Chase turned one at the end of July and the fact that I’m typing up his 12 month update more than two weeks late should tell you how life has been around here lately… Action-packed, on-the-go, exciting and ever-changing.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times but it is truly mind blowing to me to think that Chase was born a year ago. HOW is my tiny 5 pound 10 ounce baby boy ONE year old!?
This year has, without a doubt, been the fastest year of my entire life and Chase has brought more joy into my days than I ever thought possible. I love him so completely and it’s the most consuming, vulnerable, heart-wrenchingly strong, protective, I’d-do-absolutely-anything-for-you kind of love I’ve ever known.
I have so much fun with Chase every day and now that he’s mobile, our playtime is definitely not sedentary. He will occasionally sit with books and toys once he’s expended a bunch of energy but absolutely prefers to crawl everywhere, pull himself up over everything, climb on top of anything and explore every inch of the space he’s in at the moment. (Not long after I shared Chase’s 11 month update, he finally abandoned his crazy push-up inchworm crawl for a super-speedy “normal” crawl. I guess he had it in him after all!)
Chase is a social little guy and flashes his goofy 6-tooth smile at everyone who passes by. He has a myriad of “baby tricks” in his arsenal and loves showing everyone how he can wave, clap, dance, do the “spider” in Itsy, Bitsy Spider, raise his hands above his head to show how he’s “so big!” (<— oddly comical to us since he’s still in the first percentile for weight), point at “dog,” “mama,” and “lights” and more. He’s been saying “mama” and “da” (meaning “dog” or “dada”) for months now and loves practicing a handful of other noises, tongue/mouth tricks and goofy baby babbling sounds. He is a little sponge who loves to imitate the random noises and motions we show him every day.
During Gymboree, one of the teachers often opens class with an icebreaker question for parents and caregivers to answer. One of the questions posed asked our group what surprised us most about having a baby. When I asked Ryan what his answer would’ve been later that night he said the way he feels inside when he makes Chase laugh.
There’s something about making a baby belly laugh and dissolve into giggles that makes you feel like everything is right in the world. I could be worrying about a laundry list of things or consumed by outside stressors, but the minute Chase breaks out into his contagious laughter, my perspective shifts and I’m filled with joy and an understanding that no matter what else may be going on in my life, if I can make Chase laugh, fill him with joy and offer him comfort and safety every day, I’m doing something right.
It’s so easy to second-guess every tiny detail as a mom but I think it’s important to remind myself of the basics when I start to get overwhelmed and doubt myself. Focusing on gratitude continues to be imperative for me as a mom. When I start to worry or stress out about something related to mothering Chase, I pray, count my blessings and focus on how incredibly lucky I am to be his mom and how small my worries are in the grand scheme of things.
Eat
After a short reprieve, I’m back to being stressed out about Chase’s eating again. I had high hopes for some quality weight gain over the past few months but during his one-year pediatric visit, he registered in the first percentile for weight again. Our pediatrician is amazing and always reminds me that Chase is growing on his own little peanut curve and that he’s developmentally doing just fine. That always makes me feel a little better but it’s still hard no to get in my head and worry about our tiny little man.
To help with weight gain, our pediatrician encouraged us to continue giving Chase foods with higher fat content. I feel like we’ve already been doing this but I’m trying my best to keep it going.
Chase loves nut butter and I recently introduced him to green smoothies made with spinach, frozen bananas, peanut or almond butter, whole milk and full-fat yogurt. He seems to like the smoothies a lot but getting him to sit still long enough to eat or drink anything is a challenge. Playing still trumps food for Chase and it can be frustrating for me when I just want our little guy to eat, eat, eat. I have to trust that he will eat, grow and gain weight all in good time.
I am still nursing Chase quite a bit but over the course of the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to wean him off of some of our daytime nursing sessions and get us down to nursing first thing in the morning and right before bed (and sometimes in the middle of the night because I’ve succumbed to the fact that sleep is always all over the place in our house).
Transitioning away from daytime breastfeeding is going fairly well and I do think that dropping some of his daytime nursing sessions results in better eating during the day, but I am feeling a little challenged because Chase definitely prefers breastmilk to whole milk. He looooves water but when I offer him whole milk, he will only take a couple of small sips before pushing the cup away. I’m not sure how to get him to drink more milk, especially if that is supposed to be a decent part of his calories right now, but at least he likes the smoothies I make him that have a whole milk base.
