Did you exclusively formula feed? If so, how was sleep?

[HatHen]

Hi,

I was wondering if any of you exclusively formula fed, and if so how was baby's sleep patterns?

I'm planning to exclusively formula feed this time round so I am wondering what to expect.

(Please don't make this thread about BF or bashing. I have my perfectly valid medical reasons for FF).

[MesmereldaM]

You say you have medical reasons but even if you didnt still a valid choice!
I mixed fed then FF. I think it's handy seeing how much they've had. Less snacking. Plus of course allows you a break as your DP can do night feeds.

[DonkeyOaty]

One of mine was ff. Sleep was all over the shop til 18 months [still shudder at the memory]

[MesmereldaM]

Ime they did pretty much go 3 hourly in the night from FF when tiny.ine settled well.

[Scrumptiousbears]

I did with both of mine. Both slept through the night around 8 weeks. Although I do know other formula fed babies who were terrible sleepers so maybe I had babies who loved their bed lol.

[blibblibs]

I FF both my DC and both were very different. First feed every 4 hours like clockwork until I dropped the dream feed at about 4 months. Second was a nightmare who feed if and when they felt like it and almost 8 years on its still pretty much the same .
Sorry not much help, but I do think even if the child is BF or FF it really just depends on that particular child.

[Buttercupsandaisies]

My first was s terrible sleeper til 18 months (bf first 3 months), my second was ff from day one and the difference was remarkable - slept brilliantly from the first week. Prob just coincidence but I found ff much better

[moomoogalicious]

All 3 of mine were ff.

Dc 1 slept through at 6 weeks
Dx2 slept through at just over a yeat
Dc3 slept through at 2 or 3 months.

Probably no different from bf except dh could do one of the night feeds

[lightcola]

My daughter bottle fed every 2 hours day and night till 8 weeks when she slept through. I now feed once around 5am.

[Sittinginthesun]

I FF one DC (after 10 days of BF), and BF the other.

The FF baby fed every two hours during the night for the first 7 weeks, and it was a killer mixing up feeds etc. I was literally a zombie. Then, at 7 weeks, he went 10pm to 6pm.

Compared to youngest, who probably fed as often, but I didn't have to get out of bed, so I had much more sleep. He kept the 1am feed going until 5 months, but it wasn't hard to feed him.

[coffeeneeded]

I have exclusively ff my twins from the beginning. Get baby on a routine. I don't think I know anyone who can ff on demand.

At the beginning we were feeding every three hours (they were premature) and we followed that sort of pattern (eventually feeding every 4 1/2 ish hours) until 12 ish weeks when I'd had enough of the 3am feed!

By 16 weeks we just had a dream feed at 2245 and we got rid of the dream feed by 9 months. They sleep 7-7.

Sleep has had its ups and downs. It's was ok until we had to get rid of the sleepyheads and separate them. This made our ds realise what he has been missing and he was thrashing about loosing his dummy all the time (but that's a different issue). Now they are almost 1 and basically sleep through with the odd wake up due to teething etc.

Good luck! And buy a perfect prep machine if you don't already have one (yes- I've heard the stories- mine is squeaky clean as well worth it ;))

[FATEdestiny]

DC3 exclusively formula fed from Day 20.

3 weeks old: waking for 1 feed between 7pm-7am

7 weeks old: never waking between 7pm-7am

No regressions, no difficulties getting to sleep. Easy peasy.

[Misspilly88]

We ff on demand after 8 weeks trying to bf. He didn't sleep through till 15 months. He was waking up to 10 times a night at 6 months. Bit less by 12, but only just dropped the night feed at 1. Sorry.

[Hellmouth]

DS exclusively FF from the beginning. Started sleeping through from about 3 months. Until recently, was doing 8pm until I had to wake him at half 6, then usual naps in the day. He's 9 months now and his sleep seems to be getting worse, although I think this is linked to him not napping enough at nursery so there's not much we can do about it! The nursery staff said they've tried but he won't sleep. I think he is just more interested in looking around. Still manages a 6-7 hour stretch at night, though, so could be worse!

[FATEdestiny]

I think any benefit to sleep quality is likely to only come if exclusively formula feeding starts very early in life, say the first month.

Anecdotally, breastfeeding mums who change to formula after 3-4 months rarely see significant improvements in sleep quality.

[NotTheBelleoftheBall]

I exclusively FF DD (5months).

I don't remember the first few weeks of her life AT ALL.

From four weeks she slept in two batches: 4 hours asleep, feed, and then 3 hours asleep.

From eight weeks she slept through and has done so relatively consistently ever since (we've had a few shockers, but we're talking every few weeks she might wake a few times in a night).

Idk how much of that is down to being FF and how much is down to her. I know none of it is down to me/routine. And of course it could all change tomorrow!

[HatHen]

Thanks everyone. This calming my nerves. My first child was BF and woke up without fail every 45 min for a feed. I'm really hopeful this time i will be different.

@coffeeneeded thanks on the prep machine tip, definitely getting one of those.

[NewBallsPlease00]

Fwiw my first child was mix fed to 4 months the ff and woke hourly till 18 months,
Second child ebf (allergies no formula suitable!!) for 12 months and slept 3 hour chunks pretty much from start

[Inadither]

I think sleep is more to do with the individual child than what they're fed. My dsis bf her babies for the first 4 months and they all slept through from 6 weeks . She then ff with no change to sleep patterns. Her kids just loved sleep.
I bf mine and the first slept through from 4 months 7-7 and the second at 18 months. Thankfully we all get a full nights sleep now. I was ff and didn't sleep through for over 2 years. Poor mum. She always said if I'd been her first she wouldn't have had any more.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I didn't ff but my Mum ff me and bf my DSister. I too think that sleep is more about the child. Apparently I didn't sleep till I was about 4 and my DSister slept through from 6 weeks.

[Jazzywazzydodah]

Dd3 BF for two days while in hospital then went on to FF. No fuss or mither

Dd2 was BF and was wanting a feed/suckle all through the night. It just took my enjoyment away being so fucking tired.

[Jazzywazzydodah]

**dd3 slept through from six weeks

[LuluJakey1]

DS was FF from birth. Slept through from 6 weeks 7pm-7am

Am hoping for the same with DD- due in 3 weeks

[PugwallsSummer]

Both of mine FF

DD1 woke every 2 hours for a feed, religiously. Was the foggiest, most exhausting time of my life! She only started sleeping through at 3 years 10 months!!

DD2 is 13 weeks and has slept through from 6 weeks. Hoping it continues - what a difference it makes!

[MamaHanji]

My first was formula fed and slept through the night around 7 weeks. But a few friends have formula fed babies that don't/didn't sleep through.

It is true that breastmilk is digested quicker so breastfed babies tend to feed more often. That's definitely the case for my second who is breastfeeding 3 times a night at 16 weeks!

[MargaretCabbage]

My FF baby was a terrible sleeper, didn't sleep through until about 18 months and it was always a nightmare getting him to sleep after he started refusing a dummy at about nine months. I found the night feeds really hard because I had to physically get up, but on the plus side they were shared with my DH. I couldn't have managed without the Perfect Prep or bottles of pre-made if we were away from home. I also have an EBF baby who is weirdly a much better sleeper. I think it's just the luck of the draw!