When to drop dreamfeed?

[Gemsy]

Freddie is just over 4 months old now, and we've easily made the transition into 4 hourly feeds.

He takes 7oz every 4 hours and is never crying and hungry for a feed. We feed at 7am when he wakes (sometimes he will wake at 5am but he's never hungry and will normally just drop back off), then 11am, then 3pm and then 6.30 ish when we do bath, bottle, bed.

I then dreamfeed him at 11pm. He never wakes, and he is not waking up starving at 7am. In fact some mornings he will sleep in until 8am and I have to wake him to get him fed and on track for the rest of the day's feeds!

Do you think we are ready to drop the dreamfeed, or should I wait until I have introduced solids for this? If I drop it, is it a case of just hoping for the best and if he wakes hungry in the night, just go back to dreamfeeding and assume he is not ready?

 

[Rachel80]

I never dream fed, I never saw any point. If he wakes up hungry feed him, if not don't! My lb is 5 months today & I do a similar thing to you. Feed at 7am, 11am, 2.30pm, 5.30pm then bath bed at 7pm with a smaller 6oz bottle at 7.30pm. He's teething at the mo but generally sleeps through. If I were you I'd leave him & not dream feed him at 11pm. He'll prob just sleep through. My lb has half a jar of hipp at 12pm every day but this has made no difference to his sleep x

 

[Ella1979]

I never dream fed, I never saw any point. If he wakes up hungry feed him, if not don't!

This is also my feeling on this! We're currently feeding at 6.30, 10.30, 2.30 and 6.30, with a feed around 2am. Our LO still seems to really need the night feed as will often take 7oz with no problem!

Personally I would also drop the dream feed and see how you go. The very fact he doesn't always wake for his morning bottle suggests he doesn't need all of it, if any. Worse case scenario you have to feed him in the middle of the night. I actually prefer this to dream-feeding as at least they're properly hungry. But if you find him waking at night and don't want it, I'm sure you could easily go back to the dream feed. I'd try for at least a week or so though as it can take a while for them to settle into a new routine.

 

[littlemonkey]

I never dream fed, I never saw any point. If he wakes up hungry feed him, if not don't!

This is also my feeling on this! We're currently feeding at 6.30, 10.30, 2.30 and 6.30, with a feed around 2am. Our LO still seems to really need the night feed as will often take 7oz with no problem!

Personally I would also drop the dream feed and see how you go. The very fact he doesn't always wake for his morning bottle suggests he doesn't need all of it, if any. Worse case scenario you have to feed him in the middle of the night. I actually prefer this to dream-feeding as at least they're properly hungry. But if you find him waking at night and don't want it, I'm sure you could easily go back to the dream feed. I'd try for at least a week or so though as it can take a while for them to settle into a new routine.

WSS. The worst that will happen is LO will wake up in the night and want feeding. It just might be at a less convient time for yourself. I'm another one who never really got dreamfeeds.

 

[Gemsy]

Well I am back to work already so I need my sleep, its not a case of convenience! I've dreamfed since he was about 8 weeks and in a bedtime routine and he's always slept through, so for me it works. Its just lately he's not really been hungry in the morning so it got me thinking.

 

[Gemsy]

This http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2012/01/dream-feed-dropping-dream-feed.html is quite an interesting link.

Baby Whisperer EASY routine is what I loosely follow, and its really worked for me, which has been a godsend with having to get back to work so quickly.

 

[Gemsy]

I never dream fed, I never saw any point. If he wakes up hungry feed him, if not don't!

This is also my feeling on this! We're currently feeding at 6.30, 10.30, 2.30 and 6.30, with a feed around 2am. Our LO still seems to really need the night feed as will often take 7oz with no problem!

Personally I would also drop the dream feed and see how you go. The very fact he doesn't always wake for his morning bottle suggests he doesn't need all of it, if any. Worse case scenario you have to feed him in the middle of the night. I actually prefer this to dream-feeding as at least they're properly hungry. But if you find him waking at night and don't want it, I'm sure you could easily go back to the dream feed. I'd try for at least a week or so though as it can take a while for them to settle into a new routine.

