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Sleep

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Original poster

Are there any formula fed babies terrible sleepers?

29 replies

Pyjamaramadrama · 12/12/2015 08:53

Ds2 is 6 months. He's formula fed. On a bad night he can wakes several times.

I'm on all the sleep threads but most of the babies are breastfed so are feeding regularly through the night. Ds only has one bottle at night and definitely doesn't want or need more than that.

He has a dummy too, but that doesn't really work at night.

I've tried a dream feed at 10.30pm, he still keeps waking up.

He's in a great bedtime routine and goes to sleep just fine between 7.30-8.00pm.

Usually anytime after midnight the waking up will start, it could be every 30 minutes to an hour. I usually get up, give him his dummy, he will doze off but then wake again soon afterwards.

I then usually feed him after 2ish but he's not even that hungry. He might take an hour to go back to sleep before it all starts again.

Sometimes he will not go back to sleep at all so I just bring him into bed. Sometimes this works and he can even sleep all the way through.

I've got his cot pulled right against the bed so I can just reach to him. It might ha e helped a bit but not much.

If he's not hungry why is he just waking constantly?

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PixieChops · 12/12/2015 09:12

Has he always been like this? Have you started weaning yet? He may be teething?

ffffffedup · 12/12/2015 09:15

I was doing to suggest teething too

SweepTheHalls · 12/12/2015 09:17

Worth trying him in his own room? Mine slept much better in their own rooms, I think we disturbed them as much as they disturbed us!

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 12/12/2015 09:22

Yes he's always been like this. I mean he will have a good week now and then but on the whole yes.

I wouldn't say he's teething particularly badly at the moment. He's had days where he's drooling and rosy cheeks but the waking it pretty much a constant thing.

Started weaning about two weeks ago. Has made no difference, but he refuses to be spoon fed anyway so isn't eating much atm.

I've even tried in desperation leaving him to cry but he just goes on and on and wakes himself up even more.

I've thought about sleep training, but, he already goes to sleep alone in his cot at night so it's not as though he's been rocked to sleep or fed to sleep. Plus as he has a dummy I can't really leave him to it if he can't find his dummy.

OP posts:

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 12/12/2015 09:24

Unfortunately I can't put him in his own room right now because we have only two bedrooms and my other ds is in the other one.

We are in the process of moving house but it's not an option at the moment.

OP posts:

Tangoandcreditcards · 12/12/2015 09:31

My DS is 22mo. He was FF from birth. He was always a terrible sleeper.

He woke every 2-3 hours until he was 14mo (we tended to co-sleep after 2am ish - there was a double bed in his room once we moved him at 6mo - we took it in turns) he had a night feed until he was 9mo (he was a v sicky baby, so never took much more than 5oz, and we left it that late as he was having a small operation so we waited until after that to wean him off it, we just gave him water for a week and then a dummy).

After we moved house at 14mo, he still needed resettling with a dummy (and occasionally in our bed) 2-3 times a night. He finally started sleeping through at 20mo. Good thing too as I'm due DC2 any day!

I know it might not be what you want to hear, but I think regardless of diet, and in my experience some babies just aren't sleepers. But do what works to get you through each night and it will come eventually.

Tangoandcreditcards · 12/12/2015 09:40

Cross posted.

The house move might make all the difference, it was definitely the beginning of a more settled child for us (albeit an older one).

Good luck.

LovelyWeatherForDucks · 12/12/2015 09:40

My DS1 was formula fed and woke every 45 minutes til he was about 8 months and we did some sleep training. His waking wasn't to do with hunger, it was due to not being able to settle himself between sleep cycles. So I think at this point BF vs FF shouldn't make any difference really. On a side note, DS2 5 months only wakes twice a night and he is EBF. So no correlation between feeding and sleep in my experience!

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 12/12/2015 09:45

Thanks both.

On the bf ff thing I was t trying to say ff babies should be sleeping better. Just that as I can't feed him back to sleep I'm at a loss what to do.

Just wanted to get that in before I start a bunfight.

OP posts:

Pheonixnights · 12/12/2015 10:29

Ooo

comeagainforbigfudge · 12/12/2015 15:20

Hey op, my DD regularly wakes overnight. She's also 6months. Goes down about 7 or 8 and will wake at least a couple of times overnight.

She doesn't want anything, finds her dummy easily, chats to herself and now rolls over happily. We only get up to her when she cries as can't find dummy (normally flung out of cot by her, wee nutter )

Think it's pretty much normal though as they go through the sleep cycle. One thing I have worked hard on during the day is self settling at nap time. Some times she settles well others really not so much but is think that helps overnight as she knows how to fall asleep herself. Except for aforementioned dummy issues

P's I didn't think you were trying to start any kind of anything. Just that you are looking for people who similar issues and/or the magic answer/some mums net wisdom

nephrofox · 14/12/2015 20:35

OP I could have written your post. DD is 7 months. I have no idea what to do about it though! !

