Formula babys sleep throughout the night.

SARAH - posted on 05/25/2010

its just an idea... there were lots of things i was never told about breastfeeding when i started and have learned a lot. after two months of breastfeeding and still getting up for 2-hourly feeds during the night, then up at 7 to get my other children ready for school, i was completely exhausted to the point of not knowing what i was doing. my little boy would not take extra breast milk before bedtime, so i changed his last feed at night to a formula one. he started sleeping and extra 2 hours at first, and soon after, he was having a night sleep of about 6-7 hours. it helped my sanity return. All other feeds during the day, i stuck to breastfeeding. This was a miracle for me. it may not be for everyone, but it worked in my situation and i have a very happy, healthy little boy.

Tanya - posted on 04/27/2010

Do you cosleep? Cosleeping, when done safely, can help both mother and baby get extra sleep, especially while breastfeeding. I just leave my breasts out and my daughter latches on all through the night. I never even really wake up. Babies are not meant to sleep through the night. Actually babies are protected from sids by cosleeping. If you type "cosleeping and SIDS protection" in the search engine you can find lots of information. Dr. WIlliam Sears is a huge advocate of cosleeping

April - posted on 04/27/2010

I'm sorry, I have to disagree with Martita. Adding cereal to breast milk will not help your baby STTN.



Additionally, it's a choking hazard.



Look, I know it is tiring and so discouraging to hear that so many FF babies are STTN (although it is not a given) but you're giving your baby something BETTER that your friends are not giving their babies.



My 16 month old doesn't STTN and I nurse him about 5 times a night also. So what keeps me going? Knowing that one day he will no longer nurse...he won't be 10 or 17 and still nursing! There IS light at the end of the tunnel. It's a matter of standing by what you believe in.

Suzan - posted on 05/03/2010

My 11 week old baby has been fed both formula and breast milk from 2 weeks old. She started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. Formula definately keeps her fuller longer. Give it a try if you feel that's ok, it's your choice and don't feel bad for doing it. You need to get rest to ensure you produce enough milk too. Good luck:)

Jennifer - posted on 04/27/2010

scientific research says the contrary. formula will likely not solve your problems. in fact it is likely to creat new ones. formula is not a benign substance. it poses real risks and really any decision to give formula should not be taken lightly.

Ania - posted on 09/29/2011

It doesn't matter if its formula at this age. Your baby is just not ready to sleep through the night, that's all. I went through this believe me. My son strted sleeping at 12 months!!! and now...he is 19months I went back to work few weeks ago and he is waking up 5 times a night again and wants his boo boo. It is a nightmare. I feel for you, but it is not formula and I'm not saying that from my own experience, but I have a friend who at 7 months had to make at least 4 bottles of formula a night for her son of 7 months who would just wake up... I would take your baby to bed with you and see i you get more sleep that way. That's what I did when I was desperate for sleep. Coule of nights and then back to crib...

[deleted account]

pump some morning milk (which is more fatty and filing) and give that with the dinner feed or before bed feed. i know babys on formular that still wake and breast fed babies that sleep through. really think it depends on bubs. 5 times seems pretty harsh though... good luck

[deleted account]

I have seen plenty of formula fed babies who DON'T sleep through the night, so it's not a given!

Heather - posted on 05/17/2010

I read a great sleep book that pointed out that sleep patterns are determining neurologically by brain development and actually have nothing to do with the baby's belly once they are about 6 months old. Formula is unlikely to help, sorry to say.
Good luck to you!

Selma - posted on 05/17/2010

Breastfeeding mothers are said to have more sleep than bottle feeding ones if they co-sleep with their baby as they don't have to get up to get the bottle ready, heat it up and worry about their baby swallowing too much air. All you have to do is roll over and feed your baby then they will usually go back to sleep, whereas bottlefed babies may not go back to sleep straight away as they may become completely awake while waiting for the bottle.

