Weaning

[mum2derekandmia]

I desperatly need advice. My DD used to sleep all nite and had done from 3 months, now I want to wean her from her cup all together(She is 2 late Nov). This is without success. I have tried cold turkey (this worked for older brother but she is far far more determined or stubborn than he) but that resulted in mass tanties (for me & her) as daddy would pat her to sleep (I saw this as rewarding her bad behaviour he saw it as a means to an end). She wakes every 2-3 hrs wanting her cup refilled. I know the cup is what is disrupting sleep I just don't know how to get rid of the cup, keep the peace & my sanity. Plus she pee's thru her nappies every nite so I have to wash sheets everyday.:hair:

[cwsmum]

What does she have in her cup?
DS was like that with his bottle til he was over 2yrs old, he didn't care if it had milk or water in it. I ended up just changing to giving him milk in a cup after dinner then taking it away when he was finished. I also didn't let him see any bottles from the time I decided to get rid of them and didn't offer drinks after he had his milk.

Maybe you could try a different cup and get rid of the one she has been using at night...

[ShadyCharacter]

I don't see your husband comforting her as 'rewarding bad behaviour' :no: - I see it as comforting her when she is genuinely distressed.

I would also consider the possibility that if there is only water in her cup that there MAY be an underlying medical issue to make her so thirsty?

Also, with the nappy, what type are you using? You could just add some extra absorbency to solve your wetting through issues?

[~mia&ryan~]

I don't see your husband comforting her as 'rewarding bad behaviour' :no: - I see it as comforting her when she is genuinely distressed.

Agreed... :yes:

Her cup is probably a comfort item, which means it will be a slow process to get if away from her... Praise and reassurance is your best bet, not treating it like bad behaviour...

[mum2derekandmia]

Thanks for the tips. Now I'm not too sure if the cup is the whole issue after all. I don't co-sleep, nothing against it just paranoid I will hurt them, anyway the other nite DD very unsettled so DP said to bring her in with us. As we settled I listened to her breathing as she fell asleep, she takes deep breaths in then pauses the next thing she wakes up crying and upset in a panic. This set the rythem for the next 2 hours. Last nite I watched her sleep and she breathes through her nose then that seems to get shallower then she wakes up taking gulping big breaths in through her mouth. Are these signs of sleep apneoa? If so what avenues do I take to get this checked out apart from our GP?

[mamabearof3]

Is she congested at the moment? Perhaps you just need to see if her nasal passages are clear. Have you tried some saline in her nose before she goes to sleep. I'm wondering if she is waking because her mouth is dry if she is switching to breathing through her mouth at some stage during the night.

She might need something to help clear her nose. Personally I love the otrivin junior nasal spray (from 6 months of age) as it clears the sinus out too.

As for the cup I would suggest putting less and less into the cup. First just half fill it, then just a quarter, then just 10ml and wean it down that way, perhaps she will use an empty cup as a "lovey" for a while to come too.