Dropping the Dreamfeed
- Dropping the "Dream Feed": http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/dropping-dream-feed.html
- Poll Results: What Age (Approximate) Did You Drop the Dreamfeed?: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/poll-results-what-age-approximate-did.html
- Poll Results: What Method Did You Use to Drop the Dreamfeed? (which best describes): http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/poll-results-what-method-did-you-use-to.html
Dreamfeed Polls
- Poll Results: Do You Do a Dreamfeed?: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/poll-results-did-you-do-dreamfeed.html
- Poll Results: What Age (Approximate) Did You Drop the Dreamfeed?: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/poll-results-what-age-approximate-did.html
- Poll Results: What Method Did You Use to Drop the Dreamfeed? (which best describes): http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/poll-results-what-method-did-you-use-to.html
Reader Questions
10 comments:
This is one of the most useful websites - thanks for all your advice!
My 3 months old daughter had a few nights of sleeping 8-hr stretches from 7PM to 3AM when she was 2 months old, but now at 3 mos old, she's waking up twice a night! I wonder if this has anything to do with the 3-hour daytime structure of eat / play / sleep that we established since she turned 2 months old. Now her night wake time mimics her day schedule as she's dreamfed at 10PM, then she wakes up at 1AM and 4AM! My questions are:
1) Should we continue the dreamfeed? For the past week, she's hardly taken any milk at her dreamfeed and we tried waking her, keeping her asleep, 10PM vs 10:30PM. Is it possible that we should drop the dreamfeed?
2) Even with a good dreamfeed where she takes 3 oz of milk, she still wakes up at 1AM, but doesn't drink much. And certainly doesn't drink much at the 4AM wake-up. What's the best way to drop one of these night feedings besides CIO? And which one should I work on dropping first?
Thank you!
Linda,
1-You can always try it and see what happens. If it doesn't go well, you can always put it back.
2-since she isn't eating well, she's probably not waking for hunger. You want to figure out the reason for waking. Cold. Hot. Noise. Look through the night waking and waking from naps posts for ideas on figuring out why. If you do, then you shouldn't have to do CIO to get there. Good luck!
My almost seven month old has proven to be quite challenging in the sleep department the last week or so. We've done babywise since birth but obviously need to reread it. This past week we put allie down around 6:30-6:45. Typically she would sleep until 3-4 am. Now she's been waking up from 11-1 then again at 4:00 and then again at 7:00. Typically she takes a nap around one hour after she wakes for about one hour. I don't know where I am screwing things up... Her naps during the day??? I am so frustrated as letting her CIO hasn't worked at all. She's congested so I have the humidifier going. I can't find any signs of teeth but have her some Tylenol just in case. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Lis, I suggest you see the post "naps: troubleshooting revised and updated" and "nighttime sleep issues: Revised and updated"
Those will both give you a long list of things to check into.
My Baby is 6 weeks old. I have been trying to get her on the BW program for a few weeks now. For a few days we have been doing great on an 8,11,2,5,8,11 schedule. she stretches from 11-4 or 4:30am. The only problem is she does not take more than one oz at 11 and screams during the feeding. I don't know if I should let her sleep from 8 and risk being up a lot more during the night?
2) Also tonight she surprised me and woke up at 7 screaming so I am going to feed her at 1030 in hopes that she will do the same stretch till 4am. What are your thoughts?
Roxanne,
I would try the dreamfeed (the 11 PM feeding) at 10 or 10:30. If it still doesn't work at an earlier time, then I would stop trying it.
Hello. I have 15 week old twins (9 weeks adjusted). I am stuggling with the idea of a dreamfeed. Currently my twins last feed at around 6:30PM, they are in bed by 7:30 and usually do not wake up until 5AM. I would like them to wake up at 7 to start the day so I tried the dreamfeed once but they still woke up at 5AM. Is this a habitual waking at this point? Today for example they woke up at 6. Should I dreamfeed or leave things as they are? I am not sure if I am comfortable with them not eating for almost 12 hours. Also, they keep taking 45 minute naps and I don't know that to do about that. Please help. Thank you.
You can do a dreamfeed--but there is no gauranetee they will then sleep longer. They are old enough I would probably just go to bed earlier myself so I could get the sleep I needed before the early wake up call.
Though since you don't feel good about 12 hours without food, I might do a dreamfeed. You either decide to feed for a dreamfeed or in the early morning hours. It is up to you.
I would say it is not habitual since they wake up at 5 but then did at 6 one day. They sound like they are moving toward sleeping longer at night.
Thank you very much for the response. I will probably go to sleep earlier since there is another issue why we are not doing the dreamfeed - the baby girl has reflux so when I feed can, I cannot put her straight to bed. She must sit for an hour or so per doctor's orders. So if I would do a dreamfeed, that leaves me being up until midnight and then probably getting up around 5 anyway of they do not sleep through. I would rather go to bed earlier.
One more question please of you don't mind. What of they wake up at 5:45 hungry but our wake up time is 7? Do I feed them and then get them up at 7? But they are very hungry from the entire night and scream when I give them just a little. Do I just get them up to start the day instead? Then they take their morning nap really early. I don't really know what's better.
Thank you for your time to answer this.
On other posts you mention not dropping the dream feed until baby sleeps from dream feed until morning wake up time. My daughter is 14 wks old today & we've been having serious sleep issues. First of all, she moved to a 3-4 hr schedule before she was STTN so I'm working on that starting today...back to a somewhat rigid 3 hr routine. Also she seems to wake around 3am. I'm going to see how she does at night with this new 3 hr routine. I'm STILL trying to figure out her optimal wake time! My question about the dream feed is this....as i understand it I should not wake her for the feed...however she typically will only eat 10-13mins which isn't a full feed & she wakes at 2:30 am. Should i.wake her so she gets a full feed or skip.the dreamfeed or make it later (currently at 10:15-10:30)? She will cry upwards of an hour so CIO not effective for my little girl. It worked great w/my son (now 3 yrs old I starteed BW with him late & with her started it from birth but went wrong somewhere) :-(
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