Kayla - posted on 05/16/2010

Babies aren't meant to sleep through the night. All you can do is wait it out.



Also, to those mentioned adding cereal to a bottle... That is awful advice, it is very dangerous and isn't needed.

Danielle - posted on 05/15/2010

it is normal for babies to wake at night. Breastfed babies especially. My son is three and just started sleeping through the night two weeks ago. I still breastfeed him. I disagree with putting cereal in a bottle. I think you should wiat until the baby is about 10 months old to start solids. You should not pump and bottle feed at night b/c your supply may go down. Breastfeeding is a tiring commitment for the moms, but great for the baby. Sorry you're so tired, but hang in there. THe benefits of the milk are so great for the baby!!

CHASTITY MERCYDES - posted on 05/15/2010

If you have a pump: pump some milk during the day. When it gets close to bed time warm that milk and add some rice cereal to it. You could also feed your baby the baby food.

Julienne - posted on 05/07/2010

My baby is exclusively breastfed and she has been sleeping 6-7 hours at night since she was 12 weeks old. Around 4 months old she started waking after 45 minutes after going to sleep for the night and would need a feed again. Of course all family and inlaws suggested commencing food as she was obviously hungry and needed more than breast milk. We did do solids until 6 months and she still kept doing it... I am sorry you're so tired... it's not a nice feeling. Maybe think about other ways to soothe them back to sleep

Michelle - posted on 05/04/2010

I have to agree with those who are saying NO cereal in a bottle ! Unless your child has reflux.
I would try to give an actual bowl of cereal with expressed milk in it with a spoon before bed , and then let her nurse . Don't be afraid to move her around to wake her while feeding to see if she will nurse longer .
Not all babies sleep through the night . Heck I have much older kids who still don't ! LOL !
When she wakes is she actually doing a full feeding or just nibbling to get back close to you , or using you as a pacifier ?

Jayne - posted on 05/04/2010

i'd say co-sleep :)
all you have to do is pull your nighty sideways when bub is hungry, you'll feel like you've had unbroken sleep in the morning

Belinda - posted on 05/04/2010

I breastfed my boy until he was 13 months old (not by choice - I couldn't get him off the boob) and it took till at least 9 months before I got 5 hours straight. I'm pregnant with my second and after seeing other babies on formula, I'm tempted to give that a go this time. It's a hard call...but your sanity is most important...good luck.

Francesca - posted on 05/03/2010

I am sure you will hear this a dozen times....



Babies will sleep through the night when they are developmentally ready too. Trying to force that on sooner than they need by filling their bellies is not going to help them in the long run.



Babies wake when they are hungry but they also wake for comfort too. And thats just as important as hunger.



But, being tired is very hard. I know. I still nurse my 12 month old and she wakes about 3 times a night still. And you have to be able to function during the day. A happy mommy makes a happy baby. And if sleep makes a happy mommy, then sleep you should!



You have to do what you think is best! For me, well, I just muddle through it. One day, when she is grown, I know I am going to miss those midnights, quietly curled up in the rocker, nursing away...perfect serenity. Or at least, that is how I am going to choose to remember it...



And just for the record, i read a few ridiculous post about the baby not getting enough nutrients from breast milk and needing supplements like solids and formula. I hope you know how untrue that is. If you ask any peditrician they will tell you that breast is best, and that food is for fun until their one! Remember that! If you choose formula, thats totally your right. But don't do it because you think it has more nutrients for your baby...

Kirsten - posted on 05/03/2010

Oh my my son is 6 weeks old and we only get up twice:0 but he is formula fed. It might be better for you to start feeding your baby formula. Formula is just fine to feed to babies:)

[deleted account]

I breastfeed for six months then switched to formula. I had said first tooth they were done. However, my baby is 9 months and I am still getting up twice a night. So formula babies don't sleep through the night either. I understand your frustration, but if it was that simple ALL babies would sleep through the night.

