Cluster & Dream Feeding Support/Chat

[KathrynK]

Hi Carolyn

I had to do night feeds for about 8-9 weeks in total.  Hope that helps you prepare yourself although I'm sure it's not what you wanted to hear! Having been used to getting a full nights sleep since she was 9 weeks old, it came as a bit of a shock to me too! I woudl still echo Paula and say don't rush into solids, it's better for lo to grin & bear it with the night feeds and wait till 6 months..... 

[bensmomma]

Hello again,
  We did the DF for a few more nights but he continued to wake more than before.  We have since dropped the DF  and he is back to sleeping until 2-3am ( last feed at7:00pm- 7:30pm) and waking between 6-7am.  I guess we'll leave it alone for a while and see what happens.

[* Paula *]

How did you get on with the earlier dreamfeed?

[STARBABE]

Hi,

I started doing dream feeding 4 days ago and am having problems with it and wanted other mums opinions.  We'd been giving him a bottle at about 11pm anyway but waking him up for it first; now we've started dream feeding and he seems to be sleeping worse as a result.  Of the 4 days he's dream fed 3 times - day 3 he woke up of his own accord so was just fed normally then.  Thing is the 3 days he's dream fed he's woken at least 3 times between dream feed and 7am, the day he fed normally he slept through from feed at midnight-ish until 5:30am.  The only thing I can think is causing the extra feeding is the dream feed - wind maybe?  He seems to be going backwards.  My baby is 3 months old - should I continue?

Please let me know how it worked for you

Tamara

[Lªuren]

Hi there

It is best to offer the DF as close to 10pm as possible, 11pm is too late.

Here is more information on the DF, it also advises to give it a week at least before seeing any improvements.  https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54662.0

I would definitely move it to 10pm tonight.

Lauren

[scout71]

i'm finding the cluster feeding quite confusing. how much should i give my baby (4 weeks) - the usual amount or half and then the other half for the 2nd cluster feed? also, what happens if she sleeps in between the 2 cluster feeds - do i wake her? she usually wakes at around 11 for a feed so it's not really a DF - should i move the time forward to 10 so that we can give her the DF while she's still asleep?
thanks

[Lªuren]

hi there

Can you post your typical days routine and amounts of formual at each feed.
thanks

[scout71]

thanks for your reply. we normally start the day at 7.00 and feed every 2.5-3 hours and she usually takes 120mls of formula at each feed. we were then doing a feed at 7pm and then feeding her when she woke at 10.30-11. tonight i fed her at 6pm instead and am hoping to feed her again at about 8.30 and then try the DF.
thanks

[Lªuren]

try and aim for the last feed at 8pm rather than 8.30pm. And the DF as close to 10pm as possible.


From memory I gave Calum the smallest feed at 6pm and then split the last full feed a bit before and after bath.  Don't give half and half of a big feed, it is really a case of judging it yourself after doing it a few days.

[cminer]

Hi everyone.  I have been df my lo since 13 wks old.  He is now 6 1/2 months old and I am wondering if I should try to wean off of the df now or wait and start at 7 months.  He is eating solids now (cereal, veggies and fruit) three times a day.  He eats fairly well.  He drinks anywhere from 29-39 oz. a day (including the df.)  In the past few days, he is eating his solids better (more in his mouth than everywhere else) and taking in less fluids, 29-32 oz.)  I know that I am suppose to up his oz. in the day to compensate for the oz. I will be taking away at night.  I'm concerned that it will disrupt his night time sleep (he usually sleeps through the night now with the df )10 hrs.)  But since he isn't always taking a full 8 oz with each bottle, how will I manage to give him those extra oz. if he just isn't interested? 

[Lªuren]

Hi there

Sorry for the delay, not been on much over the weekend - a 1st birthday party to attend 


Is the Dreamfeed, making him less hngry the following day?

Tracy says to dtop the dreamfeed once solids are established, it sounds like you have established solids already so it is probably time you tried it.

