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Original poster

9 months and having a dream feed

3 replies

19MA96 · 02/07/2024 21:05

My LO is 9 months old, he's never been a great sleeper but from 3 month - 5 months did sleep through until we hit a sleep regression and hasn't slept through since. We've always stuck to the same night time routine and is always asleep by 7.30. We give him a bottle when putting him to sleep which some times he will drink all of and other times only 2/3 ounces. When I go to bed i will give him a dream feed always between 10/10.30, he still wakes 3/4 times a night some times will want a bottle other times he doesn't, although I think he uses the bottle as a comfort rather than actually being hungry he does have a dummy but the bottle seems to settle him more. Do you think I am disturbing him unnecessarily by giving him the dream feed and is the encouraging him to wake up more through out the night? Throughout the day he has breakfast, dinner, tea and supper. Sleep deprived mama looking for any kind of sleep advice 😩

OP posts:
CabbagePatchMama · 02/07/2024 21:30

I dropped my DD dream feed around 6mos as she was only drinking 2/3oz. The first couple of nights she woke at usual dream feed time and only drank 2/3oz (habit?), we then had a couple of nights where she woke later and drank it all. But since then she has dropped it by herself.

It sounds as though he is using the bottle to settle him to sleep and waking each time he comes out of a sleep cycle to be settled back to sleep perhaps? Does he settle himself back to sleep for naps? Might be worth looking at some alternative settling methods to rule out whether it’s genuine hunger waking him.

Original poster
19MA96 · 02/07/2024 21:41

CabbagePatchMama · 02/07/2024 21:30

I dropped my DD dream feed around 6mos as she was only drinking 2/3oz. The first couple of nights she woke at usual dream feed time and only drank 2/3oz (habit?), we then had a couple of nights where she woke later and drank it all. But since then she has dropped it by herself.

It sounds as though he is using the bottle to settle him to sleep and waking each time he comes out of a sleep cycle to be settled back to sleep perhaps? Does he settle himself back to sleep for naps? Might be worth looking at some alternative settling methods to rule out whether it’s genuine hunger waking him.

Thanks for replying! I'll start to wait until he wakes rather than me waking him, he isn't great at self settling but is also a cat napper so once he's up he's up, I will definitely look into some self settling methods as I do think this is a big part of the problem! We have tried with encouraging him to self settle but struggle to find a method that works for us! Thank you

OP posts:
BurbageBrook · 02/07/2024 21:43

Self-settling is a bit of a myth OP for most babies, it's normal for them to need support to get to sleep. I agree drop the dream feed and just feed when he wakes though and he'll gradually start waking less and less all by himself in all likelihood.

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