Dream Feed

KEK1025 · January 2014

DD isn't big on solids yet and is starting to wake at night needing to eat. I don't mind getting up to do it as she dropped to the 10% weight curve at her 6 month appointment so I know she needs the extra calories. The issue I have is that she wakes up at 4:30am. By the time I get up, feed, change her and get back in bed I just end up lying there thinking about how the alarm clock is going to go off in 30 minutes (I have to get up at 5:30). I thought maybe a dream feed when I go to bed - 10ish or even setting an alarm for midnight would get her the extra feeding and allow me to get a solid block of sleep afterwards.

So if you dream feed my questions are:

Does little one eat enough being woken up to make them last till morning? She doesn't normally eat great when she is tired.

Any feeling for if the 10 or midnight would work better?

Other than keeping lights low and not talking to them any tips for successfully getting them to fall back asleep after?

TheTamedShrew · January 2014

Every time I've tried to dream feed it's been a disaster (took forever to get her back to sleep). Not to say it wouldn't work for you since I only tried it a couple of times. I think at this age it's probably best not to wake them. Might have to just start going to bed earlier and starting your day an hour early (as much as that sucks) until she drops that feed.

momofcatan · January 2014

A friend of mine successfully did dream feeding with her baby. I think the feed was around 11 pm. This is the age where she weaned from the dream feed, so I don't know if it is a great idea to start one now.

llbta85 · January 2014

TheTamedShrew said:

Every time I've tried to dream feed it's been a disaster (took forever to get her back to sleep). Not to say it wouldn't work for you since I only tried it a couple of times. I think at this age it's probably best not to wake them. Might have to just start going to bed earlier and starting your day an hour early (as much as that sucks) until she drops that feed.

+1

GRJC · January 2014

A couple of months back, Noah was sleeping 7:30 -7:30 with a dream feed at 10 and it worked well to get him to sleep 'till the morning. Eventually, he started eating less and less, (maybe like 1-2oz). It was really frustrating because I wanted him to eat and make it 'till the morning. That when we realized it was time to drop the dream feed.

We slowly moved the dream feed closed to 7:30p (bed time) until we dropped it all together.

If you do the dream feed and your baby is eating then that might work for you. Might be worth it to at least try it out. Just a heads up that at some point though he'll be dropping it.

KEK1025 · January 2014

We tried the dream feed at both 10pm and midnight the past two nights and it went horribly both times getting her back down. So I have resigned to just rolling with the extra early wake-up until hopefully at some point solids are going better and she doesn't need that feed. I know it could be a lot worse so I will just try to keep that in mind when I am cursing myself lying in bed at 5am.

slepert · January 2014

little one is (kinda) sleeping through the night. We feed her an 8 oz bottle of formula between 10pm and 1030pm. she fusses some through out the night. but she only wants the paci. so we go in, give it to her and then leave right away. Before when she had the dream feed we feed her, changed her diaper, rocked her for 10 mins max and then put her back in her crib.

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