How do you get a formula fed baby to have less feeds at night?

[ElonXMusk]

He’s 3m old and wakes every 2 hours, drinks between 1-3oz then straight back to sleep.

He’s always known night from day so from 7pm it’s food and plonk him down and he goes back to sleep but I’m starting to feel broken with it. It’s not the same as when I BFed our first that was a quick 30 seconds and we remained lying down the whole time. This feels like I’m being dragged from the depths of sleep to sit up and feed him for 5-15 odd minutes then new nappy and back to sleep.

I hate to say it but that sounds quite normal! They go through different phases so quickly the gaps of sleep will get wider soon

😬 there’s no way to change it?

Sounds totally normal unfortunately

My DS was formula fed but every 3hrs including at night. He started sleeping longer periods when he was drinking more oz at feeds.
Could you try upping his bottles by 1oz through the day and try every 3hrs, might continue in the nighttime if it suits him.

It’s been a while since I did the baby stage but I do remember with Ds now aged 9 and dd aged 18 that I used to try and keep them more awake during the day / didn’t let them sleep too long in the day and offered them more feeds during the daytime so that they would get their quota (if there is such a thing!) of feeds during daytime rather than waking at night so much. I was a bit Gina Ford

It was a few years back as DC is now 8 but I remember upping the feeds for bed and making sure she finished the feed… I didn’t live with her dad at the time and was on my own so wanted to get into a good sleeping pattern. I def got her sleeping through from about 11pm to 5am. Her bedtime (cot) was 7pm so the 11pm feed, winding and nappy change without any stimulation - low light, quiet calm voice etc.

There was also a book I read - written by a night nurse who also was really helpful and replied to a couple of my emails. I’ll look for her name and come back.

Remember though baby is still little and each one is different. Is your partner helping too?

Hi, me again. It was the blissful baby expert - she talks about how to establish a routine and drop feeds etc.

Good luck

They are just all so different
I've done nothing different feeding wise with my first and 2nd yet my 4month old sleeps from about 10-5/6 most nights now

My first didn't sleep through until they were about 2 🤷‍♀️

By 3 months my 2nd was still up alot feeding🍼its only the last couple weeks it's settled down but I am breastfeeding like your first so wasn't really a bother

I think it's luck. My first was a god awful sleeper. Still is, and she's 6 now.

My second sleeps like she's in a coma and has done since 3 months old.

Our routine with both has been exactly the same - bottles every 3 hours during the day, one last bottle around 9pm, then down for the night.

DD1 was up 3 or 4 times per night and woke for the day around 6am. DD2 same routine, but she doesn't wake at all through the night and will sleep until 8am.

That's not my experience. My LO is 3 months old and generally sleeps through from 8.30 to 7am.

He currently has 4 x 9floz bottles every 3-hrs during the day, generally 4 or 5 bottles a day.

Not sure what bottles you use but you might need to change the test to a faster flow/next size up.

Baby might be using up energy to get the milk out and then gets tired and falls asleep not quite full.

Yep we alternate nights.

I don’t know how to up the oz, once he’s finished he just spits the teat out (?). In the day he will drink anything between 3-6oz depending on how long it’s been between a feed. You know when he’s hungry because it’s a loud a f screech and he latches on as if he’s never seen milk before whilst rubbing his fingers together😂.

So if we offer more feeds he just takes less and then needs feeding more often in the day, if we try elongating the time between feeds so he has more per feed he obviously gets quite unhappy so we haven’t managed that.

Just carry on then I suppose 😢😩
Ok thanks everyone

I’m not an expert at all but maybe try winding him, get a burp up and then continue with the feed?

He sounds lovely - I remember with mine how she would feed as if I had starved her and then would get those fat little cheeks - lovely days but hard work in a different way to now.

Sorry I went off on a tangent!!