[deleted account]

i have to agree with martita and pump and get some extra milk. I was going to do the same thing until i dried up really quick at the end of march.

Liane - posted on 05/02/2010

My son is 10 months and EBF... he has been sleeping through the night since about 4.5 months old. My first born was formula fed from 4 months old on and she did not sleep through the night until she was almost 9 months old. My second child was also EBF and she slept through the night from 2 weeks old. IMO (and from personal experience), a baby will sleep through the night when they are ready regardless of how you feed them. For me, the only baby that took a long time to accomplish this milestone was the formula fed one!

Erin - posted on 05/02/2010

My baby is on formula, and only woke up once, around 4am to eat and then would go back to sleep until 8 or so. From two months on she has slept from 10-8:30. She's four months now and still sleeping the same hours. She also sleeps in a travel crib beside our bed, and sometimes in our bed. I think it's probably the feeling us near part that helps her sleep, not the formula, but I'm not sure. All I know is that I feel very blessed to have a good sleeper!

Susan - posted on 05/02/2010

my daughter is 10 months and nursing she wakes up usually about 3 times during the night but i now i know it is out of habit is she in a different room? could u offer her juice/water during the night then maybe she won't want to get up

Mercedes - posted on 05/02/2010

well, im a teen mom and i wanted to breastfeed for as long as i could remember, so when i had my son i did, it was very tireing but worth it, i had to switch to formula because i went back to school after he was about a month and a half old, and now he sleeps from bout 11 or 11:30 to 6:30 or 7 in the morning!, i wish i could have continued to breastfeed, but with school it was impossible..

Azizi - posted on 05/02/2010

I think it is definitely possible for your 6 month old to sleep through the night. The key is to figure out why the baby is waking. That can all depend on how they are falling to sleep to if they are getting enough food throughout the day. It is a suggestion that babies start to have food at 6 months because usually breast is not enough as the baby starts to need more nutrients that the breast doesn't provide anymore ie. iron. So if you haven't introduced food maybe try that. If you are then maybe make sure that they baby isn't just waking for a short spell in the night. My daughter used to wake up maybe one to two times but I never got up and she learned to put herself back to sleep. Sometimes if they are falling asleep on the breast or with a bottle instead of on their own when they wake in the middle of the night they cry because they are alone. So there could be many answers it all depends on what the reason is specifically for your baby. I breastfed my baby until 7 months but started her on food at 4 months because she started to wake in the middle of the night for food suddenly after sleeping through the night from 2 months. We did give her the "dream feed" at 10 until 6 months then after that she slept without a bottle from 7- 7 because she had 3 meals and 3 milk feeds during the day. So if your goal is to have your baby sleep through the night then try a few things like making sure they get enough food during the day. Have them learn to put themselves back to sleep by letting them lay on their own anywhere from 5-20 minutes. If they go back to sleep then you know they are not hungry but if you go immediately you won't know and of course if you offer them food most babies will take it anyway. If the baby is waking multiple times in the middle of the night and they are eating meals and bottles during the day then it might not be hunger it could be that they just haven't learned how to put themselves back to sleep yet.

Amber - posted on 05/01/2010

not necessarily true. baby's tummy is still small and will probably need to be filled again before the night's up. ive gotten to the point a few times where i was just so tired that i gave my daughter a bottle before bed...just for the first feeding of the night, after she nursed at least on one side. those nights, she slept for 4 hours the first time instead of her usual 2 hours. it was a great thing for me and my daughter because i was more alert for her next time she woke up.

Lindsay - posted on 05/01/2010

Also, what're you eating before your babies last feed at bedtime? If you're not eating enough, theres not much to your milk.... its noticeable when you pump after not eating a lot and after a big meal. If you haven't eaten a lot, your milk actually looks like water so your baby would get hungry more often.

