To not want to turn my twins into an experiment?

[willisurvive3under2]

DTs are coming up to 6 months. For various reasons, Twin 1 is BFed and Twin 2 is FFed. Needless to say, T1 is a pretty rubbish sleeper - wakes frequently for a feed at night. T2 has slept through from about 8 weeks and is an amazing sleeper.

Various people in my life have suggested I put T1 on formula and she'll start sleeping. I'm very conflicted about this as BFing is going well. What if I give up and she keeps waking? I'll lose all the health benefits and I'll have to traipse around in the night making bottles.

It's not a science experiment - they're two separate babies with different habits/skills (non ID twins, so they're 'just' siblings). I am sleep deprived and have other DC to look after - of course I'd rather sleep. However we cosleep and I've found a balance I think, and I just get on with it - I'm probably not desperate enough. WWYD? AIBU to not want to stop BF?

Both my twins were formula fed. One slept and one didn’t. Carry on with whatever works for you. Good luck. It does get easier!

Totally fine! No one knows better than you what works for your lovely babies.

How about one bottle of formula a night to see if it makes any difference/ will even take a bottle

17m in and my formula baby wakes several times a night still. It's fuck all to do with what they're fed. He slept better when he was breastfed for the first few months of his life.

I didn't have twins but i fed both of my babies... One was a horrendous sleeper. The other an absolute dream.

They are both their own little persons.

Could you top up with a bottle at bedtime, see if that pushes T1 for a bit longer?

Both my dds were breastfed and excellent sleepers.
So, based on my survey sample of 2, I wouldn't give up breastfeeding to see if they sleep, it's probably nowt to do with it.

You might just have one sleeper and one non-sleeper. There is no guarentee that changing feeding methods will have any affect on sleep.

Obviously up to you but if you're happy as you are...

I breastfed both my twins. One was a dreadful sleeper and the other much better.

You are right to consider them as individuals- start as you mean to go on.

We never ever refer to our D.C. as “the twins”.

I breastfed both my sons. DS1 was sleeping through by 8 weeks, DS2 was a horrendous sleeper and woke 5-10 times a night until a year. I didn't do anything any different. I do believe that FF babies generally sleep better.
Just do whatever works for you and your family and if you don't want to give your breastfed baby formula then don't let people pressure you into it.

It would annoy me a lot if people kept commenting on the different feeding methods and sleep patterns. They are 2 individuals with different needs. It bugs me enough when people compare my sons who are not twins, it must drive you crazy.
If you are all happy then carry on!

I bf my non of twins until 11 months, 1 slept a bit better than the other. When I switched them to formula they both slept through! Whether it was going to happen anyway or because of the formula I don't know (or care because I finally got more than 2 hours of sleep in row

Just do what you want❤️

I ff both my twins, and one woke up most for the first few months, since starting weaning, the other one is now most likely to wake at night. Neither require feeding, they just wanted their dummy put back in, or a little bit of settling.

If you don’t want to stop bf, I wouldn’t. I think you either have a baby (or babies that sleep!) or you don’t, or somewhere in between. When mine were really little, they’d sleep for the longest stretch after a bottle of breast milk!

@Happyandshiney really?

Is that just force of will? Maybe just because I have other kids too but if I am talking about my twins I often call them 'the twins', 'the boys', 'the kids'.

What's your rationale here?

Twins here as well, bf for 3m then ff, one is a good sleeper then other one not so much.
I would say the sleep thing is more the child itself + your technique (co sleeping, cry it out, or anything in the middle)

-if i was you....(half lol'd) I'd read-what i just wrote.you dont wanna stop.so dont.youre doing great x

I often call them «the twins» or «the two of you» they are very different though, I don’t think it has an impact.

Everyone told me to ff ds. I stopped bf at 10 months and he didn’t sleep through for another 2 years. Dd was fb for 3 months but slept through the night literally from day 1 apart from a quick feed about 3am for the first 3 weeks.

my bf baby slept 12 hours at 5 weeks, my mixed feeder didn't sleep til 16 months. babies are personality driven not food.

I don't have twins but mine was formula fed for various reasons and is still a dreadful sleeper at five.

I was bf and could sleep on a washing line apparently.

Like you said, they are two separate people, just do what works for you op and good luck!

One of my bf babies was an awful sleeper. I added one bottle of formula in the evening to her routine, and it worked a treat! She slept a lot better and we continued to bf. one of my other big babies absolutely refused rubber teats in any form. So it was never an option. My point, every baby is different. Do what you want to do but never do what others expect you to do.

BF my twins. One was trying to sleep through in SCBU and finally did it at 8 weeks. The other was smaller and had an extra feed at night for quite a while. Their older brother was not sleeping through (and didn't until he was 4, when he slept through until 4.30am) and he went on formula at 8 mths (although he did improve then, but from a very low base level).

My son was FF after BF failed (for several reasons) and he did not sleep through til 12/13 months old and that took some sleep training, controlled crying.
My daughter was FF (I was unable to due to medication) and she slept through from 6/8 weeks old.
So definitely no guarantee a FF baby will sleep any better - follow your instincts and do what you want, pay no mind to anyone else who says ‘formula helps them sleep’ IMO it’s 99% down to the baby

One of mine was bf and one was ff. I didn't find much difference except when the bf one was unsettled she'd up her feeding for comfort, so I'd have to work a bit harder to settle her until she was back on track.

I stopped the bf by 6 months tho as I found it difficult to feed them at the same time and I felt such guilt that one was getting bf cuddles and the other was propped up in a baby bouncer whilst I held the bottle. So I went to propping them both up in a baby bouncer...

Maternal guilt is weird.

I thought you meant an excitable researcher from Channel 4 had contacted you about conducting some sort of nature vs nurture experiment on your twins. However wrt feeding, if you feel as though you have found a balance that works for all of you then there's no need to tilt the scales, so to speak.