Ella if you dreamfed your LO at 11pm, they prob wouldn't wake for the 2.30am feed and you'd get a whole nights unbroken sleep? That's the whole point of it.....each to their own, for me it was a no brainer though!

 

[Rachel80]

This http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2012/01/dream-feed-dropping-dream-feed.html is quite an interesting link.

Baby Whisperer EASY routine is what I loosely follow, and its really worked for me, which has been a godsend with having to get back to work so quickly.

I've followed EASY since 10 weeks & this works well for us too. My lb dropped night feeds around 4 months but he does have 42oz of formula & half a jar of baby food a day x

 

[littlemonkey]

Well I am back to work already so I need my sleep, its not a case of convenience! I've dreamfed since he was about 8 weeks and in a bedtime routine and he's always slept through, so for me it works. Its just lately he's not really been hungry in the morning so it got me thinking.

I went back to work when LO was 6 months and I work full time shifts so I feel your pain with how crappy it is having to get up with them in the night!

Even in my experience with a relatively good sleeper (slept through from 11 weeks) they will still be waking in the night. If it's not for milk, it's cos of their teeth, cos they're poorly or just cos they want to have a crazy party throwing their toys around at 2am. Or they want to get up at 4 am and see what's going on. And their routine will also vary as they get older.

What I'm trying to say is don't rely too much on a certain thing (routine, dreamfeed or otherwise) to guarentee a good nights sleep because these pesky wee babies will find a way around it!!!

 

[Ella1979]

I never dream fed, I never saw any point. If he wakes up hungry feed him, if not don't!

This is also my feeling on this! We're currently feeding at 6.30, 10.30, 2.30 and 6.30, with a feed around 2am. Our LO still seems to really need the night feed as will often take 7oz with no problem!

Personally I would also drop the dream feed and see how you go. The very fact he doesn't always wake for his morning bottle suggests he doesn't need all of it, if any. Worse case scenario you have to feed him in the middle of the night. I actually prefer this to dream-feeding as at least they're properly hungry. But if you find him waking at night and don't want it, I'm sure you could easily go back to the dream feed. I'd try for at least a week or so though as it can take a while for them to settle into a new routine.

Ella if you dreamfed your LO at 11pm, they prob wouldn't wake for the 2.30am feed and you'd get a whole nights unbroken sleep? That's the whole point of it.....each to their own, for me it was a no brainer though!

Definitely each to their own! I'd be a mess if I had to stay up til 11pm in order to do a feed! I'd rather have a few hours sleep first (get from 9pm til 2.30am then from 3am to 6am, so total of 8.5 hours sleep - I'd get about 6.5 or 7 if we fed at 11). I'm totally exhausted looking after my toddler as well as my baby, I'm ready for bed at 9!!!! lol!

The other night our LO went from 6.30pm until 6am without waking for a feed. So basically once the night feed is dropped his bedtime is already set and I don't have to worry about trying to bring a late evening feed forward.

I still think that if your LO isn't that bothered by his morning bottle you may get away with dropping the dream feed xx

 

[Holi]

Hi love! I used to dream feed my lo - she dropped it about 5.5months. The reason I stopped was because she literally refused to drink, would keep her lips tight shut, and even if I got bottle in she would only have 1oz max! Before she would drain the bottle! So I knew she just didn't need it any more - but I let her decide that iykwim. If your lo is still drinking the dream feed I'd personally continue!

Dream feeding really worked for us - I also found feeding her while she's asleep made it easier for her to go back down rather than waiting for her to wake for the bottle! If she woke it normally was a lot harder to get her back off to sleep!

I will defo dream feed if we ever had a no2!!!

 

[Gemsy]

Well he slept through until 8am this morning and wasn't crying for his bottle so I think he could do without it! I might leave him a bit longer though, I think we are having a growth spurt as he is draining his bottles during the day instead of being able to take or leave the last oz, plus we have 5 month leap coming up and I'm not sure I want to rock the boat! lol

Ella - that is a good point, with the work hours OH and I keep, we are real night owls so 11pm is no problem. I might feel differently when I have a toddler AND a baby though! lol