Lindsay - posted on 05/01/2010

I breast feed and my sons been sleeping about 12 hours a night since he's been 6 weeks old. It's true formula babies sleep through the night quicker than breast fed babies in most cases, but not all. I think that's more when they're newborns though. It's only because it takes longer to digest which doesn't seem healthy, right? I think adding cereal on top of your last feed is a better idea. Don't give up nursing till you're ready otherwise.

Holly - posted on 05/01/2010

Just to let you know my 10 month old doesn't sleep througtout the night. He gets formula and breast milk. So hang in there lol.

Christina - posted on 05/01/2010

I was going through the same thing. I started to feed my son a bedtime snack, waited 15 minutes then nursed him for the night, that helped immensely. We were down to one night-time nursing session after that. I gave my son mashed up avocado and that was perfect for him and it's really healthy too! Gave him the right fats and made him fuller. Try that or bananas with a bit of mixed in cereal, even pumped milk with cereal mixed in will go a long way! Good luck and don't give up, you'll survive this phase!

Renee - posted on 05/01/2010

hey beck, wasn't sayign you are wrong, your post was very helpful to me too, just made me think twice thats all.
in response to the post after yours, unfortunately keeping my son up longer doesn't make him sleep more. he had no day sleep at all yesterday (meaning he was awake from 6.30am-6.30pm when he went to bed) but still woke up twice last night...
terribly frustrating, i have tried not feeding him back to sleep & cuddling him instead but he just thrashes around on the bed... i'm surprised I don't have black eyes!!!

Tamara - posted on 05/01/2010

my first so was ff due to health factors withh me, and he slept through the night at 3 weeks. my youngest is 3 months now, and gets up one time at night. i just keep him up as much as i can during the day, and at night i feed him a bottle of formula before bed, bath him, and then nurse him for the comfort he gets out of it. go ahead and hate on me girls for using formula too, but i have a 2 year old, a farm to look after, and a military man who is away sometimes. girls gotta sleep. ps. this is my first time up tonight, and its 5. night ladies

Beck - posted on 05/01/2010

Of course not Renee, but in our case it was a case of our son not NEEDING them and the not feeding assited in his sleep skills. Its every parents choice to feed or not feed their bub during the night but in our case from 6mths our son (unless sick or teething and even then not often) didn't need to. If your happy to feed your bub one or two bottles a night then thats great. I was looking for a way (and with my post responding to someone also asking) to get my bub to sleep longer and not need to feed to sleep.

Renee - posted on 04/30/2010

so beck does this mean there is something wrong with my son bcos he still takes 1 or 2 bottles during the night at 10mths old?

Beck - posted on 04/30/2010

I was the same; read below.
I am writing this because I have posted similar responses to several posts of Mums who have bubs of various ages having trouble sleeping. I thought I would put it all in one spot and if you were having troubles maybe something I say would help.

My son was an angel child, he would sleep and eat happily for those first few months. I fed him to sleep all of the time and in the end we were co sleeping, one because I loves snuggling with my bub and two because it was SOOO Hard to lug my legs out of bed for yet ANOTHER night time feed!

By 5 and a half months we were OVER it, I was cranky cos I wasn't getting enough sleep, we were worried about my husbands health cos he needs sleep due to risk of seizures and we NEEDED to FIT our gorgous boy!! Corey was still in our bed waking every 45mins-hour and to get him back to sleep quickly I would feed him, over and over and over! This would mean during the afternoon we would flop into bed together and sleep all arvo.

I knew there was a sleep school in a near by town but I knew they did controlled crying at at 6mths I couldn't do it! BUT I knew that if nothing else worked we would HAVE to do it. I went out and brought several 'no cry sleep solution' books. The one that changed our life was DREAM BABY GUIDE by Shayne Rowling. An Austrlian author. It is 700+pages long and uses a lot of tecniques within the whole 24hrs to lead to healthy sleep patterns. I dont believe tht controlled crying is the only way!!!! and wanted to do what ever I could to help his sleep without it. My husband took three days off work and we planned nothing so we could tag team for three days if thats what it took. We started using the routines from the book and within 2 days we had a complete different bub! My husband even thought about going back to work cos we had him sorted with no tears!

