Bad Advice From Your Mother-In-Law: “Give Him Formula and He’ll Sleep Through the Night!”

Myth: breastfed babies don’t sleep through the night.

Breastfed babies are perfectly capable of sleeping through the night! There are so many people out there spouting off bad advice about putting cereal in bottles or switching to formula to help remedy your baby’s sleep issues.

Although it’s true that nutrition can play a factor, both breast and bottle fed babies can receive adequate enough nutrition to sleep long stretches. What IS going to help your child achieve longer stretches is good sleep hygiene! That means following age appropriate wake windows, keeping the sleep environment dark and quiet, giving your child the space and proper timing to go to sleep, and beyond!

Metabolically, your child’s needs may vary from those of other babies, so don’t compare who is sleeping through the night first! It can be appropriate to keep a feeding for a bit and it doesn’t mean your child will never get rid of that feeding.

Don’t compare. And for the love of God, please don’t put cereal in your baby’s bottle.