Help! My 1-year-old wakes every 1–2 hours and I’m really struggling. Looking for advice or people who can help.

[Babymama1989]

Background — my little one has always been a bad sleeper, multiple wake ups, short naps etc.. he had a lot of chest infections when he was small and eventually I bought him into bed with me around 4 months to survive - he’d wake up 3 times for a bottle then go back to sleep - nightmare for some, but bliss for me!

Today - over the past few months those night wakings have multiplied to around 6 (every 2 hours on a good night, hourly if he’s poorly) and I now have the added fun of trying to take away his precious formula to whole milk which is making the night and screaming unbearable, I caved last night and got formula out..

I’m good on little sleep and I go to bed not long after him but It’s not feeling manageable at all anymore and not sure what to do? Do I just go cold turkey on all bottles for a few nights and hope for the best? Do I stick with whole milk or go back to formula for a bit ? Will I ever sleep again?

Additional notes

• I’ve tried all variations of sleep pressure and naps, it is not that
• He eats well
• I do not want to put him in a crib or let him cry it out - please don’t offer that advice
• I’m a single mum, I work full time, I have no village - it’s just me and him.

Have you had his tongue checked for tongue tie? My friends baby was waking every 45 mins overnight for months and has got drastically better since she had a procedure to fix it.

If he likes formula can you just give it to him? My DC2 is 15 months and still drinks 2-3 bottles overnight (trying to reduce it but he screams the house down). Formula is so much easier as you can just pour in warm water from bed!

My DC isn’t quite as bad but I do feel you, it’s exhausting.

Would follow on formula work? Or introducing cows milk in the morning only until he gets used to it and sticking with formula at night for now?

my LO was the same and everyone told me if I switched to water she would stop waking as she was waking for milk. It didn’t work she just then woke and wanted water 😂😭

i caved in and she is now in my bed full time which I know isn’t for everyone but from 16 months she has slept through but only will in my bed. I need sleep. I don’t know why she did start sleeping at 16 months she just did - hang in there

Thanks everyone I’m gonna stick with the formula at night for now and try and slowly wean him off it !

I really wouldn’t worry too much he will let you know when he is ready xx

I think some just wake a lot and it’s unrelated to feeds.

My Ds was breastfed and woke every 2hrs. From around 12 months I tried to wean him off overnight feeds, so he was only fed at bedtime and in the morning. He still woke every 2 hrs until he was about 2.5 years! ( and still wakes 1-2 times often at 5 years!)

I just try and go to bed when he does. At least in bed with him is Co sleeping and read so you can rest.

Well in the meantime she needs to sleep at some point !!!

Can you afford some childcare at the week-end to catch up on sleep ? Obviously this isn't a long term solution but it can help to look at a problem from a rested perspective.

When you give formula how well does he sleep ? I gave my first two formula well past age 1, simply because I didn't know any better - if I'd known I'd have switched earlier and saved a fortune 😏 so it won't do that much harm (mine are fine at any rate).

Are you sure it's formula he wants, or is it the attention ? My youngest is happy to suck on an empty bottle but will not go to sleep in her own bed.

@Maxoriasyes sorry obviously she does need sleep but for me stopping the formula didn’t help that so if the formula settles baby quickly I’d go with it for now