Probably a Stupid Question: Dream Feeding

[Dannat]

I am about to attempt to dream feed DS for the first time now. I know (thanks to a lovely poster on another thread who kindly explained the concept to me) that the point is to feed DS whilst trying not to wake him, but DS is an incredibly windy baby. Will I need to wind him or will it be ok to leave him? If I do try to wind him, he will wake up and obviously, I am trying to avoid that.

As I said, a stupid question

[TrinityRhino]

its not stupid if you dont know the answer
I never tried to wind my baboes when I had df them

supposedly because they are feeding when asleep and very relaxed theyh dont take in too much air

good luck

[Dannat]

Thanks Trinity. I never tried this with DD and unfortunately, she had no real bedtime routine. This time, I am determined to get DS sleeping through the night earlier than 13 months so am willing to try DF in the hope that he carries on through until the morning.

Which leads me to my next question. How do I go about establishing a nighttime/bed time routine for an 8 week old? I know he is still little but would like to start laying the foundations.

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Dannat - I used to dream feed my DS, who was a very windy baby but for the dream feed he was..well, a dream!! Guzzled it down and just went back into the cot with no winding at all! It did not make him go through the night though - their tummies are just too small for that. Instead, we used to get about 5 to 5 1/2 hours instead of the usual 4...so bear that in mind.

As for the routine, I would say 8 weeks is a little bit to early, even for setting a foundation...be patient and by four months, if you watch and listen for the baby's cues, you should find that they find their own routine that you can make work for you iyswim?

Hope this helps!

[TrinityRhino]

oh sorry can't help you with that one
all 3 of my girls didn't have much of any sort of routine until they were about 18 months
sorry

[MsHighwater]

I dreamfed dd (now 3) for many months and she never had any problem with wind.

[loisstella]

Dannat, I have had a different experience than pussinboots and did manage a routine with an 8 week old, dreamfeeding etc.
My daughter didn't take the dreamfeed the first couple of times I tried (I guess I was anxious too). But when she did it was wonderful and "changed my life".

My daughter is also very windy. Used to take infacol at every bottle (even dream feeds) for the first 13 weeks. And I did wind her for the first few weeks, she slept through that by the way.

Once we established dream feeds, she slept through the night and it also meant we could put her to bed at 6:45 pm. she sleeps until around 7:30 am with a sleep feed beofre I go to bed at 11ish.
We started this at exactly 8 weeks and it stopped her 'witching hour' in the evening and also helped form her day routine a bit better. The morning is now, at 14 weeks completely predictable, the afternoon not so much, but we're out a lot and do kep her up after 4PM to make sure she does sleep at 6:45.

I may well have a very unusually easy child, but she did have daily cry hours before we tried this... so I say, try it! it might just work!

[pudding25]

We have been doing a routine for bedtime since wk 2 (now 13 wks). It did take prob until about 5/6 wks to really kick in but now, apart from the odd blip here and there, bedtime is much the same.

5/5.30pm BF in living room
5.45/6pm bath into her sleeping bag in our room and story if she is not too tired.
6/6.30pm BF in dark in her room. In bed asleep by 7pm
DF around 11pm. We have just started dreamfeeding her. Before that, we were waking her to feed her. Dream feeding is much better (and v cute!).

It has all been a bit disrupted as she has just been put in her cotbed (was previously in moses basket in cotbed and then moved to basket in our room).

But a baby can be put in a routine. You dont need to wait until they decided what to do. Just be prepared for it to take time for them to get used to it.

[babyOcho]

We have been doing a bedtime routine since DD was about 2 weeks. She went through a fussy phase which lasted from about 6 weeks until about 3 months, but I think that it's worth doing as it helps you as well as your LO (eventually).

Here's what we do, very similar to pudding:

5.30pm - naked time, with a toy that we only ever give her to play with at this time of day. Also play her bathtime music. Basically its a mozart CD. I used to listen to the radio but when she was going through her fussy phase the radio stressed me and this music calmed me down and now it's stuck.
Get stuff ready for bath/top&tail. Then take DD to bathroom for bath/top&tail.

6pm - turn off music. Holding DD, close her door, turn off light and draw the curtains in her room. Then feed her.
When she's finished put her in cot, I like to maintain eye contact and tell her that it's bedtime and that I love her. I also tell her that it's bedtime and that I will check on her in 10 mins (she's only 5mo, but I like to tell her this anyway). I also give her a soft toy to play with. I then leave the room with door closed and go onto MNet for 10 mins

She usually drops off after a lot of talking to the toy and her mobile. I then go back in and remove the toy.

Until a few days ago we used to wake her at 10.15pm for a dream feed. But we're finding now that she doesnt want to be woken. So in the past few days I've been doing a true dreamfeed, not waking her.

I know that the whole bathtime thing sounds rigid, but it really isnt. I do think that the music and toy association does help. I esp. think that the music association works.

[pudding25]

We also do naked time before her bath with a toy. She loves it and it is also, apparantly good to air their bums to try to prevent nappy rash!
Instead of music, we have a bath song that we sing every night (poor child...)