Low blood sugar in the AM

[cristeen]

DS is 25 mos, and he goes to bed about 8 with a bottle.  He takes another bottle around 4 (which is as far as night-weaning has gotten).  He usually gets up between 6:30 and 7.  First thing in the morning, within minutes of getting up, he's a screaming mess from low blood sugar.  To where I've resorted to immediately giving him a bowl of cut up fruit to eat, since he can't last long enough for me to make breakfast.  Does anyone have any brilliant suggestions for something that I can feed him either at bedtime, or at 4 am (to replace the bottle) that isn't too messy, that will help keep his BS stable so he isn't a screaming mess every morning?  I can't deal with the daily scream-fests anymore. 

[Lovesong]

I don't have any brilliant, mess free suggestions that would be better than a bottle of milk but these are my suggestions anyhow.

How about oatmeal porridge for the night? It takes longer time than the milk to digest and therefore should hold him over better throughout the night so he is not starving come morning.Serve with a bit of fat milk and non sweetened apple sauce, and just a tiny bit of sprinkled cinnamon if you son wants some taste to it.

For adults, I would recommend some nuts before going to bed. Like a handful of almonds or walnuts. Since the fats and proteins in nuts really do make you feel full longer without giving that much energy, but for a little one...perhaps some peanut butter and veggies or bananas? Though...messy to be sure.

As for breakfast, how about cold, unsweetened rice porridge served with the fruit? It is easy to cook up a batch to last you at least three days or so and a good foundation to start the day on. Perhaps not the very healthiest and certainly not mess free, but it does have the advantage of being fulfilling and gentle at the same time. The blood sugar will start to rise, but not fuelled by just the sugar in the fruit but by the slightly slower digesting rice porridge too.

This means you will have time to prepare a proper breakfast (or brunch/early lunch), with plenty of proteins, fats and slow digesting carbs for a bit later to help your son get a truly good, stable start to his day.

[MAMom]

We had to feed my DS in the middle of the night at that age.  He was simply hungry, and I had night weaned him to get pregnant again, and he had a dairy allergy, so he was on rice milk which is not very filling.

We co-slept, and DH would feed him either banana or oatmeal in the middle of the night.  He was still pretty hungry when he woke up though.  It sucked, but it was what he needed.  He's 8 now and sleeps well, though still wants to eat pretty much the minute he wakes up.

Can you give him some dry cereal, yogurt, hard boiled egg or something else quick while you are preparing the rest of breakfast?