To think there is a correlation between babies that wake a ridiculous amount in the night and breastfeeding?

[toomuchpeppapig]

I've seen quite a few threads on here over the last year or so that I've been on here about babies who wake constantly in the night and will only feed to sleep etc. It seems that virtually all (if not all) of these babies are breastfed.

I bottle fed my 2 DCs and although my oldest has never been a great sleeper (now 16 months old), I don't remember him waking as much as many of these posts say. Is it because bottle fed babies sleep better or is it just coincidence?

NB - I have nothing against breastfeeding. I personally tried and failed, and my thinking is that fed is best. This isn't an anti breast feeding post. I'm just wondering if my thinking is correct.

The advice I was given on formula feeding was to feed on demand. My health visitor did advise water when my daughter was wanting a bottle every 1.5 hours in the day for a few weeks. It never worked, she just screamed and everyone was stressed out. The best thing I did was just feed her. Once she’d had a few bottles 1.5 hours apart she was very content and slept. We also tried a dummy but she sucked so hard she went purple and screamed.

@pentium85 DD was fed when she was hungry - I just ruled other things out first - wanting a cuddle, wanting to comfort suck, being overwhelmed / overstimulated etc.

She was never left crying and hungry, and was a very happy, content baby.

It made me a better parent I felt as I was identifying my child’s needs rather than just assuming she was hungry.

Still breastfeeding my 2.5yr old, she didnt sleep through the night until past her 2nd birthday.

I think you were just lucky tabby.

@Sipperskipper

I get the impression you’re looking for some sort of confrontation so I’ll leave you be

"It made me a better parent I felt as I was much more responsive to my child’s need"

Oh dear..goady much. That's so goady, its embarrasing. Glad you think you were a better parent than anyone else. Hope it makes you feel better.

@TabbyMumz

“Made me” and “I felt” ever so slightly indicate that this was a personal experience and not applicable to all mums and babies...

Don’t be rude and nasty when clearly I wasn’t.

How do you feed a bottle fed baby on demand? I feed a BF baby on demand, basically when he woke up he got fed!
Surely bottles fit more of a routine because you know how much they are having.

All 4 of mine were bottle fed, all 4 slept from 3 months. All of my friends that breast fed were up a lot more over the night but we all ended u pl in the same place except their babies are probably better set up than mine in terms of immunity (so far we all have the same issues with colds etc but I do regret not breast feeding just in case).

It's only ridiculous if you regard waking at night as something wrong that needs to be fixed.
Of course more sleep is better for every one, mother and baby but as you say we all get there in the end!!

@Hercwasonaroll

You do exactly the same as a BF baby. When baby needs milk, you offer the bottle.

I don’t know how much formula my baby had because I never measured it, I just fed when needed if that makes sense?

Surely you knew how much you were putting in a bottle though?

I can see how it would work in theory. I'm just so used to formula = routine. How did you cope out and about? Do you waste a lot?

I always used pre-made formula, never powder, so no I honestly didn’t know. I just poured some in the bottle and topped up if baby needed more.

I took the little pre-made bottles out, and just some empty bottles. I don’t recall wasting an awful lot, only the odd time when baby decided he just wanted a comfort suck for example

@TabbyMumz not trying to start a separate debate but are you referring to your baby as it :(

DD was both, she didn't sleep properly until 3, by which point she had been off the bottles for about 2 years as well.

Bottlefed formula with DS8 and he was a perfect sleeper. He has slept through the night from 6 weeks. He's a brilliant sleeper still.

DD6 was breastfed and DS1 still feeding.. both terrible sleepers!

1. Babies dont need to sleep through to develop just fine.
2. There is no correlation between method of feeding and sleep
3. Fed isnt best, it's a minimum requirement
4. Its thread titles like this that put people off BF.

Oh and

1. Threads about feeding and sleeping always turn into a bunfight. This one contains both... hard hats at the ready.

I was BF and slept through from 10 weeks.

Bloke was BF and slept through from 6 weeks.

Brother was bottle fed and didn't sleep through until 5 years.

Blokes brother bottle fed and didn't sleep until 2 years.

My baby BF and sleeps 5 hours a time, 7 months.

Can you explain this correlation to my bottle fed now 10 year old who didnt sleep a bloody wink for the first 5 years of his life please

Some kids are dicks. That's the only correlation with sleep.
The majority of dickish babies/toddlers won't sleep.

I hope to god that’s meant lightheartedly! @PanicAndRun

Breastfed both, one great sleeper & one shit sleeper 🤷🏼‍♀️ pot luck.

Putting anecdote aside, I always thought there was actually a statistical correlation and it was thought to be because breast milk is easier for a baby to digest, so their tummies empty quicker.

And to add my anecdote, both mine were breast fed. Neither was a terrible sleeper, but my bottle fed friends' babies were sleeping through sooner. I also found that when they were on solids it helped their sleep. Both still slept through (10-12 hours) by the time they were 6/7 months old.

8 years later...sure, I can be lighthearted about it.

One bottlefeed - nightmare sleeper getting to sleep or staying asleep, used to only sleep on me! Breastfed younger daughter good sleeper as a baby.
Though both of mine now aged 16 & 11 seem to need little sleep - both night owls - can still be awake past 11 on a school night! Drives me mad just wish especially the 11 would go to sleep!!