Dream feed or leave alone??

brownlieB · Oct 6th, 2010, 15:05 PM

Hi guys

So little one is a month old now and her feeding routine is starting to change she used to wake up almost 4hrly so fed pretty much 3,7,11

However as the weeks passed she started getting hungry earlier so we upped the amount we gave her which has worked fine, her new routine is to take half a bottle and sort of snack during the day feeds (11am and 3pm) then at 7pm she takes a whole bottle and snacks again at 11pm and 3am and takes another whole bottle at 7am.

Last night though she took the whole bottle at 7pm but didn't wake up for her snack one at 11pm and slept right through till 3am!!

So I was wondering do I dream feed her at 11pm as this might allow her to sleep through till 7am, or just leave her be and let her wake up when she's ready?

ellie27 · Oct 6th, 2010, 15:09 PM

Hi

Congrats on your LO!

7pm - 3am thats fantastic!!

Assuming she is taking enough milk during the day/night then I would just let her feed/sleep when she wants.

brownlieB · Oct 6th, 2010, 15:13 PM

Thats what I was thinking, she definately gets her fill, she'll let me know if she's hungry with her almighty lungs lol!!

I'm gonna see if last night was a fluke, but tbh Im quite happy with her just waking at 3am, i was just seeing what others thought xx

hattiehippo · Oct 6th, 2010, 15:25 PM

I'd leave her to wake when she's hungry. We tried dream feeding Tom was he was little as he was having milk at 7pm and then waking about 2am for the next feed. It was a disaster - he screamed and refused to drink the milk and then woke at his normal time anyway!

It does work for some babies but not others.

_Vicky_ · Oct 7th, 2010, 02:04 AM

I never did dream feed basically as when the boys went to bed at 7pm - I went too I was that knackered lol. They went through till 1am very quickly and slept 12 hours from 16 weeks - HTH x

littleblonde · Oct 7th, 2010, 02:30 AM

id leave it as well.you may find the snack feeding was/is a growth spurt. My daughter droped her 11pm feed 1st. Then within 10 dropped her 3am one. If you start dream feeding it may not work,could get your lo to come to rely on it and they may wake at 3 anyway

beatnick · Oct 7th, 2010, 02:39 AM

zakk was having a dream feed then one night i fell asleep and missed it. he still woke up at the same time- 3am.

last two nights ive let him lead the way with feeds and he has been taking a full bottle at 7pm then waking at 3am then at about 6.30am.

i do hear him stir at other times in the night but goes back to sleep. he is sleeping better and easier to put back to sleep when he wakes naturally. i was struggling before. it might be a coinidence but its working so far.

i gathered i was enforcing a feed he had dropped and this way i am letting him naturally learn to sleep longer.

see how it unfolds! its nice to not worry about that bottle all evening when you are chilling out!

redpoppy · Oct 7th, 2010, 04:26 AM

I introduced a dream feed when my baby was sleeping from around 8 till 4 very early on and she started waking every two hours.

We thought we'd continue a few days and she'd figure it out but nope.

Then we couldn't go back as she'd wake at 11ish for a feed. Which she did until a couple of weeks ago.

She was on two feeds until then and only now after MONTHS and MONTHs have we gone back to a 7:30ish till 3-4amish sleep through! Admittedly her night bottle is only about 3oz now but Dream feed didn't work AT ALL for us and I would never try it again with any babies unless I introduced it from the start.

SO I'm not too hot on recommending it.

beatnick · Oct 7th, 2010, 05:40 AM

i get the idea of the dream feed but its no use unless it makes them sleep til morning. then how do you drop it?

im trying to go with what is naturally happening to zakk. he clearly understands its night time as he sleeps far longer than in the day so i guess i want nature to take its course!

