Anyone have a baby that does not take a dreamfeed?

[ireneasheard]

Hi all

Wondered if anyone has a baby that doesn't take a dreamfeed and what to do about it? My son wakes and hates it. How to do EASY without it and push through to sleeping through if he won't take it? Should I drop it and try again in a few weeks or persist? He is 7 weeks old.

[michaeljacknnugg]

Neither of mine would have one, and I prefer to go to bed early and wake when a feed is needed rather than dream feed.

Sleeping through is a long way off at seven weeks, I'm afraid! The book indicates around three months but most mamas here have found it to be much, much longer. If it's not hunger it is teething, or something else. When all teeth are in (around 2yo) it's more realistic to expect a consistent night's sleep.

[creations]

Hi, mine also did not take a dream feed.  Different approach to MJ&N, I did the feed at the dream feed time but he was awake for it.  Mine was on 3hrly feeds at that age so I did the BT feed around 7pm and another feed at 10/10.30pm then his long sleep came after the 10.30pm feed rather than from the 7pm feed.  I liked his feed coming at 10.30 ish as I went to bed after this and got the longest stretch of sleep possible. It didn't bother me that he woke for it, he went straight back down after.

As for sleeping through, the official number of hours for "sleeping through" is something like 5hrs straight without a feed, mine was doing so at around this age or a bit younger but it still means another feed at about 3.30am ish.
I agree totally with MJ&N that getting a full night is quite some time off. They need at least one if not two night feeds until at least 6 months and even after that might not do 12 hrs over night.  Mine didn't do a 12 hr night consistently until he was 2.5yo and had dropped his naps.  Up until then his nights were more like 10.5 or maybe 11hr.

[Lindsay27]

Agree with both ladies above!  Neither of mine have done a DF and like MJ&N I prefer to go to bed early myself.  It didn't take my DD long to do a stretch from 7pm-1am and then not much longer to go until 3/4am...then the 4 month regression came and well...we just won't talk about that lol.

As for sleeping through the night, my DS took a NF until 8 months and then started sleeping through 11ish hours around 1 year with many interruptions as teething hit or milestones etc.  I would say at 1 year he would sleep through probably 4 out of 7 nights. 

[ireneasheard]

Thanks for the replies. I only mentioned sleeping through as I used dream feed with my first to achieve this so was wondering how it happens without a dreamfeed and if I should persist with it. I don't expect my son to sleep through at 7 weeks old. My first slept through at 11 weeks old. I was hopeful that I could use a dreamfeed but if not so be it, I'll just have to take myself off to bed a little earlier. I just wondered if people did EASY without the dreamfeed - but I guess as mentioned I could just wake him and feed then back to bed... Thank you for all your feedback.

[ireneasheard]

Pleased to report that there's been an improvement with dream feed and my son is now sleeping through 11 hours at 10.5 weeks.

[creations]

Yay!  Great news!
Thanks for coming by with a great update - it's always lovely to hear good news

[michaeljacknnugg]

Wow!!!

[ireneasheard]

Thank you. Last night was 7pm-7am so we've finally gotten there. I persisted with dream feed and my son has gotten much better at taking that feed which has helped so I'm glad I stuck with it. Both my kids have slept through at 11 weeks so I'm pleased.