Author Topic: Should I add a dreamfeed?  (Read 990 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline lepetitmatin

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 55
  • Location:
Should I add a dreamfeed?
« on: March 29, 2015, 00:25:01 am »
I am EBF and my 10 wk old currently has her last feed of the day at 7 or 8 (during the day she eats about ever 3-3.5 hours and I try to get her three 1.5-2 hr naps), then wakes in the night around 1230 and 4 to eat, then again at 7am. This is based on her natural rhythm and has been pretty consistent. (She wakes at other times in the night as well but we haven't sleep trained yet and have to soothe her back to sleep).

I am wondering if I should add a dream feed; i am hesitant to add something that she's not already waking herself up for. However I do eventually want to wean the night feeds. I'm not looking for a 12 hour period of no feeding though - we are fine with 8-10 hours (for various reasons). So eventually it would look like, 7-8pm, 10-11 pm, 7am. I'm wondering if instead of adding a dreamfeed and feeding her at 7-8pm, 10-11pm df, 1230, 4am, and 7am, and working from there to eliminate the night feeds, I should gradually diminish her 4 am feed and then adjust her 1230 feed to earlier. Any thoughts?

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Should I add a dreamfeed?
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2015, 07:43:06 am »
Hi and welcome to BW :)

If you introduce a DF the chances are you wouldn't have the feeds at 12.30 and 4am, they would likely move, the DF isn't supposed to be in addition to 2 NFs but rather to bring one of the NFs to a more comfortable time for you to get a stretch of sleep.
Currently your LO looks to be doing her long stretch of sleep from 7/8 until 12.30, so roughly 4.5 or 5 hrs sleep - the idea of the DF is to move shift the long stretch of sleep to after your own BT, for instance 10.30 to 3.30am.  There would then be another feed around 6.30/7am.

Not all LOs take to the dream feed and not all parents like it - so it is totally your choice.
I hope this helps you to decide :)


Offline weaver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 210
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10146
  • May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears
  • Location:
Re: Should I add a dreamfeed?
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2015, 09:30:54 am »
Yes consistency with the DF brought us quickly to the point where we were having 10/10.30pm DF before I went to bed and then 4/5am NF most of the time, apart from growth spurts, for both my EBF LOs.  I think it is a great tool for helping LOs consolidate that first part of night sleep.  Some LOs (mine :P) like to hang on to it til 7 mos or longer, but lots of families opt to use a bottle of expressed milk (or formula if FF of course) for that feed so that it's more flexible, dada gets to do it, mama can maybe go out sometimes :) . It's entirely possible to start now with the feed as a breast-feed and introduce a bottle later if you want to, no rush to decide that.

But as creations says, all entirely up to you. :)
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline lepetitmatin

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 55
  • Location:
Re: Should I add a dreamfeed?
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2015, 19:36:18 pm »
I guess my concern is adding the dreamfeed but her still waking up at 1230 because that's what she's always done... Guess I should just try and see what happens!

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Should I add a dreamfeed?
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2015, 20:37:23 pm »
Yes, I'm afraid the only way to know is if you try :)


Offline weaver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 210
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10146
  • May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears
  • Location:
Re: Should I add a dreamfeed?
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2015, 21:12:44 pm »
Give it a try, hun, if you want to, but give it a good try - not 3 nights, but a week or two weeks, it's the only way to tell. BTW, it should be at a time that's easy for you, before you go to bed, not you waking up to do it, iyswim.

And don't worry if she seems to wake up a bit, she'll either go back to sleep while feeding or immediately after.  Treat it like a NF, very low lighting, very quiet, and all that.  I would be pretty sure it'll shift that 12.30 waking.
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.