Dream feeding

[Suea76]

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone has tried dream feeding to encourage through the night sleeping. My LB falls asleep every night at 730 ish but wakes again at 12. I have several friends with older children who have suggested trying it at about 1030.
The research seems to suggest that it is now a bad thing to do.
I was just looking for some opinions before I decide what to do
TIA

[1lov3comp5]

My DS is 5 months next week and for the last 2 months he has been given a dream feed at about 10.30-11 and sleeps until 7-7.30 each morning. He refused it last night and slept through anyway, not sure if it's a fluke or down to him starting solids...
What is the reasoning behind not doing it according to the research??

[Suea76]

Hi thanks for that that is what my friends are saying.
The research says it can be dangerous if they are not fully awake and also that you are disturbing there natural sleep pattern. I seems as though it was the big thing a few years ago and they have now changed there minds.my LB is nearly 9 weeks. Glad you ha led a full nights sleep last night I may try it at the weekend.

[ChickenFajitaAndNachos]

I didn't know it was a bad thing to do. When my DSs were 7 weeks I started giving them a dream feed at about 10.30 and then the first night they slept to about 4.30, then 5 and then it got later and they were sleeping until 7a.m within I week. They then started waking up later in the morning so I moved the 10.30 feed half an hour earlier each evening ending up with an 8-8 or 7 to 7 sleep at 12 weeks with no waking or feeds. This worked for all three of my DC.

[Suea76]

Thanks.
I'm leaning towards trying it, glad it worked for your DC. Do you wind after the dream feed? How awake do you make them strange question I know as it's a dream feed.

[ChickenFajitaAndNachos]

Mine seemed to stay asleep. Re winding, I put them over my shoulder and walked about a bit downstairs and often found as I carried them upstairs to bed they burped. I found for me the biggie was that I was fully awake and able to do a really big feed. When I was waking up in the night I was sort of doing a quick, sleepy feed and then they were waking a couple of hours or less later.

[Thurlow]

We did it 2 years ago. Was an absolute godsend for us, as it moved that 1am wake up through until 3-4 am when she was very little, and then finally helped her to go through the night when she got a bit older.

If you do try it, it can take a week or more to actually start working and it might not always be a quick fix, so do remember that.

DD used to feed when fast asleep - put her on your lap, wipe her lips with the teat and she went for it. Then I held her over my shoulder and winded her for quite a few minutes, just to reassure myself she had settled and gone back into a deep sleep.

[Heatherbell1978]

OP I'm exactly the same as you. DS1 is 6 wks and goes down around 7.30-8pm and up again around midnight. I've tried dream feeding but he is out for the count at that time so we've never managed it! I'm not sure if babies need to learn to eat while asleep but he definitely can't at the moment.....

[Suea76]

Well thanks ladies I think I will give it a go at the weekend he's asleep now.