Sleep
Ugh. Sleep. Here we go again… We’ll have Chase sleeping through the night until something changes – traveling, a guest in town, etc. – and then it’s like we have to start from scratch and really work toward a solid night’s sleep. With such an unpredictable summer full of travel and house guests, I just don’t have the energy to go through sleep training 10,000 times a month when one little outside factor throws everything out of whack.
Everyone has their challenges and even though we’ve had some good nights, Chase still does not seem to be consistently sleeping through the night. Sometimes I feel like a big fat failure because we’re still waking up to nurse but other times I am just over the whole thing and think to myself, “If unpredictable sleep is one of our biggest battles, I consider myself very lucky.” (Well, unpredictable sleep and a child who doesn’t love to eat real food. Fun hurdles, right?)
Chase still wakes one or two times a night (his second waking is usually after 5 a.m., so I really don’t mind it since I wake up early to work anyway) and, honestly, at this point I’d rather just feed him and put him back to sleep since the whole ordeal takes less than 15 minutes versus listening to him fuss or cry on-and-off for an hour or more. Plus, our next two weekends include even more travel and more guests staying with us and I know that would foul up any headway we make if we started back up with sleep training again. I don’t feel comfortable letting Chase cry for long at night when we have guests staying with us since our guests sleep in the room right next to Chase’s nursery, and everyone knows that travel totally messes with a baby’s sleep, so that’s where we are right now. I’m eyeballing September as our “return to sleep training” month. Get ready, Mr. Chase!
I waffled back and forth as to whether or not I should skip the above part of my monthly recap because sometimes I feel like a broken record regarding our sleep hurdles but then I realized there may be someone out there in a similar boat who feels like they’re surrounded by stellar sleepers (and eaters) who might take comfort in knowing they’re not alone. I was actually reading a blog post Jessica shared a few years ago when I went back to read some of her baby posts that said her son wasn’t sleeping through the night at 11 months either and I felt myself exhale. It felt like a giant relief to read that I’m not the only one struggling with sleep a year into the whole baby thing! Everyone has their challenges related to parenting and motherhood.
As far as naps are concerned, Chase is still a good napper which is a HUGE blessing. As a mom who works from home, I’d happily take good naps over good nighttime sleep any day since we don’t have any childcare help and I rely on Chase’s naps to work.
For the most part, he’s still taking two 90-minute to 2-hour naps but there have been a few very unpredictable days in there where Chase refused to nap in the afternoon and skipped a nap altogether. When I observe his demeanor after a skipped nap, I feel pretty confident that Chase still needs two naps a day and thankfully he napped normally again yesterday. I’m still trying to figure out if he’s working toward merging his naps and dropping to one, but right now my gut says he’s not ready. Time will tell!
Likes
- Climbing over everything
- Slapping his hands/banging on everything
- Shakers
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear (He loves the sliding windows in this book and it comes with us everywhere)
- Doors (Apparently doors are magical)
- Splashing in the pool or bathtub
- Watching Sadie
- Super-speedy crawling
- Hide-and-go-seek around our kitchen island
- Flicking light switches on and off
- Music and dancing (He raises his arms and motions his hands up and down and it’s just the cutest)
- Pointing at everything
- Water
- Salmon
- Apples
- Peanut butter sandwiches
Dislikes
- Having his nose, face and hands wiped
- Getting dressed
- Being held for too long
- Sitting in his high chair for too long
- When we take something away from him that he’s not allowed to have (Pens come to mind…)
- When we pick him up after he starts speed-crawling toward Sadie’s dog food (He is obsessed)
- When Ryan walks away to go change into comfy clothes after he arrives home from work
12 Month Baby Favorites
We’ve had some new discoveries this month that Chase seems to love and I’ve added them to the beginning of this list that also includes some of our tried and true favorites that continue to be go-to items for Chase at 12 months old. (I also removed some past favorites that Chase decided he was no longer into this month.)