I will tell you a few things from the book that may help you but obviously to get the full effect you would need to buy the book. Now I am not saying we have a 'perfect' sleeping bub all of the time, teething still effects his sleep from now and then BUT we have come a huge way and taught him many skills.

My bub is a low sleep requirement baby, meaning they only need 8-14hrs sleep in 24hrs. We do the following and it works a treat!! plus its getting better and better!! The book goes into lots about sleep requirments and the different nap times for different ages but if you are just after info re sleep routines this would help.

Corey, now 12mths, wakes usually around 7am (sometimes he sleeps in however I wake him by 7.30 to keep the day on track) he has a bfeed then breakfast (cereal and fruit)
9.30 milk (bfeed) and fruit for morning tea
11.20 lunch - meat, vegies, carb (rice / pasta / potato) then desert (yoghurt)
12noon bed time (usually sleeps 2-2.5hrs!!)
2.30 milk (bfeed) and arvo tea (cheese on toast / avacardo and ham on crackers, piklets etc)
5.20 tea (vegies and carb)
6pm Nudie time (clothes off play)
6.15 bath time
6.30 out of bath
6.35 milk (bfeed)
6.45 story time
6.55 into cot

Its the sleep time routine that makes the difference, my Mum and sister in law can also follow this and we do the same where ever we are so Corey always knows what is expected.
We also do the nappy change, story then bedtime routine at 11.45 before lunch time sleep.
Cuddle on couch whilst reading - household calm, whilst reading we say before, during and after we say "nearly time for nigh, nigh" "nearly time to find teddy" etc
We say good night to anyone at home - kiss
then into bed room
We lay bub in our arms and rock him whilst we sing twinkle, twinkle, (often now he wants to get into his cot cos he knows he is tired and ready for sleep) then lay him in his cot with his teddy (loves his bedtime ted)
We tuck him in tight - shoving a towel rolled up down either side to keep him in firm. Corey starts on his side. We dont have to tuck him as tight now that he sleeps so well.
We then rub his back and legs and say
"sshh, sshh, sshh, sshh time to sleep"
" sshh, sshh, sshh, sshh mummy and daddy love you"
"sshh, sshh, sshh, sshh nigh, nigh"

we repeat this twice, then stop rubbing and walk out. Corey now never needs re settleing but at first if he did put up a fight we would go in, after a couple of minutes only - shut the door behind us so there is no confusion that he is getting up then repeat the sshh, shh..... and out. It only ever took going in twice maybe three times (usually if he was over tired). We never have to go in twice now.

When he wakes and has had a decent sleep (if he ever wakes under and hour we do the sshh, sshh to get him back off for at least 1hr 20mins though usually he goes solid for the 2hrs 2.5hrs) we walk in and say "good sleeping bubba" happy and bright and get him up. This way he knows the difference between when you are expecting him to go back off and when he can hop up.

If he wakes during the night we go in (maybe give him a sip of water), re plug the dummy, re tuck him in and do the sshh, sshh - we are in and out in under 1 min and he always (except when teething and needs a shot of panadol) settles in one go.

He seems to know now when he needs more sleep and that he needs to go back off. He can now resettle himself too which he could never do, occasionally he will yell out once then go back off. We now wait, he will yell out, we wait, he may yell once or twice more and go back off. We were rushing in and therfore always helping him back to sleep. Now we wait only a minute or two and he goes back off. Anymore than that and we go in. Some people wait longer.


We must make sure he doesn't sleep when we are out in the pram or car before 12noon otherwise it can muck it up (occasionally its fine we have learnt to addapt) but we try to hold him out til 12 so he has one good sleep.

We dont follow the routine completly (there is more to it in the book) anymore, we still use many of the day time communication cues etc There is way to much to go into here!! I would recomend that you buy the book (hehehe I am earning no commision I just LOVE it as does a friend and many more people I would say!)