I know that I am suppose to up his oz. in the day to compensate for the oz. I will be taking away at night.  I'm concerned that it will disrupt his night time sleep (he usually sleeps through the night now with the df )10 hrs.)  But since he isn't always taking a full 8 oz with each bottle, how will I manage to give him those extra oz. if he just isn't interested? 

This is really a vicious circle because the dreamfeed detracts from the following days intake and therfore you can add anymore that is why Tracy devised a dreamfeed removal plan, the full page can be viewed in the bottlefeeding FAQ board, under "Cluster and dreamfeeding" -->



How to stop the dream feed…from Tracy’s Book “The Baby Whisperer Solves All of Your Problems”.

The process of cutting out the dream feed – usually around 7 months – is to be done in 3-day increments, to insure that your baby makes up during the day what you’re taking away at night.

Day 1: Add one ounce to the first feed of the day, and take away 1 ounce from the dream feed that night.  If you’re breastfeeding, go back to clustering so that you get more calories in.  Give the dream feed (now 1 ounce less) half an hour earlier, at 10:30 instead of 11.

Day 4:  Add one ounce to the first feed, one to the second, and take away two ounces from the dream feed.  Give the dream feed (two ounces less) at 10.

Day 7:  Add once ounce to the first feed, once to the second, one to the third, take away three ounces from the dream feed, and give it at 9:30.

Days 10 (dream feed at 9pm), 14 ( 8 :30) 17 (8:00 ) and 20 (7:30):  By continuing every 3 days to add ounces during the day and take away the same amount from the dream feed, you will end up doing a feed at 7:30 with only a few ounces.

Note:  If your little one doesn’t take that extra ounce(s) that is offered during the day, that is ok….they might not take to drinking more right away during the day, but it is there if they want it.

I suggest cutting out the dream feed at around seven months, as your baby starts to get solid food in him. If you continue to give it, you’re working against the introduction of solid food, because for every 25 5Th/Ounce of extra liquid your baby takes, he won’t be hungry for 25 gram/an ounce of solid food. However, as the box indicates, when you cut out the dream feed, you have to add the same number of ml or grams or ounces to the day feed. If you don’t, your baby will wake up at night.

Also...the above is taken from Tracy's book "SAYP - p123".  Every baby is different though so there may be variations of the above "how to" that work - including dropping it cold turkey.

[rudojen]

I have been doing a DF for about 5 weeks now with our DS (he's 8 weeks old).  Quinn goes to sleep between 7-8pm and I've been giving the DF between 11 and 11:15pm.  Quinn then wakes between 3-4:30am for another feeding.  My husband had the idea that if we slowly push back the DF by 15 min increments (11:30 for a week, then 11:45 for a week, etc) that we could get him to sleep through til 6:30 or so. 

I've read in the FAQ's that giving the DF too late it will mess with the schedule, but I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this topic.  It seems to me that it could work, but I also wonder then about creating this additional feeding at like 2am.

[cminer]

Thank you.  I will give it a try.   I'm still worried that he will wake hungry at night.  But it is hard to predict.  There are days he consumes many oz of formula in a day and sleeps through the night  and other days he takes less and still sleeps through the night.  He is nearly 7 months.  I look forward to ending the df, and getting to bed earlier myself!

[rudojen]

Thanks for your input!  I know we should be thankful we are getting as much sleep as we are... He's still so young anyways.  Thanks again!!

[trigirl]

I would like to start trying to cluster feed & dream feed my 6 week old. She reliably wakes and feeds every 3 hours (ie: 6pm, 9pm, 12am, 3am, etc....). If I have her on the EASY schedule, she will wake and eat at (for example) 6pm, activity until 7:15, sleep @ 7:30 until 9pm. So, with a cluster feed, do I wake her @ 8pm and 10pm to feed her? How do I get 2 cluster feeds in her every 2 hours in the evening, until a dream feed @ 11pm?

Thanks!