PLAY
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear Slide and Find Book
- Pat The Bunny Touch and Feel Book
- Oball Rattle and Roll Car
- Melissa & Doug Pull Along Zoo Animals
- Little People Activity Airplane Ride-On
- B. You Turns Steering Wheel
- Grandma Wishes Book
- B. Parum Pum Pum Drum Set
- V-Tech Sit to Stand Learning Walker
- Step2 Finding Dory Water Table
- Infantino Turtle Shape Sorter
- Tuffo Outdoor Water-Resistant Blanket
- SpringWays Swim Float with Canopy
- Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote
- Baby Einstein Take Along Musical Toy
EAT/DRINK
- Lollacup
- Munchkin Snack Catcher Cups
- Munchkin White Hot Infant Safety Spoons (He loves carrying these around with him everywhere)
- Protective Floor Mat
- Chicco 360 Hook On High Chair
- NUK Mash and Serve Bowl
SLEEP
Past Baby Updates
- Eleven Months
- Ten Months
- Nine Months
- What I Wish I Knew Before My Baby Was Born
- Eight Months
- Seven Months
- Six Months
- Our First Sleep Training Experience
- Traveling With A Baby For The First Time
- Five Months
- Four Months
- Three Months
- Two Months
- And Then He Smiled
- Three Weeks
- The First 12 Days
- Q&A: All About Birth & Life With A New Baby
- Chase’s Birth Story: Part I, Part II
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Our (now 15 month old) also has inconsistent sleep when we have company in town (which is often), for the same reasons. His room is next to our guest bedroom, and I’m uncomfortable letting his crying disrupt house guests (and I think that sometimes they are waking him up when they use the restroom, etc). We started putting a pack-and-play in our bedroom closet when we have company in town, and it works so much better. We were able to buy a “real” mattress for it on Amazon, so it’s just as comfortable as his crib. We have to shuffle clothes to other spaces to make it work, but it is definitely worth it.
That’s such a good idea!!!! I don’t know why I didn’t think about that! I do think that the bathroom/toilet/shower wakes him up because the guest bath shares a wall with his nursery and his crib is pushed up right against it!
Julie, I’ve read your blog for years and while I haven’t commented in a LONG time, your update and the feelings you shared just compelled me to let you know, you’re doing a great job, Mama. I still have two young ones (one just started kindergarten last week, hands down the hardest day of my life EVER) but I’ve found, like you said, that the small struggles may seem huge right now, but they will pass all too quickly as you watch them grow. I love that you cherish every struggle and every laugh because the days (and nights) are long, but the years are so short 🙂
I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a sweet comment, Beth! I think you are SO right that the struggles I’m facing now will eventually dissipate (and I’m sure I’ll face new ones right when they leave) and I really do try to focus on everyday moments with Chase and cherish our time because it is absolutely FLYING! I’m pretty sure I’ll cry big fat tears when he’s off to kindergarten, too, so I’m sending YOU supportive hugs!! I hope your little one loves kindergarten and that you adjust quickly! <3
I don’t know if you pump or not; but mixing whole milk with some breast milk just might do the trick with getting him to drink more whole milk. I had that problem with my son so I mixed the two milks together until I was done pumping and got him to consistently drink whole milk. Just thought I would share! 🙂
This worked for us too! Breast milk is much sweeter than cow’s milk so little palates are reluctant to switch. Our ped made the suggestion and it worked well for us over 2 weeks or so.
I’m a pediatric speech therapist who deals a lot with baby feeding, and I wholeheartedly agree with this comment! Start with a ratio of more breast milk than whole milk and slowly decrease the breast milk while increasing the whole milk. This might take a few weeks, but it might do the trick. Good luck!
Don’t be so hard on yourself with Chase waking in the night. Our ten month old still wakes up between one and three times a night, and while people always ask if she’s sleeping through the night, I know in my heart that she gets enough sleep, and that it’s okay for me to be a little tired. Also, coffee. 🙂
I recently read an excellent new book about breastfeeding called Unlatched – I highly recommend it! The author weaves her own story of breastfeeding her two daughters with lots of well done research. A big point that stuck out for me? It’s totally normal for breastfed babies (and all babies, really) to wake in the night. Her oldest woke up to nurse three times a night until she was two years old, and now as a six year old, is an amazing sleeper. We’ll get there in time too. xo
YES! I love this! I think that’s part of the problem — it seems like people asking if your baby is sleeping through the night is one of the top questions I get as a new mom which is probably why it gets in my head. I feel like I should be able to say “yes” when that’s far from accurate right now!
Totally! I feel like it either makes me defensive OR makes me feel like there is something wrong. Maybe we just have to make it the new normal, you know?
Also, I’m trying to cherish the middle of the night feedings because it’s often so tender and precious, and one day it will all be a memory. Okay, starting to well up now…
Chiming in with another midnight waker! My son is 9 months and also has never sttn (he also doesn’t like food very much either, and it’s so stressful!) we had to do some sleep training to get ourselves down to 1-2 wakeups, so we just don’t travel much with him and can’t do overnight guests because it will mess with his sleep so much. I get so much grief for it, but a mama knows her baby best, right? It’s just worth it to me to have him rested, and feels like such a small sacrifice to make sure that happens.
