21 month old suddenly refuses normal bedtime routine - please help if poss!

[stinkymalinki]

Not sure where to put this, as it kind-of covers sleeping, feeding, and parenting

We have a very long-standing routine with our 21 month old son - 2 hours nap from 1-3pm, dinner between 5-6pm, bath and wind down after this and a 300ml bottle of milk, then bed at 7.30pm. In the last 2 days, nothing has changed in his routine (aside from the rise in temperature outside!), only he's suddenly refusing to drink his milk (he has the other half of his daily quota first thing in the morning, and just has water or diluted juice during the day), and really playing up come bed time, refusing to lay still for his nappy change, getting all grumpy etc. Initially i thought he just wasn't 'hungry' enough for the milk any more, but DH thinks he could be associating the white stuff with bedtime, as despite refusing the milk again tonight, he's happily downed another bottle of dilute juice, and when DH took him up to bed, although he was initially grizzly about the idea, he seems to have gone off to sleep as normal. Incidentally, last night, despite missing his milk, he slept through and didn't wake up early, hungry, which i was expecting him to!

Any ideas? He eats well, but without his night milk, he only has 300mls, and i was under the impression that he should be having a pint a day minimum. He also has a Babybel every morning, as well as dairylea in his lunchtime sandwiches, but doesn't like yoghurts. Any advice would be appreciated. SM.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

They don't need a pint a day after they turn 1. About 450mls is the recommendation after this, but the cheese all counts towards this, so I wouldn't worry on that score.

Don't know why he might have changed his routine, but if it's only a couple of days then I'd just carry on as you were to see if he reverts back, but if not then just go with it.

[stinkymalinki]

Thanks CSWS - thats more reassuring re the milk intake. It just seemed odd that he saw it tonight and started panicking that it was nearly bed time (or at least thats what it looked like). Maybe i'm giving him more cognitve thought processes than a 21 month old should have! Just when i think i've cracked this parenting lark, my son has to go and throw us (another) curve ball and its back to the drawing board again!

[mawbroon]

I would agree with Can'tSleep and would say at this stage it's probably best to stick with the routine. There's a good chance that he's testing to see what happens if he doesn't go along with what is expected of him. What I do with my ds is say stuff like "where does ds go after tea" then after bath "what does ds do after bath" then "what does ds do after milk time" etc etc. He knows the routine very well as he always signs bed or bath or whatever at the appropriate time. I am wondering if the fact he has "told" me himself makes him feel more in control,

I wouldn't worry about the milk intake either, sounds fine. Could you get him an exciting cup to take the milk from rather than a bottle? You could make it his special bedtime cup. Worth a try!

[Yokefleet]

Hiya hun, I was going to suggest the same as MB re the cup instead of bottle. Thomas still takes more then 1 pint of milk a day but we don't have a cup/beaker just before bed (not since his b day) I just have his beaker topped up throughout the day, one with water the other with milk so I don't know what else to suggest really. If it were me I stick to your existing routine and hope its just a little phase

[ELF1981]

Evelyn regularly does not have milk of an evening. Although I believe the teeth police will no-no juice at bedtime, Evelyn often has juice rather than milk and sleeps through fine. I tend to make her some milk and juice and offer which one she prefers. Sometimes she'll just go to sleep holding it and not drink any.

Re the milk intake - if she doesnt drink any milk at night, the only milk she has in a day is the hot milk on her weetabix / ready brek. She has 3 youghurts but that doesnt help you, she has cheese too. If I really feel she has skimped of milk and not eaten the cheese of yoghurts, I have given her milkshake in the past though I try not to get too worried now.

Have you tried those new Milk time thingies? They are like frozen milk with a bit of fruit puree on top, if he wont eat youghurt, maybe he'd have that? I think it is healthy though check the label!

[stinkymalinki]

Thanks for the support Guys

He slept through again last night, so obviously not missing his night milk, and as far as bedtime issues go, i think he's just being a typical toddler and not wanting to have to stop playing! He's just testing his boundaries again i suspect, but so long as DH and i remain consistent, i hope he'll settle down again soon.

Thanks for the advice re the Milktime - i'll give them an investigation when i go to Tesco later. I think i'm also a bit paranoid as i hate most dairy products (bar clotted cream), and i have the most awful teeth and bones secondary to a chronic lack of calcium, and i'd hate Joey to end up like me. SM x

[ELF1981]

I know what you mean about milk etc. I hardly ever eat cheese, I hate milk (though lived on milkshake when pregnant with Evelyn to stop the indegestion!) and I worry about what kind of future I have set myself up for with regards to bones.