Do you wake your baby to feed before you go to bed? Not sure what's best to do.

[zippyswife]

Ds 5 weeks old feeds at 6pm then goes to bed at 7pm. He then wakes 12-1am and sleeps to 3-5 then feeds and then is pretty restless till 7ish when he properly wakes.

Would I benefit by waking him at 10pm and feeding him before I go to sleep? Or will I just be adding in another feed by doing this?

Id appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[FATEdestiny]

Some babies benefit and it help then sleep 11pm-7am, others don't like their sleep being disrupted and it hinders, rather than helps.

You can always give it a go, see if it makes a different and if it doesn't go back to how it was.

[zippyswife]

Thanks. Yes I think I'll give it a go and see.

[mrsjskelton]

I read in my book that 3 days is enough to start a new habit with a baby. I think this was in reference to "going for a drive or walk around the block" to settle a crying baby in the night - obviously this would be a one off and not to be repeated for more than 3 consecutive days or it would the only way to settle the baby. So although it might be a real pain the first couple of times to wake your baby, for a few consecutive nights you might see a difference!

[sophiaslullaby]

I did the same at around 5/6 weeks with my DS, he carried on waking at similar times to what you described and it was just because he needed feeding and wasn't ready to sleep through so I was in effect creating an extr wake time. (Likewise I'd put him to bed at 7pm and he'd sleep through until 1am). So in the end I didn't bother waking him - figured if he's hungry he'll wake and if not he'll sleep.
Good thing is at 17 weeks he still goes to bed so easily at 7pm.

Try it for the 3 days as suggested and see if it works for you though, it did for a friend of mine :-)

[NickyEds]

We always did a dream feed with ds and do now with dd. Dd is 7.5 months and in the early days (5/6 weeks-4/5 months) she'd have the dream feed then sleep through. We then had a period of her waking progressively earlier to have a night feed then would only settle in with us. Last 3 nights she's stirred once for dummy to be put back in but otherwise slept well. We've kept the dream feed throughout.

[CornishDoll82]

Dream feed didn't work for us - she woke at exactly the same times!

5 weeks is so early that it will be all over the place so don't worry.

[kaymondo]

Mine both used to go to bed at 7 and then sleep until 3am when they'd wake for a feed, so they were actually sleeping a full 8 hours, just not when I wanted them too. If I could have got them to take a feed at 10/11 so they did their 8 hour stint when I went to bed it would have been brilliant. Unfortunately, neither would comply! They were just too fast asleep and wouldn't feed properly. In the end i gave up as it wasn't worth disturbing them when they wouldn't feed anyway.

Worth a try though, I know loads of people who swear by the dream feed.

[zippyswife]

Ds had obviously read this thread as he woke promptly at 10.30 last night so dh fed him or at least tried to. He only took a small amount despite dh's best efforts. He then work exactly 4 hours later at 2.30 and then was unsettled from 4.30 and needed feeding at 6... I don't know whether to try the dream feed again tonight... Too tired to decide!! Thanks for the advice though. I may try to persevere for 2 more nights and see if a good habit forms... I'll update. Thanks again!

[zippyswife]

Had a better night last night by accident! We were so tired that we decided we'd just wait for ds to wake. But Ds woke early at 10.30 again but took the milk and slept through till 4.30 where he had another feed and then through till 6.30. Possibly the best night we've had to date... I'm not sure I could manage to replicate it though if I wake him tonight at 10.30. But will give it a go.