What if I dont dream feed - any advice?

[pbergs]

Hi,  I posted earlier about my 5 month old who wakes most nights and stays awake for hours. What if I just try and not dream feed him at 11 and then when he wakes give him a bottle, maybe he will go back to sleep then? Has anyone tried this or do you think this is a stupid idea?? I just thought as he is waking anyway why not just wait till he wakes and give him a bottle then? Also, when should I be able to stop dreamfeeding, he is 21lbs and on 4 8oz bottles (a fifth if you include DF) and solids. Thanks for your help

[firsttimemummy]

For a while I used to dream feed DS but he would waken up regardless of whether he had been fed or not (and often didn't take much milk at dream feed) ... since he was wakening anyway I dropped the feed and waited til he woke for it.  He is ebf and I do tend to just feed him if he wakes in the night which I wish I had put a stop to a while ago (I do every now and again by giving a drink of water instead, etc but whenever he gets a cold I go back to feeding him to unblock his nose); suppose as long as you don't feed him every time he wakens you should avoid the trap I fell into.  I found that over time DS stopped waking for the feed and slept all night (Even now if he wakes up I tend to feed him as think he must be hungry/want comfort as he usually sleeps all night)

[pbergs]

Thanks firsttimemummy, I have just finished BF him, was BF him when he woke at night all the time, then just one night over Christmas I shushed him instead and he went back to sleep, so I did this for a while and he went back to sleep so guessed he didn't need the feed. But now have weaned him off the breast and onto formula and solids, so we will see. I might try and not DF him tonight and see how that goes. Thanks again..

[firsttimemummy]

No worries! Hope it goes well.  Great that you didn't keep feeding in the night like I did - it's so easy to do (and effective) but not good as I am planning on stopping feeding him completely soon!  Will really need to get back to giving him water/a cuddle/pat, etc when he wakes in the night ....