3 month old sleep - your thoughts

[HeidiD83]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what you guys thought as i`m not sure what the best thing to do is:

We have started putting our 3 month old down at 8pm every evening as she starts to get pretty cranky if we leave it much later. Her feeding times in the night at the moment seem to be about 2/3am and then maybe around 6am before getting up at 8:00am. I`m just wondering about the 2/3am feed and whether we should start giving her a bottle about 10:30/11pm to prolong her sleep through the night?

Wondering what your thoughts were on this and what others did?

All the best, Heidi

Her night sleep sounds fabulous. I wouldn't mess with it!

There's no reason not to try a dream feed when you go to bed. This will be more easily taken if bottle fed rather than breast.

Give it a week and see what effect it has. If nothing, just change back to how you were.

I would also offer dream feed. This can then be kept up for months and months (it was the last one I dropped).

The aim, I assume, is to drop the 2/3am feed? Her sleep sounds good, but sleeping through would be even better!

Thanks for this, ive been thinking about doing this but hear conflicting reports. If I start doing this at 10:30/11pm for example and it didnt work (she still was waking at 2/3am) would she have got used to also being fed at 10:30/11pm - therefore me having to feed her twice now?

Yes Morethanus, drop the 2/3am feed eventually!

Yes, you wake baby for the feed Rubberubberduckduck. It's called a dream feed because you lift a sleeping baby to feed, rather than waiting for baby to wake up. The more you wake baby up, the more of a feed that will be taken (usually), so if you have an especially sleepy baby, I'd maybe add in a nappy change to get them properly awake for the feed.

I've never dream fed as don't agree with it personally. I've never seen the need. I just fed my lo when he woke for a bottle and that was it. By 3 months he slept through on his own- he just stopped waking up by himself.
But if you feel it would help then try it and see what happens.

If I start doing this at 10:30/11pm for example and it didn`t work (she still was waking at 2/3am) would she have got used to also being fed at 10:30/11pm

You significantly over estimate the intellectual thought of your 3 month old. Your baby wakes because of a need not being met, usually hunger.

If your baby starts to wake twice in the night - she needs feeding twice. If the 11pm feed is enough, they'll sleep through until next hungry.

In short - no. Give it a week and if it has no effect, just go back to how you were.

You don't have a 13 month old here (who night wake through habit), you have a newborn.

Thankyou very much for this info, its much appreciated. I think i`ll give it a try for a week and see how it develops.

Thanks again

Exactly the same sleep pattern here with 12 week old- so just this week I have started dream feed aiming to avoid middle of the night feed and it's working for us...although morning wake is 6 now not 7 but I prefer longer stretch over night and I'm up with toddler anyway 🙄
Feed & bed 7pm. Dream feed 10-10:30...wake 6am x (most nights not always!!) x

Sometimes wakes in night requiring dummy inserts! But don't think this is in relation to dream feed or not?....just not learnt to self settle yet 🙈 doesn't seem hungry x