Up all Night? No problem! National Survey Reveals New Moms and Dads Get the Most Out of Overnight Feedings

LANCASTER, Pa., April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Every new mom and dad can relate to the universal experience of waking up in the middle of the night with a newborn.  In fact, according to the 2014 Chicco Late Night Feeding Survey, two thirds of parents report getting up to feed their babies anywhere from 3-5 times per night.  To celebrate the launch of Chicco's NaturalFit Advanced Feeding & Soothing System, which is designed to simplify bottle feeding for parents and their newborns, Chicco USA polled new moms and dads to get the inside scoop on what goes on during those wee hours of the night.

The survey revealed that two-thirds of moms (65%) and more than half of dads (56%) got four hours of sleep or less per night when their babies were first born.  In addition to tending to their little ones, parents report finding other ways to occupy their hours of interrupted sleep, from perusing Facebook and shopping online to checking out the latest sports scores.  

"It makes perfect sense that parents today are multitasking during late night feedings," said Vera Sweeney, Chicco spokesperson and founder of Lady and the Blog. "With cell phones, tablets and laptops at our disposal, late night feedings are a convenient time to catch up on everything new parents simply don't have time to do during the day."

Key Survey Findings:

• Worth the sacrifice: Although late night feedings put added strain on new parents, the bonding between parent and child during the wee hours is worth the lack of sleep. The majority of parents (75%) report those late night feedings have deepened the bonds between them and their babies.
• Queen of late night: A whopping 91 percent of moms surveyed agree they take on the majority of the late night feedings.
• Guilty of faking it: Forty-four percent of parents suspect their partners have pretended to be asleep to avoid late night feedings. Those suspicions may not be too far from the truth: more than one-third of dads surveyed (38%) admit they have actually done so, but only 28 percent of moms say the same.
• Feeding time = Facebook time: Nearly all moms (98%) and dads (94%) who check social media while feeding baby in the middle of the night report Facebook as the social network they are most likely to visit. That's where the similarities end, as half of dads are most likely to check Twitter (48% vs. 23% of moms) and YouTube (45% vs. 25% of moms) while baby is feeding in the middle of the night; whereas moms are more likely to check Pinterest (38% vs. 16% of dads).
• Sports vs. Shopping: While feeding baby in the middle of the night, moms and dads surveyed are not visiting the same types of websites. Three-quarters of dads who browse the Internet are most likely to visit a sports-related website (79% vs. 17% of moms), such as ESPN.com, or general news site (73% vs. 48% of moms), while moms who browse are most likely to visit parenting (89% vs. 49% of dads) or retail websites (77% vs. 58% of dads).

No matter the late night activity, both moms and dads can make overnight mealtimes easier on themselves and their babies by matching their baby's stage of development with the appropriate bottle.

According to the survey, most parents are aware that baby's feeding style changes within the first six months of his or her life (88%).  However, more than one-in-10 parents (12%) did not switch to a different stage or faster flow nipple on their baby's bottles.

The NaturalFit Advanced Feeding System is designed to meet babies' changing feeding styles with three distinct nipple shapes that adapt to each baby's stage of development.  For instance, the Stage One bottle features an exclusive angled nipple that ensures proper head and neck positioning, a slow newborn flow and a rounded base that mimics mom's breast.  As babies grow, the nipples on each bottle change to ensure that feedings with baby are happy and fulfilled.

"The NaturalFit Advanced Feeding & Soothing System is the result of decades of nursing and feeding expertise, a core category for Chicco," explained William Hasse, vice president of marketing for Chicco USA.  "This particular system, the first of its kind in the U.S., is meant to simplify bottle feeding with stages that align with baby's development.  As babies grow and mature, their feeding style changes, which means they will require a different type of bottle with a different type of nipple."

The NaturalFit Advanced Feeding & Soothing System includes everything from bottles, pacifiers and teethers to nursing pads and a wide variety of feeding accessories and gift sets, all of which are available exclusively in buybuy BABY® stores nationwide and online at buybuyBABY.com.  Each NaturalFit bottle has a suggested retail price of $8.99 and other products in the line range in price from $3.99 to $49.99.

To learn more about Chicco and the NaturalFit Advanced Feeding & Soothing System, visit ChiccoUSA.com/NaturalFit.

ABOUT CHICCO

Chicco USA is the American subsidiary of Chicco, the leading European baby brand with global headquarters in Como, Italy. Chicco is the only multi-specialist baby brand in the world, providing babies from birth to 36 months with all the products they need to grow, covering the toys, fashion, gear, nursing, and baby care categories.  Founded in 1958, Chicco is part of the Artsana SpA group, one of Italy's leading family-owned corporations with more than 7000 employees and 25 branches throughout the world.  For more information, please visit ChiccoUSA.com. 

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Chicco from March 10-15, 2014 among 1,060 parents of children 18 months old or younger. 

SOURCE Chicco USA