eating sufficient at dinner time and choose a night (or week!) when you and DH are at your best and take a stand on it.

We are probably going to do it this week too im just waiting until DH finishes a big work project and has a day off and i was hoping to get better but i just stay sick working so hard all day with no rest at night!

We will prepare DD1 by talking to her about it a lot in the day before hand and when she goes to bed.

another thing - what if you switch the bottle to water or water it down gradually?

good luck

I went through the same thing and I really feel for you. There is nothing worse than constant sleep deprivation!


My advice... get rid of the bottles COMPLETELY. No day bottles and no night bottles either. No dummy! He is more than old enough to not need one. He is waking you up because he can! He hasn't learnt to self settle because everytime he wakes up he gets a bottle to go back to sleep. I know it sounds harsh, but I went through years of getting only 3 hours broken sleep a night lol. When they wake up, give them no food as then their body gets used to it. We saw a sleep specialist, and she said that if you your DD/DS a bottle at 3am, come 3AM the next the night, the body is expecting it and you wake up.

Ditch the bottles. Offer only water for a few nights and then nothing. Give him a sippy cup filled with water next to his bed and then he has no excuse DO NOT CAVE IN NO MATTER HOW HARD HE SCREAMS. Seriously, if you give in once he will learn that he just has to scream louder and more fiercely next time and eventually mum and dad will give in!

I feel your pain. My 2 yr old twins have always been terrible sleepers.

Firstly they were waking for a bottle several times a night.. normally not at the same time. So anyway, I tried changing the bottle to a sippy cup of milk hoping that this would put them off waking up for a bottle.

Nope, they continued waking and were happy to take it from a sippy cup. So I decided to slowly water down their milk. Sometimes the cup would be turfed back at me with tears and tantrums but they now will take the water but still wake atleast twice a night.. still not at the same time

I also have a 4yr old that refuses to sleep in her own bed and will wake at midnight and come and get in bed with me.

Sorry no advice here but atleast we know we are not alone

Hope you get some decent sleep soon.

Here are a few tips that might help
1. you need to ditch the bottles - A 2 year old does not need a bottle and they just fill up on too much milk and then don't eat enough real food and then need more milk - a bad cycle.
2. I would suggest that you visit your GP/health professions and have a talk about a type of sedative to use for 2 nights to attempt to break the cycle he's gotten into. WE did this with DS by accident due to very bad teething and our sleeping lives have been better ever since. YEah - there will be people who don't support this but with the help of your doctor this might be part of the solution.
3. What about a new teddy/bedtime toy to swap for the bottles.

Hi Kumara Long time no "see".

Molly has been like this too!!!! Waking up to 5 times a night for a bottle. She is a terrible eater due to gagging issues (from being prem).

Anyway we tried weaning off bottles slowly to no avail.
So on Saturday we asked Molly to put her bottles in the bin. She did. (then I snuck them out later & hid them in case I caved )
We told her the rubbish truck took them away.
We braced ourselves for terrible times.

Surprisingly things are ok. She has woken once a night since & asked for a bottle. But I just cuddle her and say they're gone. She cries sadly for a few minutes then goes back to sleep.
She asks about twice a day. But seems ok.
Miraculous!!!!!! Far easier than I thought.

But now she won't drink milk at all - out of any type of cup!

Good luck

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas.

He eats well through the day. He has always beena good eater and finishes his dinner 99% of the time. I do agree that he is waking because his body is now 'trained' to want that bottle.

We have tried no bottles, watered down bottles (He freaked out but we stuck to it for a few nights and he was still waking up screaming )

I actually gave him a teddy a few nights ago and he loves it and now wants it at bedtime. I never thought to try and make it a 'replacement' for the bottle!!



Hi Jerry! Nice to see you

I actually think your idea is the next step. To bin the bottles.... We got DD off the dummy by wrapping it up and putting it under the christmas tree and it worked perfectly. She still to this day thinks 'santa' took them! lol

He loves the garbage truck too, so if i let him see the truck take the rubbish with his bottles he might actually find it all exciting and be semi ok with it. (i can hope!)


Ok wish me luck!! and thanks again i appreciate the replies!

Kumara, hope you're ok.

we did cold turkey for the cuddles in the night/our bed and night 1 she was up every hour from 1:30am but the next night she only got up once at 5:30am and went back to her bed without much fuss so its working - was 1 night very bad night though ...but hopefully no more really bad nights and lots more rest for all