does cluster feeding work to get baby to sleep through the night?

[beckymcfc]

Hi there

My 6 week old son is currently 9lb3 and is feeding 5oz every 4 hours. In order to help him sleep longer during the night I've been told to try cluster feeding. Does anyone have any experience of this and if so howmuch should I feed him and when?

He currently has his last feed at 11pm, then we go to bed and he'll wake around 3am then 7am.

I look forward to receiving your advice.

is he bottle fed?
my dd woukdnt cluster feed but then.she sleept well. (bottle fed)
my sil dd used to cluster feed in the afternoon and evenings with what she called snacks/top ups inbetween feeds. (breast fed)

Hi Becky, there is a feeding topic where you might get more responses than in pregnancy

11pm, 3am, then 7am sounds great for a 6 week old! We did used to cluster feed (bf) but it was only really because he was hungry. He also got a top up bottle at night which we did think helped... but I don't think he was as good a sleeper as yours sounds!

He prob got about 50% more in his top up but was very difficult to tell due to breastfeeding...

I also agree that 11pm, 3am and 7am isn't bad for a 6 week old! I tried cluster feeding with DS ie/ 4pm, 6pm, 7pm but it never made him sleep any longer!

Is the 11pm feed a dream feed?

I tried the dream feed and the cluster feed and I would say I didn't really notice any amazing results! I was BF. In fact with my first child the whole thing was a bloody nightmare and I got myself all worked up about it - she didn't sleep anymore and I probably annoyed her trying to feed her at my whim!

I agree 11pm, 3am and 7am are AMAZING! Enjoy!

Sounds like my 7w little one . She did a fortnight of 8pm-4.30 which felt unbelievably wonderful (gave us both an evening and about 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep) but the past few nights she has gone back to 8-2.30/3, with a very awkward 6am wake up that doesn't fit with her 3hr routine that starts at 8am. We've just started dream-feeding, its only day 3 so I don't know how well it will go but last night she made it through until 3.30 so fingers crossed it will work. I'm also going to try to cluster feed in the evenings as well, but tonight she wasn't too keen on that.

Let me know how you get on if you do try cluster feeding, but really I think that you're LO is doing really well and you probably can't expect too much more sleep for a few weeks until their tummy gets bigger - you're lucky with those wake-ups anyway!

Dream feeds didn't work for us. I tried it for about a week then gave up as DS still woke up at the same time regardless and I figured it was just another thing to wean him off! It took till 8 months for him to sleep 7pm - 6am, I have no idea if that's good or bad!!

We were exactly the same as piemistress - at 8 months was generally sleeping 7pm-6am, now at 18 months he quite often sleeps 13 hours at night, brilliant :) but took a while to get there!

Cluster feeding didn't work for us - I tried it around 6 weeks with DD1 for a good few weeks on HV's advice but made no difference whatsoever. And neither did dream feeding with her either.

DD2 I didn't try (didn't really have the time) - neither of mine slept through until about 9months when they started moving around (both breastfed) - don't want to depress you with that, in each case we've been later than anyone else I know whose babies slept through MUCH earlier, but I remember desperately trying everything anyone suggested with DD1 and feeling such a failure when it didn't work. With DD2, I just had much lower expectations and didn't stress about it - net result being that it bothered me much less.

Good luck though - it does seem to go on forever but you will get there eventually!

Not sure if you're ff or bf, bf both of mine and dream feed at 11pm worked a treat for DS (once he stopped the colicky all evening screaming) but he braver cluster fed.

DD major cluster feeder at 6weeks, dream feeding has made no difference. her sleep is currently abhorrent (15wks), you are so lucky to have those wake ups at 6weeks in my (limited) experience

Getting to 12 lbs is usually the turning point ime. You have a bit to go. Cluster feeding in and of itself might not 'work' but hitting that 12 lb mark will happen as his appetite is satisfied anyway so if he wants to cluster feed, no harm in it.

Also, I find that some mums can 'embelish' how much sleep they are getting, try not to listen to them, sounds like you are doing well x The hard thing with a dream feed at 11pm is that you can't go to bed early and get a good stretch yourself through until 3am. It will get easier!! I just wish somebody had told me that at the time! :)

I'm amazed anyone would think that a 4 hour feed break during nights is not acceptable for a 6 week old. Babies of this age need to feed regularly, and while some children - in the miniority - might sleep a bit longer, 4 hours is really very good. If you get to 5-6 hours by 12 weeks, then that is more normal. I know you are tired and knackered, but really it is only a short time to be doing night feeding inthe grand scheme of things, and most children naturally will sleep longer - when they are a little bit older and bigger, I promise!!!! Hang on in there.

Agree Joygirl. And feeding between 12 midnight and 2 am is very important when establishing supply.

When you have been up for 6 weeks seemingly non-stop you can get very obsessive about sleep. When you close your eyes you dream about sleep...

Sleep will happen, but 12 lbs is usually the turning point and not 9.