Omg Pat the Bunny was my favorite as a baby! I love that babies are still enjoying it today. You’re doing a great job, Mama, and I’m sure his sleeping and eating will become easier soon 🙂
It was one of my favorites, too!! So fun to see Chase loving it as well. <3
He’s such a cutie! Sleep will come. My mantra when I had toddlers was this to shall pass. It was always when I felt like I couldn’t take it any longer, it would get better. My two kids were terrible sleepers. My daughter at 5 will still wake up a few times a week, but we just create a pallet for her on the floor in our room. Then we just give her a nap during the day or put her down a little earlier. As long as you follow your gut you’ll do exactly what he needs. Mom’s intuition is a powerful thing 😉
OMG I’m so glad you left in the sleep part…solidarity, sister! My 11.5 month son is the saaaame. I’m so in the same mindset as you, usually I’ll just feed him because I know I can be back to sleep in a matter of minutes lol. I swear from the likes and dislikes are raising the same little boy! Like, it’s uncanny. All 3 of my closest girlfriends have little girls who are very quiet, calm and can sit still forever so it’s nice to hear from someone with another active little guy!
“Solidarity sister!” made me LOL! YES!!! <3
You moms are troopers!! I’m at work right now with 4 hours of sleep (rough night), and I can’t imagine also having a baby on top of that. Sleep deprivation is the worst! Just want to say you’re all doing an amazing job just by functioning in this world and taking care of a tiny human! way to go, moms!
My boy is 12.5 months old and I was worried when we weaned at a year because he would only drink an ounce of so of whole milk but the day I actually didn’t nurse him in the morning he CHUGGED 7 ounces of whole milk. Also dropping middle of the day feedings will help so much with eating other foods, or it did for us at least. Our pediatrician also said whole yogurt if you are worried about not enough milk. I officially weaned two days ago and it was bittersweet for sure but I wanted a break before we try for another baby. You are doing great momma!
Yes! Whole yogurt can be a substitute for whole milk. I would suggest weaning some daytime sessions & offer food before nursing/milk. Could U offer milk with meals? Milk is important but you can get the calcium from yogurt/cheese etc.
Right there with you, mama. (Reading this felt like a glimpse into my own world!!) Sleep and eat are two of the biggest stressors for sure. My one year old daughter is currently in a only-eat-noodles phase. I know she’ll grow out of it, but yikes. She luckily is taking milk (soy/almond because she doesn’t tolerate dairy) and Ive also been working on cutting out daytime nursing because I’m back to work in 2 weeks and I don’t want to pump at work. Thank you for sharing everything, because it does really help to know you’re not alone. Keep being an amazing momma. You’re doing great!
I just want to say that introducing green smoothies (same recipe as you, but sometimes I’ll add avocado for extra fat and calories, and oatmeal for extra carbs and fiber) is the best thing I ever did as a mom, food-wise. Now, whenever my preschooler is picky, the only default option is a smoothie and it gives me peace of mind that he gets good nutrition. I really wouldn’t worry about milk too much, he’s getting good fats from breast milk and smoothies have more calories than milk alone anyway!
Aw he is so sweet–i looove that one of him with the cake and his arms up!!
My son slept through the night at an early age, but refused to nap more than 30-60 minutes one maybe two times a day. I tell you, there are struggles, but if they are healthy and happy that is what matters at the end of the day. Chase is clearly a ball of fun-loving sweetness!
One thing I’ve loved about your blog is your honesty — don’t feel the need to leave out anything because you “feel like a broken record.” As you say, you never know who you’re helping when they read your posts! And wasn’t it you who wrote about the Comparison Trap? (clearly a long-time reader over here!) It’s nothing YOU’RE doing wrong, babies are all different and that’s A-OK! It’s very clear that Chase is an extremely loved child and you should be proud of that!
As far as the weight gain goes — I was Never on the growth chart, I always followed my own little curve below it and I turned out just fine. My nephew is the same way, very tiny from the start. Then all of a sudden he hit a growth spurt and he found out that he does in fact like food!
Wondering if you can coerce Ryan into doing a guest post on being a first-time dad?
Would LOVE to read a guest post from Ryan!! My husband would too 🙂 Our baby is the same age as Chase and I love reading these updates.
Also, for what it’s worth, my daughter sleeps okay at night but is not good at napping (only naps for about an hour each time). Maybe Chase knows you want the work time? 😉
I can’t believe Chase is already a year old! That’s great that he’s taking long naps! My little guy only takes short cat naps unless he’s napping on my lap. Needless to say that I can’t get much done at home during the day since he’s always glued to me!
