Dream feeding at 8 weeks

[Mulberrybag]

Hi all

How long does df take to establish? I've been trying to follow easy for the last week. His evening routine is:-

4pm - feed
6pm - feed
7.15 - bath
8pm - feed
Down by 8.30

I'd like to move bedtime forward but one thing at a time!

He has a bottle every 3 hours in the day.

We have introduced a df for the last 3 nights.

Night 1
Df at 11, 100ml. Woke at 3.30 and 6.30 for a feed.

Night 2
Df at 10.45, 50ml. Woke at 2 and 6 for a feed.

Night 3
Df at 11, 90ml. Woke at 2 and 5.30 for a feed.

He doesn't wake and takes the bottle.

I don't know what to do as he shows no signs of sleeping any longer at night and I don't know how long to carry on trying the df. Any advice would be great, thanks X X

[Lolly]

Hello and welcome

For 8 weeks old he's doing really well. The DF is allowing him to sleep from 8.30 until 2(ish) am - that's over 5 hours! To have those other 2 feeds is totally normal at this age. If he wasn't having the DF he would wake about 11/11.30 for a feed anyway and then you would have to resettle as he would be awake. Can you get your partner to do the DF so you can have a longer stretch of sleep before the 2am feed?

Neither of mine took the DF so we fed when they woke. At 8 weeks that was about 11/12, then about 3 and then 6am. As they get bigger and can take more at a feed the 2am feed will gradually get later and they will be able to get to wake up time with the one nightfeed after the DF. Night feeds stop for the majority of babies around the 6 -8 months mark when they are established on solids. It's as much developmental as anything too, some are ready earlier, some later.

Remember that his tummy is about the size of his fist so it needs filling pretty regularly. He is also in a time of huge growth so he needs those calories around the clock, there is a big one coming up at 12 weeks/ 3 months and again at about 16 weeks/ 4 months.

If he is actually drinking in his sleep you are doing well, keep on with it.

Laura

[Mulberrybag]

Thank you x
My husband does the df at 11ish. We leave him to self soothe himself to sleep after his 8am bottle but is usually asleep by 8.30 and I crawl into bed for 9pm.
What did you do after the 6am feed - put them back down for more sleep?
X

[Lolly]

What did you do after the 6am feed - put them back down for more sleep?
X

I can't really remember to be honest - it was a while ago now! More than likely though when my DS was that age, I would have gone back to sleep until he woke next and then started the day. With my DD though, I had an early rising toddler too so that's when our day would have started really. I would have fed her then put her back for a nap about 7ish after some A time while I got dressed and sorted DS out, he was in pre-school for 9am!

Laura

[Mulberrybag]

You sound efficient!
I'm just conscious of this starting the day at 7 thing. I think he could go down after his 6am bottle until 8 or 9.

[Lolly]

You sound efficient!

Haha! If only.... organised chaos here!

You can start your day anytime you want. If 8 or 9 is a better time for your family then do that and run the EASY from your wake up time. The only thing that may make a difference is if it's not a full 3 hours from the early feed and the wake up time you want he may not take a proper feed which will impact on the next nap and knock on the rest of the day. That said, it's early days et and EASY is meant to be a routine not a schedule so it's tweakable to suit you baby and you.

I would have loved an 8am start when I was off on maternity leave with no1 - unfortunately he couldn't tell the time back then and is still my early riser! We have now managed to persuade him that it's ok to go downstairs on a weekend morning and watch TV without telling us he is awake!

Laura

[Mulberrybag]

That sounds much better!
He had a df last night and took 50ml and is up now for his 2am feed. I don't know if he's just not that hungry or that the df is only small but keeps hi going until now? X