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Dream Feed - how to and how helpful?

5 replies

Redling · 13/10/2014 23:49

I have an 8 week old DS who seems to be settling himself into a vague sleep routine of sleeping from 8ish until we pick him up and take him to bed with us at 11-11.30. This wakes him and we feed him. From next week as he seems to want to go to bed we are going to start putting him down on his own in the bedroom rather than downstairs with us and seeing how he goes. I was wondering, as we won't be waking him or at least rousing him slightly at 11, whether to try dream feeding him around then if he doesn't wake himself. Tonight he hasn't woken up on transfer to cot so I'm basically awake waiting for him to want feeding. I'm not sure what to do dream feeding. Do you lift them out of the cot? How do you burp them without waking? Also would it be worth it to tide him over until about 1.30-2 which is when he tends to feed next anyway, or would it be better just to let him wake when he chooses to set his own pattern? I'm not desperate to get him Sleeping through or anything, he's tiny and I'm accepting my 2-3 hourly wake ups with good grace! I just think if he could sleep a bit longer between feeds... It wouldn't be bad!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Heatherbell1978 · 14/10/2014 12:18

My DS1 is 7.5 wks and he's been going to bed himself in our room now for a couple of weeks. He's put down around 7.30pm and asleep by 8pm. We've tried to dream feed at around 10.30/11 when we go to bed but he's fast asleep and not interested! But the last 2 nights he's slept until 2am anyway....(previously about midnight) and then he'll go to 5.30am after that so he's basically missed a feed. So you never know, he might just start going longer by himself. But a dream feed is something babies need to learn and a friend of mine suggested waiting a bit longer as she didn't start until hers was 4 months. We're just going to leave it now to see if he starts sleeping through himself.......

Redling · 14/10/2014 13:57

Thanks :) these August babies are getting bigger aren't they?! He actually ended up not waking for a feed until 1.40, so yeah he skipped a feed too! I think I'll wait and see, if he just doesn't feed at 11 anymore we are still loosing a feed so that will do for now!

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ElyshaCharlesSleepEmporium · 16/10/2014 11:39

I would advice to wait a few months too. We did it with our first and it worked a treat but we didn't start until she was five months old.
I would recommend it to all mums though - it certainly did the job and is such a special moment for you to have before going to bed.

ElyshaCharlesSleepEmporium · 16/10/2014 11:41

Forgot to say, when they are ready to do it you literally just pick them up while they are asleep and put the bottle in their mouth. they will just take it naturally and stay asleep.

Littlef00t · 17/10/2014 13:45

Tried a dream feed with my dd but I found I was too tired to wait until 10:30/11 to feed so stopped it and just fed when she woke.

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