As far as adding in more fat to his diet, I do the same for my 11 month old daughter who is on the petite side. One thing I do is add both coconut oil and olive oil to the pureed chicken that I make for her. I add the chicken into a puree usually for dinner and she eats it up. She, like Chase, also really loves nut butters! I have had the same thoughts about is she ready to drop to one nap, but everything I’m reading says they are not ready for only one nap until 15-18 months, sometimes 18-24 months. I plan on keeping her on two naps a day at least until 15-16 months, then we’ll re-assess. In regards to sleep, I think the most important thing, which we did from day one, is to be consistent. I know it is hard to slow down your life, but that has been key for us in establishing great sleep habits with our daughter. We have done very little travel (one beach trip to be exact) and are hardcore with our bedtime routine and time (7pm) every.single.night.
He is so expressive! Happy 12 months Chase!
I have a 15 month old and thought I could offer some mommy wisdom… As if you haven’t received enough. 🙂 My little guy had been waking up once a night every so often up until about 10 months old. We found once we incorporated more food in his diet, his belly was more full and there was no need to wake up at night anymore. We got rid of the habit pretty quickly, and he started sleeping through the night consistently. I am sure you have heard this by now, but by his age he should be getting in enough calories to sleep through the night and at this point it could just be habit that he wakes for the feeding. Babies/Toddlers are picky eaters, so it can be hard to give him the calories he needs. Keep doing what your doing, and try for high fat, high calorie foods as much as you can, especially at night. As for the whole milk, my guy would take it from a bottle no problem but when we started with sippy cups he didn’t want anything to do with. It took about 2 months for him to want it out of the sippy, and now he loves it. Again, keep trying and doing what your doing and changes will come. Don’t be hard on yourself, those kiddos are tough sometimes! 🙂
My son was born just a week or so after Chase, and I just wanted to let you know we’re in the same boat with sleep AND eating. My son is SO much more interested in playtime than food – it gets so frustrating. I definitely feel your pain. He was big baby when he was born, but steadily went down 2 growth curves and maintained there. Even with that, the pediatrician says he’s ok. So take heart! Also with sleep, you’re even ahead of us over here. My son still wakes up multiple times a night to nurse. I haven’t had the heart to sleep train yet because I work full-time outside the home, so I just try to cherish the time we get at night. Some nights it’s easier said than done. Just wanted to know you’re not alone! And thanks for being transparent on these issues. It’s helped me this past year to know I’m not alone!
I love, love, love reading your monthly updates about Chase. They put me at ease! My son, Max, is 8 1/2 months and he’s always been a challenging sleeper and eater. He’s never gotten the “recommended” amount of sleep for a baby his age and it doesn’t help that all of my friends that are recent moms seem to have super sleepy babies! IF he sleeps through the night he’s ready to party at 5:30am and we are lucky if we get two naps of an hour! What really helped me is our pediatrician reminding me that his sleep now has very little to do with how he is going to turn out as a “big kid”. As long as we are sticking to a routine and setting up good habits, things will work themselves out. In the meantime, he may just be a bit fussy. It’s SO hard not to think “what am I doing wrong” and sometimes, at least for me, reading about baby sleep in books and on the internet make me feel even more like a bad mom because they make it sound SO easy! Thank you for always being honest about parenting Chase and some of your struggles. It is totally okay to want to cherish each and every second of this time, while also being frustrated about some of the challenges. You are doing a great job and Chase is one handsome and charming little guy! 🙂
You are right to remind myself that all babies are different and they truly will get it in time. 🙂 My daughter, who is now 17 months, hated whole milk at first and basically refused to drink it. She slowly got used to it and now she loves it.
She still takes two naps a day even though they are “supposed to generally be” down to one a day to her age but it works for us and I don’t worry about it!
Eating is still a struggle (she’s rather play) and our pediatrician said it’s very normal for toddlers and they will not let themselves starve. 🙂 I think you’re doing a great job mama!
Both of my boys were not interested in whole milk at all when I started trying to wean from breast feeding. They would even spit it out but were great water drinkers too! I had success by mixing whole milk with pumped breast milk and adjusting the ratio as they got more used to it. Hope this helps love you blog and hearing about your beautiful family!
We switched to 2% on our pediatricians recommendation, because our son would not drink whole milk- and who can blame him- going from thin(ish) breast milk to basically a milkshake is probably weird to babies.
I have two nephews who barely eat and they are healthy (rail-thin) 8 & 9 year olds. I think it just depends on the kid. It’s hard not to worry about everything as a first time mom, but as long as the Doctor says he’s on the right track, just try to roll with it! If he doesn’t want to sit still to eat or drink a smoothie, maybe let him wander in a small area with a sippy cup or a small snack cup filled with some healthy options. I still use the Munchkin snack catcher with my 2 & 4 year olds!
