Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Dreamfeeding, Night Feedings and Swaddles?
Happy Sunday. My LO (8 weeks) usually goes to bed by 8 p.m. and then wakes up around 1 or 2 for a feeding. We were thinking about adding a dream feeding at 10:30 or 11 before we go to bed. Has anyone had success with this and how long does your baby sleep afterwards. Last night she had a late bed time and went to bed at 10 and woke up around 2:30 or so. She is sleeping about 5 1/2 to 6 hour increments right now. Also, my last question is - if you have your baby swaddled, do you unswaddle for this dream feeding and a later night feeding? my baby doesn't like to stay swaddled so I have been letting her out and then reswaddling, but that could be doing more harm than good. Thanks for your advice.
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Re: Dreamfeeding, Night Feedings and Swaddles?
My LO typically falls asleep at 9-10pm. I dreamfeed her around 11:30-midnight and she sleeps until around 5 or 6am. She usually stirs around and makes a little noise at this point so I pick her up and feed before she's even awake. After the early morning feeding I change her diaper. Usually she wakes up with this but goes to sleep quickly.
We don't swaddle so no help there.
1ht
Our routine is: nurse for bedtime at around 8 pm. Lightly swaddle in a blanket (just so he dosen't whack himself in the face when settling in).
Dreamfeed at 11 pm. He's generally gotten his arms free from the swaddle at this point. Also a diaper change. He gets a bottle of pumped milk at this point so we know exactly how much milk we're getting in him (so he's not dozing off at the breast before he's full). It also allows me to get a jump on my sleep since I pump around 10 and go right to bed and DH does the dream feed. He gets tightly swaddled in the Miracle Blanket at this point.
He wakes between 4 and 5 am with this schedule. I nurse him (he only takes one side) and then a diaper change and swaddle back in the MB.
He gets up for the day between 7 and 8:30 am.
My 9 week old goes to bed between 8 and 9 at night. She's started going between 6 and 8 hours! When she wakes, we unswaddle, change, feed, (change again if needed), reswaddle, back to bed. She's not a lover of eating while swaddled. With DS, I used to feed on one side, reswaddle, then finish the feed on the other side. He didn't have a problem eating while swaddled, so then it was easier to get him back to bed.
As for the dream feed, I used to try it with DS and it didn't seem to make any difference, so I haven't attempted with DD. Good luck!