Dreamfeed help
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39856
Printed Date: 18 August 2025 at 11:22pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Dreamfeed help
Posted By: SethsMama
Subject: Dreamfeed help
Date Posted: 10 July 2011 at 5:00pm
|
Hey, I've been trying to figure out for ages how to post on these forums and just now figured out all i needed was a more acceptable forum name!
I have 1 4 1/2 month old boy who is a great self-settler. I introduced a dreamfeed at about 2 1/2 months just because we changed his bedtime to 7 instead or 9:30ish. It's never really seemed to make him sleep longer, up until a couple of weeks ago he was waking at 1 and 3 and 5.... We got a little mean a couple of weeks ago and did a watered-down version of verbal reasurance, cos i'm a wimp when it comes to CIO, but eventually we have got him into; sleep at 7pm, dreamfeed at 10pm then feed between 4-5am then wake at 7:30. Sooo my question is....if the dreamfeed seems to not have made a difference before is it worth trying to phase it out, or should I work on pushing out his morning feed knowing that he is getting heaps at his dreamfeed? Concentrate on him sleeping all the way through before messing with is dreamfeed. I know there are a few dreamfeeding posts already but all the ones a read, the babies seemed to be sleeping through to 7am as soon as the dreamfeed started. Occasionally my DS will wake up at 9:30/10pm before his dreamfeed, so is that a sign he still needs it. He has 6 BF's during the day and a formula feed (220ml) at his dreamfeed. Any ideas would be appreciated! Or your experiences with your children. I'd like to make it clear that I don't mind the current way things work but it does seem that the 4/5am feed is a little more habbit than hunger, but seeing as i'm a wimp, i just give in to him! ------------- 
|
Replies:
Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 10 July 2011 at 9:11pm
|
I'd work on pushing out the 4/5am one first, and wait til he is sleeping through til the morning cosistently --- and hes established on solids to get rid of the dreamfeed. That way you can be sure he doesn't really need the dreamfeed. My DS was sleeping through from 12wks every night but we kept the dreamfeed til he was 6.5 months and having a good dinner. We dropped it by cutting down the amount down over a couple of days then he woke for it a bit later at night for a couple of days, (midnight-ish!) then stopped waking for it.
DD always refused one but slept thru by 5wks so I gave up trying to give it to her! ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: buzylizy
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 9:31pm
| My son would dreamfeed at 10 and then would wake for a feed at 1 and 5am...so we started 'watering down' his 1am bottle. We started mixing it as it should and over about 2 weeks just kept making it weaker and weaker. By the time it was almost water he stopped waking for it and started drinking more with other feeds. It is as if his body started telling him that it wasn't worth waking for a bottle of water. I know it might sound a little strange but it worked for him and I would do it again with my second. The feed more at the other feeds to compensate...mother nature made them that way so you don't have to worry that one watery feed would upset his nutrition. |
Posted By: mrsm
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 7:44pm
|
My question would be - is he having proper feed for his dreamfeed, or just a comfort suck? also which feed is the most disruptive for you? cause that's the one I'd work on first.
DS was waking often in the night and I was just feeding him, until I realised that he wasn't having a proper feed for most of them and probably didn't need them. I stopped feeding him between 12am and 6am but he still had a dreamfeed at about 10:30. Now, he still has the dreamfeed and has also pushed out his morning wake up time from 5 to 6:30/7. He has a good feed at 10:30 so I'm going to keep it up for now until he is having solids as his main food, especially as it doesn't bother me to do it. I had also heard of the watering down the bottle trick, and also just reducing the amount in the bottle, or timing the breastfeed and making it 2 mins shorter every few days to phase them out. Good luck! I know it's hard but the good sleeping is SOOOO worth it. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: SethsMama
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 5:02pm
|
So they day I posted my son came down with broncolitis! So everything went out the window.
But to a reasonably normal routine now, I'm thinking I'll keep the dreamfeed til his solids are established. He is still waking at around 4:30 but I KNOW now that this is for comfort because he has had nights when he's slept til 7. I think I may try reducing the feed time at the 4am feed like you suggested clobug. Hopefully when his cough is completely gone he'll push it out naturally anyway. I just hate leaving him to cry, and pushing out the time that way! Thanks so much for all the feedback guys, I'm out in the wop wops so it's nice to bounce questions off people! -------------
|