If you don’t put him in a pack n play like someone else suggested when you have guests, I’d recommend a white noise machine. Super helpful!
Do you plan to look for any local sitters/mommy’s helpers? Especially now when he’s making moves to go to one nap a day, I’m not sure how conducive that will be for blogging from home!!!
Hang in there, baby!
If you are worried about his weight gain you should be happy he wakes at night! I bet he feeds really well during those sessions. Your breastmilk is absolutely the best thing for him to drink at any age so keep doing what you are doing and he will be just fine 🙂
Hi there! Just wanted to say my son was born just over 6 lbs and was always on the smaller side for weight, about 8-10 percentile but long. My son also needed to eat 1-2 times during the night until he was 11 months old so don’t feel bad. He may have a fast metabolism like my guy. I’m also naturally small at 5 feet 2 inches and 100lbs. I have a Smaller bone structure and feel that’s why my son is like that too. He was also picky on introducing him to solid foods and foods that we were eating. Even as a baby, he did not like the chunkier baby food. My son just turned 5 now and he is in the 28th percentile in weight which is pretty good for us and above average in height. Though he is still a picky eater lol. Like you said, in the grand scheme of things, having a healthy child is all that matters and I’m sure your baby will get better eating table food in time. My son did get better! Take care!
Julie I had to chime in today because my second daughter was similar to Chase when it came to sleeping. It just took SO long for her to be able to sleep at night. I honestly started to just try to savor the moments in the night (and nursing) since I knew they would pass eventually. She’s now 2.5 and she sleeps well (and now I’m jinxing myself!). It’s hazy when that started as my sleep deprived brain was not keeping track of details, but it will come. I felt the exact same way about guests coming. It stressed me out because I didn’t want to encourage bad habits with my daughter, but I also didn’t want to wake my guests! Hang in there!
Don’t worry about the sleep mama. My daughter didn’t start sleeping through the night till 2. I felt the same way. It will work out on its own……I just learned to savor the times I would get with her in the middle of the night because I know it was only for a short while.
Don’t worry about the sleeping too much (hard to do when you are TIRED I know). My daughter slept through the night for the first time at 13 months. I got so sick of hearing other people talk about how good their kids slept. You are not the only one. I nursed too, and I did find that when we stopped nursing around 13-14 months was when my daughter started consistently sleeping through the night! I am about to have baby number 2, and hope it is easier, but if nothing else I just have to remember that everything is temporary and it won’t last forever!
Like many of the other girls who have commented already, I am SO glad you decided to include your sleep/eating struggles! Thank you! It truly is such a relief to hear that my kiddo is not the only one who doesn’t do X/Y/Z like he’s “supposed to.” His nighttime sleep is close to average, but he regularly naps HOURS less than a baby his age should (we’re talking maaaybe three 30-minute naps all day). Like you describe with Chase’s eating, this is something that I have been so worried about and second-guessing myself and why we aren’t able to help him sleep better. But we’ve tried every trick in everyone’s book and he just. won’t. sleep. Our pediatrician reminded us last week that kids are different, and since he’s happy and growing and learning well, we shouldn’t worry. But that is some difficult advice to follow!
A bit of a side note–I LOVE all the supportive comments your honest and beautiful posts inspire, too! It’s so nice to see so many of us in the same boat, and you’re the one who’s brought us together! So, thank you, for this and all your posts, for many different reasons 🙂
“When I asked Ryan what his answer would’ve been later that night he said the way he feels inside when he makes Chase laugh.”
OMGosh. I WILL resist the baby fever. I WILL resist the baby fever.
I am not sure if you are already doing this but try warming up the whole milk. When I switched my daughter from breast milk to whole milk at 1 year I slowly weaned her by mixing the breast milk with whole milk. Gradually increase the amount of whole milk and decrease the amount of breast milk. I was worried my daughter wouldn’t do well with the transition but she did great. She is 19 months and I still warm up her whole milk in the morning and at night because that is the way she likes it. Chase is so cute, I cant believe he is already a year old:)
I agree with the warm milk, that worked for my son who only liked breastmilk at a year old too. He’s 13 now and still likes warm milk at night! Lol
My son woke through the night to nurse until 14 mos! I finally had to sleep train him and he has been a good sleeper since. The exhaustion was killer and I don’t drink coffee or caffeine so not sure how I made it lol
As a pediatric dietician, you are absolutely correct in being concerned about Chase bring in the first percentile for weight as that is very small, especially for a boy. Kudos to you for being on top of it! Eliminating daytime nursing sessions and replacing it with solid food and high calorie foods will make a dramatic difference in his caloric intake. Whole milk, cheeses, nut butters, avocados will also help that process. As long as you are in open discussions with your doctors, all will be ok 🙂
Hi Julie! Your little boy is adorable. We started giving my son oat milk at a year and he loved that. It’s got a sweeter taste that your son might like more than whole milk. Any chance he might like chia seed pudding with full fat coconut milk or coconut milk yogurt? I would give my son full fat whole milk yogurt too. He was in the lower weight range until now he’s two and finally at the 50th percentile. I know getting our busy boys to eat can certainly be stressful. You’re doing a great job!