Good luck everyone, its so hard. You try and do the right thing by your bub but sometimes it leads to 'not helping them'. Corey was such a restless sleeper, I actually thought something was WRONG with him!! It was just that he didn't know 'how' to self settle or re settle between sleep cycles.

P.S I never thought Corey would cut all his night feeds (at 6mths) as like you he was still feeding several times a night in our bed just to get him back to sleep. He did in one night! of course I was up still pumping cos I had been used to feeding but that only lasted a few nights. I kept up at dream feed for another month but I dont think he necessarily needed it. After 6mths unless there is a medical condition bubs DONT need feeds over night! (no matter what people tell you... I know I am leaving my self open to 'different opinions on this one!!) I am sure Corey would still take a feed some nights if I offered it but he doesn't want it, when he has been unsettled due to teething some times I have tried of offer it and he isn't interested! :-( ... a dummy or a sip of water does the same job. The first few nights if he did wake his Dad would go in, after that he has been happy to take water from me. Its all about creating sleep associations and the same environment so when they go to sleep its the same when they wake up so they can think 'ok, all the same, goodo, off to sleep again!" This is why its important to be out of the room when they go to sleep, cos of course if you have them back in their cot you are not there when they wake between sleep cycles. We were expecting to HAVE to use controlled crying with Corey at 6mths but never had to using this above routine (and many more hints from the book) - like having a heater in his room set at 21degrees in winter, using a sleeping bag etc and lots of other day time communication things. This is just a wrap up for you... would love to think it works for you like it does us.... fingers crossed for you!!!

Email me for more info if you would like

Sorry, I could go on all day!!

WOW, THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST POSTS EVER!!

I hope someone gets something from this to help them and their bub get a good night sleep. Don't expect too much though, bubs still need us and it very rare for any bub to sleep 12hrs straight! But for us, we were just dying for 4 hours sleep straight! Now, we hear no peep from Corey from 7pm til 5.30 (when Hubby is up getting ready for work) then he goes back off til 7-7.30am!!! ahhhh Bliss!!!

Jodi - posted on 04/30/2010

My son was doing the same thing at that age. He was waking every 2 hrs, sometimes every 1 hr. I was exhausted and couldn't understand why he was waking so often since he was sleeping very well up to that point (like getting 4-8 hrs at a time). I think it was a stage he was going through. He is now 11 months and only wakes 2 or 3 times a night. I am still breastfeeding, and he is on foods as well. I did try formula once or twice (like after my birthday when I had alcohol) and I think it might have helped a bit but after reading the posts as to why it works (being harder to digest, etc.) I am glad I didn't continue with that. Hang in there girl, and try to go to bed as soon as he does at night...something I am still struggling with as it seems like the perfect time to get stuff done!

Renee - posted on 04/30/2010

yes teething & growth spurts can play a big part in their sleeping habits too.

Renee - posted on 04/30/2010

my son is now 10mths old & has been FF & BF. i ceased BF at 7mths due to another baby coming in october & even though he is now strictly on formula & solid food he will still wake 1-3 times a night. it will not have anything to do with how much they are fed, they will sleep thru when they are ready. I know it's hard, I am hoping my son sleeps thru soon too due to the new baby but he may not do it til he's ready. Perserverance will pay off.
Good luck.

Samantha - posted on 04/30/2010

Hi, My baby was breastfed, but due to hmim having to go to nursery i have had to stop. I had bno chance what so ever of him having both.It was one or the other, he was just too stubborn. Even now he is formula fed he does not sleep through the night. If i put him to bed at 8pm he will wake by 2-3am, and again at about 7-8am.

Heather - posted on 04/30/2010

My little guy was BF until he was 9 months (I had surgery and had to quit) and didn't sleep through the night until around 8 months. At 7 months he was waking twice every night. I think it just depends on the baby. And I know many FF moms that have babies that don't sleep through the night. You could try it if it's what you really want to do, but don't expect it to be the magic cure, he may very well still wake up.

