Does anyone else wake their baby for 10-11pm feed? Does it help?

[jellybelly75]

My DD2 is nearly 6 months and still has at least 2 (sometimes 3) feeds between 7pm and 7am, and I know I shouldnt compare as all babies are different but my DD1 and DS1 both slept through by 3-4 months and I was kinda hoping DD2 would be doing the same (wishful thinking!).

I can't decide whether waking her for a feed before I go to bed (10.30-11ish) is actully making things worse, ie am I disturbing her natural sleep pattern and then causing her to wake up more in the night? I tried dreamfeeding for the first time the other night and she took a huge feed at 11pm while still asleep so I was really optimistic for a good night, but she woke up at 2.30am (as usual), not all that hungry but with a heavy nappy (as we usually change her at the 11pm feed when shes awake but didnt want to disturb her after dreamfeed). And then she woke again at 5.40am :(.

Do other bf mums wake their lo's for the late evening feed or do you let them wake when they're ready?

Has anyone had success with dreamfeeding in order to get a decent stretch of sleep?

Thanks (and apologies for the long waffly message)

Hi,

I always woke my two just as I went to bed for a last feed about 11. Worked for me - they always had a huge feed at 6 and 7 too before they went down. I dropped it at about 8 months and they have slept through ever since. Worth a try!

Most people I ask seem to do a dream feed. My DD (11 weeks) goes down at half 9 and wakes at 3, so I spent a few nights doing a dream feed at 11 and it made no difference at all - she still wakes at 3 on the dot. I guess all you can do is try it and see. I did feel that I was interrupting her best sleep by waking her at 11, but as I said, friends swear it makes all the difference for them.

i did a dream feed with my DD

TBH, and towards her getting to 9/10 months i was definitely disturbing her sleep with it

at around 6/7 months it deffo helped get her to go from 10 - 6

I would let her have a really big (breast) feed at this time

Well, I rarely have a need for a dream feed as my 6 mo rarely settles before 11 but on the occassions when dd has slept it doesn't seem to have helped.

My DS is 11 weeks and we do the dreamfeed and I find it really helps. He goes down at 6.45pm, I wake him at 11pm for the feed when he usually takes around 6-7oz, I change him (it does make him slightly more awake but this doesn't seem to affect him settling back down and at least I know he's clean, dry and comfy) and then put him back in his cot. He then goes until anywhere between 6am and 7.30am. There were a few occasions where I didn't do the dream feed just to see how long he would go but he woke about 3.30ish and then at 6ish.

I would definitely try the dream feed and see how you get on.

Hope that helps!

I have a 4 month DS and posted a message a couple of weeks ago about a dream feed. i was waking him at 11pm and he was still waking in the night and then would not take his morning bottle as he was still full. He was also really restless during the night. On advice from here i stopped the dream feed and just fed him when he woke. Last week he started sleeping through. i was disturbing his natural sleep patter. Dream feeds worked with my DD but with DS he seems to like to do things when he wants.

Good luck on what you decide x

CC