Should a sleeping 3-year old be woken and fed at midnight every night?

Question

My lil bro is 3 1/2 and his mom (my dad's gf) insists on waking the kid up at midnight and feeding him a bottle of "nutritional product". She is a Brazilian and she said it's normal for their culture. I think it's crazy to wake up a sleeping kid and feeding him a full bottle of milk. When I was a kid, I ate dinner, went to bed around 8pm, woke up at 6am and had breakfast. I think it is a horrible habit since people (except for newborns), should not be sleeping on a full stomach. Other than causing obesity, it can also cause acid reflux problem since your stomach is working to digest the food while you lay down and the acid damages your lower esophagus. Any help convincing my brother's mother that she should stop this habit, or is it okay?

Answer 1

Tell her she's f*n nuts and tell your Dad to get some so he can tell her that she's nuts too.  A 3 year old shouldn't be getting a bottle of anything unless it's juice or milk, maybe some pop.  Crazy Brazilians.

Answer 2

No, he should be sleeping through the night by 3 years.  Unless a doctor has told his mom to feed him at midnight, she should let him sleep.

Answer 3

if it's in her culture, you're going to have a hard time convincing her otherwise.

but no i don't think she should be waking him up to feed.

Answer 4

Let me tell you something: I'm brazilian and it's not our culture.

By the way: we are not hispanics, we don't speak spanish and we don't wear "ponchos" and "sombreros" also.

Answer 5

My first thought was his teeth. This could cause his teeth to decay.(like a form of baby bottle decay) Not a good thing--but good luck trying to convince her otherwise. She obviously really believes in this to actual wake up herself and do this.

Answer 6

that is totally wrong and you are right, But other than provide her with literature I don't think there is much you can do about it. good luck! that is crazy though...

Answer 7

I do not think it's good for him to be woken up during the night.  There are specific stages to our sleep (Stage I, II, III, REM) and they serve specific functions.  When you have a sleeping disorder and go for a sleep study, they measure how many minutes of sleep do you spend at each stage.  It is important, because our bodies regenerate, hormones regulate etc. during those stages.  Waking someone in the middle of the night consistently may not show immediate problems and the kid may seem to function normally (our bodies seem to adjust sometimes) but there is no good reason for it.  

I would seriously question what's the thinking behind waking a sleeping child if it's a cultural thing.  It may have been something misunderstood and carried for generations without understanding.  Here's an example"

A woman was having a holiday dinner and baking a ham.  She puts the ham in a roasting dish and cuts off both ends before putting in the oven.  A friend asks her why she does that.  The woman had no answer other than her mother taught her to do it like that.  So they both go to the mother with the same question, but they get the same answer.  So now all three approach the grandmother with the same question.  The grandmother bursts out laughing.  When she composed herself, she explained that it has nothing to do with the cooking process of the ham, but the reason she cut the ends off of the ham was because her roasting dish was too small.

I would also be worried about ear infections and tooth decay if he drinks milk or whatever while laying down.

Answer 8

Hi!

I'm from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I can assure I never knew a woman who does this.

It's not brazilian "culture". It's is a foolish.

I'm anger to see brazilians being generalized as ignorants who lives is a world with no science, but primitive traditions.

I don't know if a hate more this imbecile brazilian or the ignorants who believes in her, if it would be a habit of our society at long the deacades...

Answer 9

No way .



He needs sleep at his age as long as he's getting the nutrition he needs during the day (which he seems to be getting)

Answer 10

wow i think the kid needs sleep and doesnt need to be fed in the middle of night thats crazy

Answer 11

Nope. Your right! Congratulations heres a cookie.

Answer 12

Sounds like unintentional abuse to me.  Kids at that age need their sleep even more so than adults.  So imagine the disruption on his body from being awaken and then exhausted during the day.  Not to mention the additional unnecessary calories and spike in his blood sugar in the middle of the night.  There's a concern for tooth decay.  It could also cause him emotional damage to be startled and awaken in the middle of a deep sleep every night.    If she is that ignorant and stubborn than she is NOT a suitable parent.   Please talk to your father about her behavior or have a pediatrician call her ASAP.

Answer 13

1. He's 3 1/2, he can sleep through the night without being fed.

2. He's 3 1/2 and he's on a bottle still?

She needs to stop this NOW!

Answer 14

I can tell you from what I have witnessed in the school system, Hispanic families do tend to "baby" their children longer than other Americans. When kindergarten parents come in they often feed their children, despite the fact that they kids eat well on their own every other day. Just ignore it and let it go.  Do what you want when you have your own!   (I have family members I do this for and we have the same heritage.  :) )

Answer 15

wrong or right you are fighting a losing battle so let it go, she was probably brought up the same way and many other people where she comes from so this normal for them. Let her get on with it it's her kid afterall.

Answer 16

Doesn't she take child to a pediatrician for regular check-ups?   I'm sure he or she would tell her how BAD her behavior is and all the negative ways it's affecting this child.  Maybe you could encourage them to get this kid to a doctor and she'll listen to him.  

Answer 17

No

Answer 18

well since it is part of her culture, so you probably won't get her to stop. It also isn't hurting him any as it is a nutritional product. And you said he's not overweight.

honestly i would stop worrying so much about it. He's just fine. In the grand scheme of life, this isn't that bad a thing.