Corina - posted on 04/30/2010

My first born was FFed and he did not sleep through the night till he was 1 and half years old. My second child was BFed and he sleep through the night. I think it all depends on the child..you can try to get your baby on a routine, maybe she is not feeding enough at night or just want's to be cuddle.

Kristin - posted on 04/30/2010

Babies sleep through the night when they are ready to. How is you child doing with solids? Has teething started? Also, are you going to him out of habit or because he (or she, sorry don't know) really needs you?

A baby on formula will not necessarily sleep through any better. A fuller belly will help, but cereal in a bottle is a choking hazard.

I would first check him out medically for any illness and teething. Talk with your doc about options and what you are doing. Do not feel obligated to offer formula if you don't want to, or not if you really do. What about pumping and having daddy/partner take a feed if necessary? Also, see if bub's will go back to sleep on their own or with daddy/partner helping them.

Hang in there, you are doing great and this will pass very soon.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/29/2010

my 8 month still is not sleeping through the night so his ped told me to give him jarred cereal about an hour before bedtime and add a little cereal to his bedtime bottle & it has helped so much, it just gets their belly nice a full so they sleep longer now he goes to bed at 8 and isn't up till 6 then i give him a bottle and he sleeps till 7:30-8 :)

Abby - posted on 04/29/2010

I was in the SAME exact position as you when my son was that age. He is 16 months old now, and (most nights) sleeps about 12 hours straight. When he was your baby's age, I wanted to do anything to get him to sleep. A lot of moms on here said co-sleeping helps, but it does not work for every baby. My son slept with us until he was 10 months old, and as soon as we put him in his own room in his own crib, he slept 7 hours straight! It had never happened before, I thought for sure he was dead!

Okay so now for some suggestions. First off, there really is no quick fix for teaching a baby to sleep through the night. And secondly, hunger is not always to blame for night waking. It sounds like your little angel is just in the habit of waking up to nurse, just like we adults are in the habit of sleeping with a pillow. It's comfortable, it's familiar, its the way we prefer to sleep. Definitely make sure he/she is getting enough to eat during the day, but at night offer different ways to soothe or go with CIO when you know they're not hungry. I used to be a huge advocate of attachment parenting: completely against CIO, co-sleeping, baby-wearing, the whole bit. But then my husband and I learned that not every baby responds to one cookie-cutter parenting style. Also, not every mom deals with sleep-deprivation well. I was NOT a good mom when I had been used as a pacifier all night (can't sleep through it like a lot of moms on here are able to). What worked for us was 1. putting him in his own room, 2. having my husband put him to bed at night, 3. putting him down awake but drowsy and leaving the room for him to try and settle himself down, checking on him every 10-15 minutes but not picking him up, and 6. waiting to go to him for at least 5 minutes when he woke up at night. We started this when he was about 9 months old, and by 10 1/2 months he was sleeping 12 hours a night. This is going from waking every 1.5 hours screaming because the boob had fallen out of his mouth :) I wish you the best of luck, and encourage you to do what will make your family's life less stressful.

Amy - posted on 04/29/2010

my son is breastfed and wakes up every 1.5 hr to 2 hour during the night. i dont think its a hunger thing i think its a very comforting and nice place for him to sleep and thats why he wakes up. sometimes he will wake and as soon as i give him the boob he is out cold.
maybe when you put your baby to bed when he/she wakes up dont offer a feed unless it has been 4 hours. just rock them back to sleep. then maybe bubs will get a better feed after a lil longer of a gap and might sleep longer?

