Does the dreamfeeds just not work for anyone?

[C2190]

Hey. My DS is 4 months old and we're starting to get him into a routine. I know every DC is different although so many people have told me dreamfeeds are a god send for their little one sleeping through the night.

My DS gets his bedtime feed at 7pm then he has a dreamfeed at 11pm, he goes straight back to sleep after his dreamfeed but then he's awake between 3am and 5am again, does anyone think its best just to cut the dreamfeed? The only thing is though if he wakes around 5am it throws us off for his morning feed at 7am

I think it's totally normal for them to need more than one night feed. A dreamfeed is a good idea as you do it when you go to bed so you don't get woken up for it, I don't think I knew of any babies who would then sleep til 7 without waking because of a dreamfeed when ds was that age. I know the Internet speaks of it and I'm sure they do exist, but they can't be all that common.

Does it matter if lo has a feed at 5 and then another one at 7? Sounds OK and very normal to me. At points my ds was feeding every 1.5 hours during the day.

As they age the reasons for waking cease to be only about hunger anyway. The first year was a rollercoaster ride for sleep in my experience. You just have to hang on in there and enjoy the sleep when it's happening. You're doing a great job.

I think that sounds normal tbh. You could always try cutting dream feed and see what happens?

I have a 4 month old and don't dream feed however she usually feeds around:
6:30/7pm bedtime feed
11pm/ midnight wakes for a feed
3am feed
And then either makes it till 6am when she naturally wakes or like you wakes at 5am and feeds/ poos/ faffs and nods back off around 6:15 (prefer the former!)

My baby is BF so this does vary as some nights she wants more/ less depending on how day time feeding has gone. I haven't tried a dream feed as generally the 11pm and 3am she wakes, feeds and goes back off whereas the 5am is never like that!

Have you felt any chance from the sleep regression around this time developmentally?

The dream feed didn't work for us. He just seemed to wake more often so we scrapped it and now on a good day he sleeps at 7, wakes at 2/3 to feed and then 6:30 or 7 (though 7am wake is rare sadly)

If he wakes after 4, I only give a short feed to try not to throw off the morning and that works okay for us.

Mine refused to wake up for it. Mouth clamped shut. I gave up and I am now back to just feeding her when she wakes and wants milk

Yep mine wouldn't wake up, didn't want it and used to go 6.30pm until at least 4am without feeding which we then stretched out until after 6am then 7ish fairly easily.