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Dropping dream feed

millieb14millieb14 member
in December 2015 Moms
Hi y'all! Wondering if others have dropped a dream feed and how it went. My daughters schedule for about 2 months has been 8:30/9pm in bed- 6am dream feed then back down until 9am. Lately she has been much more awake at the dream feed and lays in her crib awake when I put her back down. Then very restless up and down until 9am. Thinking perhaps it's time to lose the 6am feeding. 

Debating about just not going in at all at 6 and seeing what happens or giving her less and less on bottle (but I think that may just make it worse as she is up and only getting f a little bit). Any others do this? 
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Re: Dropping dream feed

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    LaceyH13LaceyH13 member
    I have never done a dream feed and we manage about 9 hours at night.
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    yl1m32015yl1m32015 member
    Shoot, we dream feed all night long! She stirs every 2-3hrs for a snack still. I honestly don't really know HOW to break that. But if she's not stirring or waking, I wouldn't mess with her.
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    taysuntaysun member
    We still eat pretty regularly but some nights only once. I don't feed her until she wakes me up with a cry and I always offer the pacifier. However DD wakes up for the day at 6 am and goes to sleep at 8 or 9 pm. 
    Is there a reason you feed at 6? Is she waking up then?
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    Gingermom15Gingermom15 member
    6 is probably her wake up time for the day and after that is her nap. I wouldn't personally try to "drop" that feeding.  
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    millieb14millieb14 member
    I only started the 6 am for selfish reasons. I was concerned because at 4 weeks she would pretty much just keep sleeping. I know, I know, poor me! (FWIW she's a 20 min napper)

    Then I kept it going because it made it so I didn't have to pump before work and she can be hard to get to eat sometimes so it was easy. I'm going to give less and less and then just stop and see when she wakes up on her own. Or maybe like @Gingermom15  said I keep the feeding then just let her stay up if she is wide awake. love the suggestions and support! 
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    millieb14millieb14 member
    So just didn't go in to feed her at 6am for a few days and let her wake up on her own. Up at about 630-7. But then she was exhausted the rest of the day poor dear. She added more naps to her day but was just running her eyes and very sleepy (albeit happy). She went from 2-3 naps to 5 naps. So now we went back to the old way and she was back to her more rested self and took 3 naps. Ughhhh. I feel like I am "training" her to expect a meal at 6am but she is just so tired when I let her wake up. ahhh!! 
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    kdoak2015kdoak2015 member
    Maybe an earlier bedtime might do the trick? 
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    Gingermom15Gingermom15 member
    millieb14 said:
    So just didn't go in to feed her at 6am for a few days and let her wake up on her own. Up at about 630-7. But then she was exhausted the rest of the day poor dear. She added more naps to her day but was just running her eyes and very sleepy (albeit happy). She went from 2-3 naps to 5 naps. So now we went back to the old way and she was back to her more rested self and took 3 naps. Ughhhh. I feel like I am "training" her to expect a meal at 6am but she is just so tired when I let her wake up. ahhh!! 
    What is exactly wrong with this 6 am feed? It seems she sleeps quite well at night, 6 am likely just her breakfast time. 
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    misamimamisamima member
    Honestly, if you like the schedule you had before, I'd keep it that way especially if she's sleeping like a champ. I wouldn't fix anything that's not broken. Babies' schedules are gonna keep changing anyway until they drop to just 1 nap, which isn't for a long while. 

    And FWIW, 6:30-7 is an ideal (and most of the time, coveted) wake up time. You can always shoot for an earlier bedtime if she gets tired earlier. 
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    millieb14millieb14 member
    i am waking her up to eat at 6am the setting her back down wide awake where she lays there for an hour or so until she falls back asleep and sleeps restlessly until she wakes up at 9. Laying There wide awake like that makes me think she wants to be up for the day but then like o said she is exhausted If she gets up like that. Also want her to decide when she wants to eat (not me waking her up). My pediatrician recommended trying to wean dream feeds at this age and the 6am time isn't quite a dream feed anymore as she is awake after. I guess I can try again and work on getting her to take longer naps during the day to make up for it...
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    laurabwalkerlaurabwalker member
    Maybe put her to bed earlier as it seems 6 is now her wake up time, which is normal! It's not really a dream feed per say, that's more intended when they are in their deep sleep cycle which is usually before midnight. 
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    LaceyH13LaceyH13 member
    It's normal for babies to need a nap 1-1.5 hours after they wake up for the day. Mine does. Even though it sounds opposite it is true. So likely what you are doing is feeding her then putting her down for her morning nap a bit too soon. My LO has been getting up about 6:15 every morning, then he is ready for his nap by 7:30.
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    beccabeeeebeccabeeee member
    I agree with LaceyH13, my LO is usually up for about an hour and a half after her wake up and then has her morning nap afterwards. If she stays up for a good hour or so after she wakes up at 6am in her crib that is probably her normal wake up time. Usually when my LO wakes up the first thing I do is feed her a bottle since it has been a couple hours and then let her play on her tummy or in her bouncer for a bit until she's ready for a nap
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    poupoulepoupoule member
    Mine goes to bed at 8:30pm, dream feeds at 11pm. Then sleeps until 5 or 6am, eats and goes back to sleep until 7:30 or 8:00am depending on the days.
    I am not looking into dropping anything it allows me to get some cuddles, sleep well enough and she is my alarm clock :)
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    taysuntaysun member
    DD usually takes a long morning nap about an hour after she wakes up. 
    I think you're reading too much into this and your 6 am feed is not a dream feed. 
    I also think advising you to drop that feed is not medically related and not really something I would tolerate from my pediatrician. But I also don't think sleep is really my pediatricians business either. 
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    millieb14millieb14 member
    I think the pediatrician was saying more of "let her wake up on her own " rather than not feed her. Definitely wouldn't want a ped telling me not to feed my baby! Lol. 

    We we are keeping with waking her at 6 as it works with my work schedule then I figur she will let us know if she is sick of laying in crib afterward! Appreciate the advice here!!
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