Aideen - posted on 04/29/2010

I have similar problems....my son nurses a lot at night. He's 14 mths now and has improved a lot....just with age really. I started having early nights with him and that helped both of us. I also got daddy to mind him while eating /playing when he got to that stage and headed to bed for an hour of peace myself. My daughter slept through the night regularly from 6 weeks (with a little break from about 5 mths to 7 as she was preparing to and then starting solids)! I'm sure we did very little different this time but he's a different little person. We co-sleep and at least im not getting out of bed to feed him, would you consider trying that? Things will get better. Head to bed early and enjoy snoozes when you can. Breastfeeding is well worth it in my experience and i would imagine it's the easier option if your baby feeds at night. I'm sure making up bottles would add to your workload.

CHASTITY MERCYDES - posted on 04/29/2010

Try pumping some milk and then add like a teaspoon of rice cereal

Melanie - posted on 04/29/2010

id also like to add that aside from soy, formula is made from cows milk which is fine except baby cows need 4 stomachs to digest it.

Jeramie - posted on 04/29/2010

That is alot to get up in the night at that age, even for a breastfed baby, like mine was. Are they getting enough to eat during the daytime? if not they might be trying to make up for it. Also, maybe don't let them nap as much during the day, so they sleep longer at night ( I know, it is hard keeping them awake if they intend on sleeping). That was the age that I started letting my baby cry it out, and learn to go to sleep by herself. After I did that, she was less likely to wake me up at night because she was used to going to sleep without me. At 11 months my daughter now rarely wakes me up at night at all, sometimes only once.

Melanie - posted on 04/29/2010

at this age its fine to let them eat solids, that is if they dont still have that tongue reflex where they push it out. (mine is 5 mo loves food but cant keep it in her mouth) on the other hand my baby nurses only and sleeps with me and i feed her most nights with out actually remembering doing it. i get to stay asleep for the most part. ( if you sleep with your baby make sure to keep your sheets tight and keep all pillows and blankets away from the face) but you gotta do what works for you.

Crystal - posted on 04/29/2010

there are many ways to look at this...but the one that i think is most helpful is that your baby will go thru many phases and this is temporary. do not feel pressure to force you or your child to conform to someone else's standards. exhaustion is stressful so try to rest whenever you can. naps during the day, early bedtimes, ask someone else to help with baby at night if possible. but know that you and baby are normal and will be fine!

Amy - posted on 04/29/2010

Sometimes it's just a growth spurt issue.. I just stopped breastfeeding it was really hard and of course I mourned doing it but I was like you...up 5 times a night on my own...nutty as it sounds I like it better when my man can take turns... and pumping and dumping to me just seemed like more work but that's just me. Now my man can help me at night. I am an artist and I need my space... I was going really insane and now at night my husband and I take turns... it didn't stop her from waking up but it sure did help my marriage! P.S. if you do change over make sure to read the back of the formula box as to what your baby needs...also at night.... right before bed mix bananas or fruit or veggies of your choice with formula and cereal all in one.. It will fill your little one's tummy...that tip stopped two of the night time feedings for me{ I guess you could do that while breast feeding too} I know alot people get really passionate and may not like this post... but like other women have said it doesn't what other people want it matters what you want. I would suggest journaling though because like I said when you stop you really mourn it for awhile. I wouldn't go back to bfing.... I journaled through this time and am very encouraged by all the help my husband is giving me! Good luck to you!

Alison - posted on 04/29/2010

She sounds like she may need to start solids. My daughter was the same. I continued to breast fedd her thoughout weaning until she was 12 months and weanded herself off. Good luck and I hope you get some sleep soon

Beth - posted on 04/29/2010

I am a nurse in a postpartum unit and a mother of two young boys. Formula and solids are not a guarantee that a baby will STTN. Also, listen to the advice to never put cereal in a bottle. It is a choking hazard, as someone else mentioned. Formula MAY help a baby to sleep longer, but think about WHY it helps. Formula is harder on the baby's digestive system and takes longer for them to digest. Therefore, it may keep them fuller longer. But, I personally can't imagine giving my baby something that is harder for them to digest for my own convenience. Just a thought.