Nats21 · Oct 7th, 2010, 05:45 AM

We tried a dreamfeed with Callum but we found it just interrupted his sleep pattern and he seemed to wake up more, now we just leave him to it and he sleeps for 9 hours before waking for a feed xx

Oct 6th, 2010, 15:05 PM	#1
brownlieB Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 1,766	Dream feed or leave alone?? Hi guys So little one is a month old now and her feeding routine is starting to change she used to wake up almost 4hrly so fed pretty much 3,7,11 However as the weeks passed she started getting hungry earlier so we upped the amount we gave her which has worked fine, her new routine is to take half a bottle and sort of snack during the day feeds (11am and 3pm) then at 7pm she takes a whole bottle and snacks again at 11pm and 3am and takes another whole bottle at 7am. Last night though she took the whole bottle at 7pm but didn't wake up for her snack one at 11pm and slept right through till 3am!! So I was wondering do I dream feed her at 11pm as this might allow her to sleep through till 7am, or just leave her be and let her wake up when she's ready?

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Oct 6th, 2010, 15:09 PM	#2
ellie27 Mum (Mom) BnB Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: uk Posts: 10,557	Hi Congrats on your LO! 7pm - 3am thats fantastic!! Assuming she is taking enough milk during the day/night then I would just let her feed/sleep when she wants.

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Oct 6th, 2010, 15:13 PM	#3
brownlieB Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 1,766	Thats what I was thinking, she definately gets her fill, she'll let me know if she's hungry with her almighty lungs lol!! I'm gonna see if last night was a fluke, but tbh Im quite happy with her just waking at 3am, i was just seeing what others thought xx

Status: Offline

Oct 6th, 2010, 15:25 PM	#4
hattiehippo Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Essex Posts: 3,637	I'd leave her to wake when she's hungry. We tried dream feeding Tom was he was little as he was having milk at 7pm and then waking about 2am for the next feed. It was a disaster - he screamed and refused to drink the milk and then woke at his normal time anyway! It does work for some babies but not others.

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 02:04 AM	#5
_Vicky_ Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: May 2009 Location: Derbyshire - UK Posts: 7,307	I never did dream feed basically as when the boys went to bed at 7pm - I went too I was that knackered lol. They went through till 1am very quickly and slept 12 hours from 16 weeks - HTH x

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 02:30 AM	#6
littleblonde Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: shropshire Posts: 7,230	id leave it as well.you may find the snack feeding was/is a growth spurt. My daughter droped her 11pm feed 1st. Then within 10 dropped her 3am one. If you start dream feeding it may not work,could get your lo to come to rely on it and they may wake at 3 anyway

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 02:39 AM	#7
beatnick Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hampshire UK Posts: 1,883	zakk was having a dream feed then one night i fell asleep and missed it. he still woke up at the same time- 3am. last two nights ive let him lead the way with feeds and he has been taking a full bottle at 7pm then waking at 3am then at about 6.30am. i do hear him stir at other times in the night but goes back to sleep. he is sleeping better and easier to put back to sleep when he wakes naturally. i was struggling before. it might be a coinidence but its working so far. i gathered i was enforcing a feed he had dropped and this way i am letting him naturally learn to sleep longer. see how it unfolds! its nice to not worry about that bottle all evening when you are chilling out!

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 04:26 AM	#8
redpoppy Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3,577	I introduced a dream feed when my baby was sleeping from around 8 till 4 very early on and she started waking every two hours. We thought we'd continue a few days and she'd figure it out but nope. Then we couldn't go back as she'd wake at 11ish for a feed. Which she did until a couple of weeks ago. She was on two feeds until then and only now after MONTHS and MONTHs have we gone back to a 7:30ish till 3-4amish sleep through! Admittedly her night bottle is only about 3oz now but Dream feed didn't work AT ALL for us and I would never try it again with any babies unless I introduced it from the start. SO I'm not too hot on recommending it.

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 05:40 AM	#9
beatnick Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hampshire UK Posts: 1,883	i get the idea of the dream feed but its no use unless it makes them sleep til morning. then how do you drop it? im trying to go with what is naturally happening to zakk. he clearly understands its night time as he sleeps far longer than in the day so i guess i want nature to take its course!

Status: Offline

Oct 7th, 2010, 05:45 AM	#10
Nats21 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Walsall, West Midlands Posts: 5,713	We tried a dreamfeed with Callum but we found it just interrupted his sleep pattern and he seemed to wake up more, now we just leave him to it and he sleeps for 9 hours before waking for a feed xx

Status: Offline

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