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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Dreamfeed - 7 week old will not entertain the idea!

18 replies

addictedtofrazzles · 17/08/2010 21:52

DS2 is 7 weeks and WILL not take a dreamfeed (have tried everything to get him to). Regardless of whether I wake him at 1030pm or not, he wakes at 330am for a feed. Whilst I am thrilled he can sleep from 7pm-330am, I am exhausted from being up in the early hours.

Has anyone had experience of this and able to offer words of wisdom - might he suddenly switch to dreamfeeding if I persevere? Or will I have to prepare myself for still more weeks of 3am awakenings? Heeeedlllppp - I'm so tired and would love a stretch of sleep that is swapped from 11pm-7am!!!

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TheSugarPlumFairy · 17/08/2010 22:04

keep trying. My DD was keen at first but got the idea in the end.

are you waking him or just lifting him from his bed. We always had more luck just lifting DD. THat dreamy half asleep/ half awake state seems to work best for dream feeds.

seeker · 17/08/2010 22:08

But he's only 7 weeks old - I'm afraid that's waht they do at this age! Don;t worry - it won't last long - before you know it he'll be a lumpen teenager and you won't be able to get him out of bed!

try going to bed earlier yourself - if only for a few nights. That way you can catch up on some sleep.

Original poster

addictedtofrazzles · 17/08/2010 22:08

Thanks fairy!

Will maybe keep trying in the hope perhaps that he one day will stop waking at 330am. That way dh can do some Dreamfeeding and I can get a full nights kip???!!!

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sleepdeprivedby2 · 18/08/2010 08:43

Sorry frazzles, but both of my 2 DC's did this, they just didn't get on with the dreamfeed at all and after weeks of perserverence I just had to admit defeat and go to bed early so that I got 2 good blocks of sleep before and after their feed.

lifeas3plus1 · 18/08/2010 10:17

The idea of dreamfeeding is a good one. I wouldn't even think of doing it for a 7 week old though. That is still really tiny and tiny babies wake in the night for feeds.

He's doing really well going 7-3.30 so I wouldn't rock the boat, go to bed a bit earlier yourself and get a good few hours sleep in.

Try the dreamfeed again around 4/6 months old if you really want to.

Original poster

addictedtofrazzles · 18/08/2010 13:13

Thanks guys - he took 4oz at a dreamfeed last night. I got tucked up in bed all excited that it would see him through to the morning only to have him wake at 245am! So ended up with two feeds rather than one! Will take you advice and just feed at 330am! I have a hen night on Saturday...can be home just in time for his feed - ha,ha!!

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foxy123 · 18/08/2010 13:39

My daughter did not dreamfeed till a few months old. Could you try 'cluster feeding'? That can help fill up the tummy for night time. Putting in extra effort while awake and reap the sleep rewards!

"Baby Whisperer has an interesting philosophy for the end of the day. It's called cluster feeding. An example would be feeding a baby at 6 p.m. and then instead of waiting several hours, feeding the baby again at 8 p.m.

Blau credited her co-author, Tracy Hogg, who passed away after the book was written, with coming up with the concept.

"Her philosophy was you tank babies up," Blau said. "By giving them more in their little bellies before they take a nap, they're more likely to sleep longer stretches."

CatIsSleepy · 18/08/2010 13:44

well tbh it might not make any difference-dd2 used to get a dream-feed and she still woke at least once again later in the night, sometimes more that that if she was having a growth spurt. I think she did wake slightly later than she would have done otherwise, but it wasn't enough to get her through the whole night.
7 weeks is still very little to be expecting a whole night's sleep...

Original poster

addictedtofrazzles · 18/08/2010 13:49

Don't worry - I am not expecting a full nights sleep! However, he is 13lbs and sleeping for an 8 hour stretch... I had hoped that the 8 hours was from 11pm to 7am like ds1 but it is clearly not meant to be. I had forgotten how full on newborns can be!!

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kiwidreamer · 18/08/2010 14:37

It looks like the dreamfeed concept works for some and not for others, frustratingly like most things related to newborns!!!! Never made a difference for us so we had two night wakings until 4mths and then one night waking til 7mths when he started sleeping thru regularly.

Maybe once he gets thru the 12wk growth spurt he'll change his sleep pattern??

mummytime · 18/08/2010 14:46

Why don't you go to bed as close to 7:30 as you can?
I never did the dreamfeed thing, but did get the evening one later, so the early morning one also got later, until it was civilised.

Trafficcone · 18/08/2010 19:47

Tracy Hogg invented the way breastfed babies naturally feed in the evening and always have done?? I've flaming well heard it all now!!! You can't invent a biological norm ffs!

2catsand1rabbit · 19/08/2010 12:51

Dream feeding never worked from me. My DS was either too sleepy to feed or if I woke him up it tooks ages to get him back to sleep. You are very lucky that they are sleeping for such a long stretch. You could go to bed when they do? I remember going to bed at 7.50pm one night when my DS was a few weeks old.

seeker · 20/08/2010 07:21

"Tracy Hogg invented the way breastfed babies naturally feed in the evening and always have done?? I've flaming well heard it all now!!! You can't invent a biological norm ffs!"

Amazing, isn't it? I always thought my dd invented that system when she was a newborn! Obviously she was a very advanced reader and I never knew!

missedith01 · 20/08/2010 07:36

It's too early to force the issue of sleep, IMHO. Way, way too early. Little one sounds like he's doing fab anyway ... one lady from my antenatal class is still waking x3 at five months! (Now, that's tired ... if I was her I think I'd be a goner by now but she's ever so cheerful...)

Original poster

addictedtofrazzles · 20/08/2010 09:58

I love the idea of 730pm bed...but sadly there is washing to be done, bottles to clean and a husband to feed but am managing to retire about9pm!

I think I have fallen into the trap of comparing ds2 to ds1 who had a feed (that I called a dreamfeed because of the time of night!) at 10.30pm and at 6 weeks stopped waking for a feed thereafter till 7am If there was a way of getting ds2 to do the same I would be delighted

OP posts:

foxy123 · 20/08/2010 10:31

Trafficcone & seeker I think you misread. I pasted a quote that Tracy Hogg has an interesting philosophy (meaning a rational investigation) nothing about invention. It worked for me & my daughter anyway.

Latootle · 20/08/2010 23:25

9hrs is a very long time for a
7 wk baby to go without feeding what does the HV say or your Dr? In another tread i mentioned I was told never to let baby go longer than 4 hrs without feeding at that young age. Its never said but they can go into a sort of coma. Dr words again.!!shock

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