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nathansmummy 
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Joined: 20 July 2010
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 Topic: Dropping the Dreamfeed
Posted: 25 August 2010 at 9:21pm |
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My son has a dreamfeed around 11pm - always has to help him sleep well through the night. He generally wakes at 7am when he gets up for the day. But I am wanting to wean him from breastfeeding at 12mths and to do this I really need to drop this dreamfeed.
I think he's ready for it because he is decreasing his feeds during the day in terms of how long he feeds for - and sometimes refuses a whole feed during the day/has a short feed at bedtime. This is annoying because it invariable means he is hungry for that dreamfeed and early morning feed as well. And it's not like I can make him breastfeed or even take water during the day if he doesn't want to!
So I'm wondering if I just have to offer the dummy and have a few horrible nights of crying?
What are others suggestions? For those that weaned off the dreamfeed - how did you do it?
ETA: He is 9mths old.
Edited by nathansmummy
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Helen1
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Joined: 30 January 2009
Location: Auckland
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Posted: 25 August 2010 at 9:30pm |
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We just dropped it - cold turkey - when we thought she didn't need it. From the day we decided she didn't get offered any food or drink during the night. There was only one time that I got up and feed her and that was when she was sick and had very little of her bedtime feed.
It went really well and she didn't wake for feeds during the night.
It's really scary changing a routine. He will probably be okay. If he does wake the just be strong and offer the dummy or just water if you think he needs a drink. It should only take a couple of times for him to get used to it...... or he may well surprise you and be just fine without anything.
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nathansmummy
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Posted: 25 August 2010 at 9:40pm |
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He has been waking for it lately (probably because he hasn't had enough during the day). And earlier than usual because he hasn't had an afternoon sleep (refusing) so I put him to bed early. So tonight I gave him a feed at 9:30pm as his dreamfeed because despite the dummy he just screamed and was the only way to settle him!!!
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Samandtia
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Posted: 26 August 2010 at 9:29am |
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Hiya, I think I dropped Isabella's dreamfeed when she was about 8 or 9 months old. I gave her a dreamfeed between 10.30 and 11 but then all of a sudden she started waking on her own between those times. So I just made it half an hour earlier each day and eventually when we got down to a dreamfeed at 9pm I just didn't go in to give her one. I was so nervous about doing it (not sure why?! It just felt weird) but she was totally fine! How often does he feed during the day? Isabella was dropping day feeds aswell around the same time we dropped her dreamfeed. But as she dropped her day feeds they also became a little bit longer. Oh, also she did wake up a couple of nights after we dropped the dreamfeed (between 10 and 11) but we just gave her a dummy and off she went back to sleep.
Edited by Baybee1
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millymollymandy
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Posted: 26 August 2010 at 9:52am |
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I haven't drop the DF yet, as DD is resfusing afternoon naps on some days and we are transitioning to one nap, so figured lets not try and do too much at a time. It seems to me there's a few options:
1. - bring forward to 9pm and he'll eat less and get used to it, then gradually give less and less.
2. - do this feed as a bottlefeed and decrease the amount in the bottle over a week.
3. - cold turkey.
No idea what we'll do, but we are at 13 months and most nights sleeping 6.30-6.15-6.30 and on the odd occassion when she's refused to feed it hasn't affected her. Doesn't take bottles so 2 not a option. Its Me that needs to get her head around it.
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SpecialK
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Posted: 26 August 2010 at 12:48pm |
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We didn't drop it till 12 months, and we just went cold turkey. Having said that, for about a week before hand we worked on decreasing the amount of milk he has during the day and increasing the amounts of solids. He was drinking formula so it was a bit easier to control than formula. From memory, I dropped his morning bottle first and got him straight onto breakfast, then decreased the amount of milk in each bottle so that he was hungrier for the next meal.
Oh, and he always, and still does, has a bottle before bed. So dinner at 5 pm and a bottle at 7pm.
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wellymummy
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Posted: 26 August 2010 at 1:13pm |
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I only did the dreamfeed for about 6 weeks from aged 15 weeks cos DS wasnt gaining much weight. I loasthed to wake a sllepig baby but couldnt get more into him in the day.
As for stopping, I jsut feed for a few less minutes fora few nights, then stopped. He never missed it thank god. but I guess he was only about 5 and a bit months so and hadnt been doing it too long so wasnt that used to it
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Dropping the Dreamfeed