Hey Julie 🙂
I’m sure you have tried TONS of ideas with food, but one tip my sister gave me is to mix solid food with some breastmilk if you are still able to pump, so for example mixing some puréed fruit or veggies with breastmilk. That way the food is supercharged with your milk which is still full of nutrients for baby, so the little bits that he does eat go a bit further nutrition wise.
Another thing you could try is making “half and half” breastmilk and whole milk, to transition Chase, or even 3/4 breastmilk and 1/4 whole milk to work your way up to it.
One of my favourite treats for kids is avocado chocolate pudding, since avocados are such a great healthy fat but sometimes hard for kiddos to get used to the taste, so turning it into chocolate pudding seems to help 🙂
You are doing a great job Mama!!
In case this helps at all, my now 20-month old essentially woke at least once to nurse until he was just over 16 months. He would wake to nurse sometime in the very early morning hours 3:30/4/5, nurse, then go back to sleep. We tried to wean him off of it, but we would just all lie awake from whatever time that wakeup happened. I actually think the reason he stopped waking was that I am pregnant again and my milk supply dropped drastically around the time he was 16 months, which essentially weaned him over the next few months. Also, my husband and I went away for a few days and he knew I wasn’t there to nurse, and when I got back, he was sleeping through til closer to 6. For the past few months, he has slept very consistently from about 7:30pm-6am, with one long afternoon nap. So, I promise, it does get easier! Oh, and we never formally sleep trained..I just sort of figured he would outgrow the night wakings, and he did.
Hi Julie! Thank you for sharing about chase’s sleeping. I have a 6 month old baby boy and he still gets up 2-3 times a night to nurse. I tried giving him bottles in the night with pumped milk to see if it would decrease his waking but it didn’t help and now he refuses the bottles at night anyways. I feel like everyone on earth has babies who sleep through the night except me, and I always feel like a failure. It really helps to read your honest posts about sleeping, and all the comments from other moms too! Thank you!!!!
Our little guy is in the 2nd percentile for weight and we had to switch to all formula after 9 weeks. The doctor joked that he was getting “skim milk” from me which made him not gain as fast. With all of the pressure out there it makes it nearly impossible for a mama to think she’s doing the right thing. My sister in law and I have done things so differently with our boys,but guess what, they’re both beautiful happy baby boys and we have happy homes. You do you and know that your baby is loved, healthy, and happy. Sleep is a mystery. Some babies are born with the temperment. Our boy does not like daytime sleep AT ALL. Napping consistently is such a struggle. Everyone struggles with something. You’re doing a great job! He is such a cutie with that blond hair. I love your blog and honesty! It’s so refreshing! PS – the white noise machine is a lifesaver in our small house. We can watch a loud movie right outside his room and he doesn’t even notice.
Hi Julie,
I’ve been reading for a while and have never commented, but my daughter definitely preferred breastmilk to whole milk as well. Someone suggested weaning breastmilk slowly by adding whole milk over the course of 4 weeks. The first week we did 25% whole milk and 75% breastmilk in bottles; then 50% breastmilk and 50% whole milk; then 25% breastmilk and 75% whole milk. Then by the fourth week we did all whole milk. Worked like a charm and I don’t think she ever noticed. My daughter is now going to preschool in the fall and I’m using the same approach to get her to eat sunflower butter since peanut butter isn’t allowed at the school and just like you, she’s a PB girl! Anyway, Hope that helps. Being a mom is a tough job and you’re doing great! I’m on round 2 now – my daughter is 2.5 and my son is 5 months old. I’m feeling the sleep deprivation thing all over again…Best of luck!
We are in the same boat with our almost 10 month old in the sleeping department! I nearly always give in and just nurse so I can get back to sleep…plus I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still love the nighttime snuggles now that I’m working full time outside of the house. I get the same knot in my stomach when people always ask if he’s sleeping through the night…obviously it’d be great but it doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong if they don’t! Reading through these comments makes me think more people are in the “waking up multiple times a month” camp that not. 😉 LOVE your blog, your honesty, and your perspective! Keep it up mama!
