Will formula help DD sleep?

[Wildwaterfalls]

Hi all

DD is ebf, now 4 months old. She goes to bed between 7pm and 8pm, and wakes at 1am and 4am for feeds. Up for the day some time between 7am and 8am.

Several people have suggested that giving her formula in the evening might help reduce the night feeding, but I am not convinced and reluctant to give up on ebf. It might not help and in any case I don't think I am doing too badly on the sleep front... It is manageable ... No doubt everything will change again at 6 months when we start weaning.

Interesting to hear other experiences... Thanks

If you can at all I would stick to BF I stopped BF at three weeks as I got an infection and I wish so badly I had continued. DD has a cow's milk allergy and reflux and I really feel she would have been better EBF. That said she is an amazingly healthy ten month old now. FF DEFINITELY didn't help her sleep through!!

It can actually have opposite effect as she could be uncomfortable with a stomach full of formula having been so used to breast milk. Night time will not be the time to introduce formula even if u wanted to. If u don't wanna give up then don't :) you could always express and give her a bottle of milk that way if u wanted to be making sure she was definately full.

There is a sleep regression at four months and many babies wake at night at her age. It's normal :)

I dont think a 1am feed and a 4am feed is odd for a 4mo.

The only other thing I would suggest is dreamfeeding her before you go to bed at 10.30/11pm then she nay go through til 3ish one night wake then and then up for the day at 7am?

Theres usually a 4month sleep regression so id expect broken sleep at this age.

wildwaterfalls, the 'several people' who have made this suggestion don't understand about the normal night waking of a four month old, and the fact that formula has not been shown to make any significant difference. You understand this, you are coping well, and you accept that babies change anyway. Why listen to these people at all? :)

Goldplated - I am very interested in the concept of the dream feed as that may be our solution (to the extent we have a problem ). Do you think it takes getting used to? I tried dream feeding once a couple of weeks ago and while the dream feed itself worked beautifully (she didn't really wake up but ate well), it then made no difference to her 'schedule' and she woke up at 1am and 4am as usual. It might be worth trying again for a few nights to see if she needs to get used to waking up at different times.

Tiktok - yes, I know, should stop listening too much to others especially those who want me to start weaning at 4 months

Thanks all