Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Urgent advice messed tonight re dream feed

74 replies

Flopsie21 · 17/09/2021 20:27

Baby fell asleep at 8pm after bottle at 7.30. Baby wakes at 4.30am...when should I dream feed to extend sleep?

Baby isn't overtired, they've had 4 hrs 50min of maid today!(4.5mth old)

Is 3am too late, do you thinking they'll be awake for the day if they're woken up then?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

wildthingsinthenight · 17/09/2021 21:05

We did bed 7ish df 11 he woke for feed at 4ish then went back doen til about 6.30.
So as PPs say, its the 4.30 onwards that needs sorting. I'd do bottle earlier so bedtime is earlier. Say 6.30 bottle and in bed at 7

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 17/09/2021 21:06

@bookh thanks I think I'll try 3am then and see how it goes Xx

OP posts:

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 17/09/2021 21:07

@wildthingsinthenight thanks will try that after tonight Xx

OP posts:

wildthingsinthenight · 17/09/2021 21:07

I know you say not overtired but they could be because of 4 month regression.
If we got early wake ups we did an earlier bedtime

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 17/09/2021 21:09

She's never done more than 10 hrs night sleep, feeds included so I'm worried how I'm going to extend her night sleep...

OP posts:

bookh · 17/09/2021 21:09

@Flopsie21 we are all different but it worked for my routine. I remember waking once at 430 having slept through and crying my eyes out, because i knew it would mean me up for day.

Irony being I used to get up for work at five but four is just meh.

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 17/09/2021 21:10

I know you say not overtired but they could be because of 4 month regression.
If we got early wake ups we did an earlier bedtime thanks. Thought we'd done that, we had nap and sleep refusal tantrums for a couple of weeks but they fizzled out.

OP posts:

wildthingsinthenight · 17/09/2021 21:11

Totally agree that sleep in chunks is much better than a long sleep then up for the day at 4.30. Ugh!
We had success with Wake To Sleep too if the early waking seemed habitual. Can't remember the ages for that though.
Google that just to see what you think

RandomMess · 17/09/2021 21:13

A dream feed would be 10-11pm tbh.

However it doesn't seem like a hunger issue more like she's had enough sleep so it's breakfast time.

bookh · 17/09/2021 21:13

You are both doing great for that age, honestly.

I agree bring bedtime forward. Then do a feed before you go to bed, then three. Even if up for an hour if you go back down its all ok. You are heading towards six months where it all changes Gain anyway, well did for me. That's when I could do dinner, bath, play, feed, bed. Then that dropped the 10pm feeds you can start to see how she goes.

CharlieandLolaCat · 17/09/2021 21:13

I used to do a feed and change at 11 when I went to bed and mine slept from 7-7 (with the dream feed). I only have one though and, to be fair, he's always been pretty compliant!

Moonbabysmum · 17/09/2021 21:14

OP, just to clarify on behalf of @QforCucumber, she was saying her baby at that age woke every single hour, not every 4...

It sounds like your little one is doing v v well with sleep. Pre regression my first was similar, and it was great. We did the dream feed about 11pm, and that did her until 6ish. then the regression hit. At 4y layer she still doesn't sleep as well as she did then, but hey ho

bookh · 17/09/2021 21:17

@Moonbabysmum my first, for sure.....I actually thought I would die. Fourteen months before I got a two hour stint. Second has been much, much, better, for various reasons no doubt. But I feel your pain.

SummerStressing · 17/09/2021 21:18

A dream feed is before you go to bed. You don’t wake them. They are supposed to be asleep or incredibly groggy, hence the name.
Waking at 3am to feed defeats the point of a ‘dream feed’. The point is to get a full night and a baby that doesn’t wake in the night.

wildthingsinthenight · 17/09/2021 21:19

Another thought..my DH just reminded me.
We had a spate of early wake ups at this age when teething started. We ended up ( when a feed didn't help) giving pain relief which really helped.
Thinking out loud!

QforCucumber · 17/09/2021 21:19

Ah thank you @Moonbabysmum typically was settling the now 15 month old teething monster we have in our home 🤣

He now (usually) sleeps 7-6 solidly and has since 11 months, but my got 4-11 months. Waking up every single hour every single night were not fun. Then we broke it, and he was up at 5:10am every day for 3 months, and in the last month he's moved to 6am....and finally I'm a human again.

Their sleep changes so much that honestly op in a month it'll be different again!

INeedNewShoes · 17/09/2021 21:23

I dream-fed DD at whatever time I went to bed which tended to be sometime between 11-midnight. It worked for us and she started sleeping through to 6–7am ish.

bookh · 17/09/2021 21:25

@SummerStressing I do agree, but I still did it....

Dd1 was back in for failure to thrive three times. I was unwell with pna and absolutely terrified about her weight. Everyone kept telling me feed every three hours, and I never really knew when to stop.

Then with Dd2 I was so scared her sleep would be as bad I was like a woman possessed to get a full night. So set the alarm to wake and feed her. I'm not saying that was right, but it worked for us and she sleeps so so much better.

Two here and third on way and I still have no idea when you stop waking for feeds.....I just assume and went with six months and food.

poemhunter007 · 17/09/2021 21:32

Thought we'd done that, we had nap and sleep refusal tantrums for a couple of weeks but they fizzled out.

They're basically in a constant regression until around 2.5 😅

IMO you need to relax a bit. In fact, relax a lot

Boombadoom · 17/09/2021 21:34

I never dream fed later than 11pm.

Screwcorona · 17/09/2021 21:47

Mine normally feeds to sleep around 7.30/8 then I dream feed around 10 when I go to bed to reset his big sleep stretch. Tends to work.

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 18/09/2021 08:29

@poemhunter007 IMO you need to relax a bit. In fact, relax a lot

Why do you think I'm not relaxed? I just wanted quick responses for the night just gone as I'd not sought them earlier in the day. I'm not that bothered about the 4.30 wake ups but if I can do something simple such as the right timed dream feed to the make things better for me personally I will. It was entitled urgent as I wanted to set an alarm and get to sleep rather than wait until midnight for responses.

It’s turned out anyway that she bucked her trend ironically and woke at midnight, 2.30 and 4.30 but woke for the day at 6.40 😂 so I cancelled my 3am alarm! Typical 😜

OP posts:

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 18/09/2021 08:31

@Screwcorona
Mine normally feeds to sleep around 7.30/8 then I dream feed around 10 when I go to bed to reset his big sleep stretch.Tends to work.

Thanks, will try.

OP posts:

poemhunter007 · 18/09/2021 12:22

@Flopsie21

You just seem to be really overthinking a situation when in a week baby will likely change their entire routine again

Original poster

Flopsie21 · 18/09/2021 13:17

@poemhunter007. They're not in permanent regression. Regressions happen regularly but not every week 😂😂😂 notably at 4,6 & 8 months.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3