You are doing an awesome job with Chase! He is such a cutie!
Don’t worry about his percentile. If his pedi is fine with it, then just keep that as a mantra. I went through the same thing with my now two year who is still small in weight.
Also, he never drinks whole milk, unless it’s in oatmeal or cereal. He LOVES whole milk yogurt. Stonyfield makes a great one called Yobaby!
My baby girl just turned one today (cue the waterworks)….she is a pretty picky eater, too, and will only eat a handful of things (plus some purees). I am interested if the Dr. has any tips at her next apt, as she is also low percentile for weight and it always concerns me. I breastfed her with a mix of bottles over the last few months, and she takes sippy cups of water. If I try to put breast milk in the sippy cup, she spits it out! Just curious if you are giving Chase whole milk in a bottle or a cup? Not sure how I could get her to take more then a few sips from a cup!
My son turned 1 last week and has yet to sleep more than 6 hours straight so I know how you feel, you’re not alone! Side note since you listed toys that chase loves – my son was given a Smartrike for his birthday and absolutely loves it! It’s easier to push than a stroller, in my opinion, and converts into a regular tricycle later on. It’s definitely getting us outside more and he’s more engaged now pointing out cars and trees and chattering away.
Babies are so variable. My guy had a great sleep routine then at 13-months he had started waking up during the night again for a bottle. That ended up lasting 2 months! He was also great at sitting and eating, but now that he’s 17-months he’s terrible because he wants to play. Things just change so quick because their development changes so quickly. I would recommend the bottle half breast milk/ half whole milk that someone suggested. It takes time but most things do with a baby. You’re doing great; trust your instincts and everything will be just fine ? Also in regards to the work thing, daycare can really be great learning and growing experience for kiddos if you find one you feel comfortable with. My son loves his and doesn’t want to leave sometimes!
Hi Julie,
Long time reader but first time commenter! I have a 14-month old who is also in the 1st percentile for weight, has never sstn, love our dog more than anything, much prefers breastmilk to real food, wakes to feed typically once a night, wakes at 5am on the dot, and is the best little boy in the world 🙂
I am so grateful to read your update and comments and see how many moms are in the same boat. Chase seems to be doing amazingly, and you’re such an awesome role model as a mom. Know that you’re not alone and that sharing your updates are truly appreciated by fellow moms in the same boat!
whoa — that had about 85 typos.
Your posts are always so honest and refreshing! If there is one thing I have learned as a mom (I have a 17-month-old girl) it is that literally EVERY baby has their own challenging behaviors, and it’s so much better to be open about them so that other moms have the opportunity to cheer you on! I’ll admit that I am the person with the dream baby (she slept through the night at 4 months and is very easygoing). But, she also has a dairy allergy! So even though I don’t have the sleep and behavior challenges, I get stressed about having to always plan food for her since I’m never sure if she’ll be able to eat whatever others are eating if we are not at home. I worry about her feeling left out of special events when she gets older because so much “fun” food is milk-based. Etc, etc, etc…. Knowing that every mom is fighting a different battle that might not be readily visible from the outside helps me to have compassion and empathy for other moms instead of comparing or judging. So I think the more sharing about the challenging aspects of raising babies, the better!!
I had to warm whole milk to get my son to drink it. Gradually decreased the temperature and now he loves it!
Our daughter had her 1 year check-up today and her pediatrician said if she isn’t really into milk to try some cheese or whole milk yogurt. We’ve tried giving her milk a couple times and it’s hit or miss. You may also try the mixture method, do a portion of cow’s milk and breastmilk, and slowly increase the amount of cow’s milk (start maybe 2 oz cow’s milk to 6 oz breast, etc). Praying you guys get some good night’s sleep soon! We’ve been very blessed for the most part, but last night was the first time our daughter wanted a 2am dance party. I have a feeling we’re in for some sleepless nights!
You are a good mama, Julie. Try not to let his weight gain or his not sleeping through the night throw you off 🙂 I get caught playing the comparison game a lot too and it can really put a damper on your day and your mama esteem, but you are doing a great job and Chase is happy and thriving! Adeline was always a GREAT sleeper, but now she’s waking up crying several times a week. I say this not to brag, but to share that I honestly think a lot of our sleep problems have been due to her just being a baby. She’s a teeny, tiny person and her head is literally exploding with new things and new developments and new senses and new discoveries around the clock and if that were me, I’d have a hard time sleeping too!!