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 14/12/2015 20:53

I've even read up on controlled crying which I don't want to do. But ds already settled by himself to go to bed and has even got better at daytime naps. He just won't stop getting up at night and won't go back to sleep

OP posts:

nephrofox · 15/12/2015 07:44

I consciously left her longer last night before going in. I don't agree with CC either, but there were a couple of times her moaning and shouting stopped of her own accord rather than turned to full on screaming for attention.

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 15/12/2015 10:07

Last night was better. I think I'm going to try to wean him off the night feed. I find that if he has a night feed he's less interested in his daytime milk. He's also not at all interested in proper food.

I've managed not to feed him for the past two nights by bringing him into bed and he's eaten much better during the day.

OP posts:

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 15/12/2015 10:10

Yes I know what you mean nephro sometimes we can be too quick to jump up, I've got into the habit of getting up at the first sound in an attempt not to wake everyone else in the house up.

I will try leaving him a little longer tonight as dh working away.

OP posts:

Katastrophe13 · 15/12/2015 10:23

Hi op. In exact same position as you with 8 mo DD. Think she has become too dependent on dummy from me shoving it in her mouth at the slightest noise (only has it for sleep times though!!!). Think she now can't self settle. Now only giving it to her for full on crying and seeing how that goes...

nephrofox · 15/12/2015 10:31

Yes its the same here, her room is next door to older sibling and I worry about disturbance

clurina32 · 15/12/2015 15:26

We are going through exactly the same thing too! Our daughter is 6 months this week and her sleeping just seems to be deteriorating! She's fine at self settling when its bedtime at 7pm and goes off with a little moan here and there but usually asleep by 7.30pm. However...she is now waking at 11pm then every 3 hours and the only thing that shuts her up is a bottle! She is FF. I am so exhausted, just as I think we're turning a corner it all goes to pot the next night. She also can take ages to go back to sleep again, which is the killer for me and my husband. I too have prob got in bad habit of running to her as soon as I hear a squeak (as I know it normally turns into loud crying) just to not wake my 3 yr old up. If he wakes up then its goodbye sleep for us!! I feel like we're tip toeing around and not sorting this issue out. Controlled crying seems to work for most people, but i'm not sure i'm strong enough!!

Peach1886 · 15/12/2015 15:36

One other thing to check OP - is he waking up because he's chilly? Our house gets cold at night and DS kept waking himself up because he'd kicked the covers off, we changed to grobags and a gro suit (so warm arms as well) and now he regularly sleeps through. May not be an issue at your house, but it has made a big difference here. Best of luck.

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 15/12/2015 15:48

Thanks peach, I don't think it's that, it's too warm if anything. The baby monitor has a thermometer and it's usually 22c, the radiator is off in the room too as we struggle to cool it down.

He's in a Grobag too, a proper Grobag, I thought it might help, it hasn't but they are lovely and snuggly.

Someone we know did cc recently but it involved two hours of crying, I just don't think I want to do that.

I did it a bit with ds1 but he'd only ever cry for 10 minutes and never a loud very distressed cry.

OP posts:

nottheop · 15/12/2015 15:50

Hi OP - there are definitely plenty of 'bad' FF sleepers!! BF babies are often easily soothed at nighttime whereas FF can be keen on middle of the night parties.

I would ditch the dummy. He's potentially waking for it.
I would get ear plugs for you and your DH - there is a chance you're responding too quickly as you're sharing a room.

It was very common with my DS's baby friends that the sleeping was pretty terrible until 8 months ish. At 6 months there is a lot going on - sitting, crawling, weaning, babbling etc and the world is far too exciting to waste time sleeping.

I hope this phase passes quickly for you

lljkk · 15/12/2015 15:58

Sleep training books are mostly bought by parents of FF babies.

Original poster

Pyjamaramadrama · 15/12/2015 16:04

Hi ljkk, just to say again. I started the thread not because I think that ff babies should sleep better, but because I was on another sleep thread and all of the babies seemed to be breastfed and the mums are feeding them back to sleep several times a night.

Ds isn't waking for hunger and I can't really give him lots of bottles for comfort so I'm completely at a loss what to do.

OP posts:

nottheop · 15/12/2015 16:04

Sorry, just to add that I wouldn't do CC - if he is going to sleep on his own from completely wide awake, it doesn't seem like there's anything to learn in that respect. He seems more like there are habits that need to be broken through being a bit less attentive at nighttime rather than full on sleep training,

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