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pumpkinpye517
LIF Adult
Member since 3/08 1060 total posts
Name:
Tiffany
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Dream Feeding
I just heard about dream feeding. My DD is 7 weeks and she sleeps for 5-6 hours during the day but at night she goes to sleep at about 11ish (after a bottle) and sleeps til 3 or 4am and then gets a bottle and goes back to sleep til about 6 or 7.. sometimes 8 if we're lucky. I dont know much about this dream feeding concept. When is considered to early to attempt this?
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Posted 7/30/08 10:46 AM  |
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jambalady
Is it summer yet?
Member since 8/06 7392 total posts
Name:
Holly
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Re: Dream Feeding
If you are already giving her a bottle at 11, than I don't think dream feeding will work for you since you are trying to avoid having to wake up more in the middle of the night, unless you just happen to be up at 2AM.
Dream feeding is basically for babies that go down earlier for the night. For example, DS would go down for the night after his 8PM bottle and we would get 6 hrs from him when he was 8 wks old, so that basically meant he was getting up at 2AM. We would dream feed, meaning gently pick him up in his sleep, at 11PM (since we were still awake anyway). he would basically eat in his sleep, and instead of waking at 2AM, he would wake at 5AM bc he was still full.
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:51 AM |
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pumpkinpye517
LIF Adult
Member since 3/08 1060 total posts
Name:
Tiffany
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Re: Dream Feeding
ohhh ok.. got it! Any tips for putting DD down a little earlier? Id like to go to bed before 11:00pm!
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:54 AM |
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curliegirl
He's here!!!!
Member since 3/06 10128 total posts
Name:
Gina
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Re: Dream Feeding
We did it with DS for a bit, maybe from 2 or 3 months to about 5 months...it was successful for us, but like jambalady said, since you are already giving DC and 11PM bottle it may not work out for you.
For us, DS would go to sleep around 7 and we would give him a bottle around 10-10:30 and that would stretch him to about 7AM.
YOu might need to adjust DC's schedule a little....
Start a new routine, turn down the lights when you give the bottle before the 11PM one......maybe a bath before....rock DC in a rocker or just humm a little while feeding, create a serene, quiet environment...
Message edited 7/30/2008 10:56:57 AM.
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:55 AM |
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lc214
BLUE times 2!
Member since 11/05 1884 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by jambalady
If you are already giving her a bottle at 11, than I don't think dream feeding will work for you since you are trying to avoid having to wake up more in the middle of the night, unless you just happen to be up at 2AM.
Dream feeding is basically for babies that go down earlier for the night. For example, DS would go down for the night after his 8PM bottle and we would get 6 hrs from him when he was 8 wks old, so that basically meant he was getting up at 2AM. We would dream feed, meaning gently pick him up in his sleep, at 11PM (since we were still awake anyway). he would basically eat in his sleep, and instead of waking at 2AM, he would wake at 5AM bc he was still full.
Would DS eat a full bottle when you dream fed him?
This is pretty much my DS current schedule - eat at between 6-8 then wake between 12-2. Then wake again around 4 - 6. If I dream feed him this could work!
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:56 AM |
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pumpkinpye517
LIF Adult
Member since 3/08 1060 total posts
Name:
Tiffany
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by curliegirl
We did it with DS for a bit, maybe from 2 or 3 months to about 5 months...it was successful for us, but like jambalady said, since you are already giving DC and 11PM bottle it may not work out for you.
For us, DS would go to sleep around 7 and we would give him a bottle around 10-10:30 and that would stretch him to about 7AM.
YOu might need to adjust DC's schedule a little....
Start a new routine, turn down the lights when you give the bottle before the 11PM one......maybe a bath before....rock DC in a rocker or just humm a little while feeding, create a serene, quiet environment...
any suggestions on how to adjust her schedule? If she is always hungry at the same time and is screaming for a bottle it seems like its impossible to calm her down to prolong a feeding. Any words of advice?
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:58 AM |
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curliegirl
He's here!!!!
Member since 3/06 10128 total posts
Name:
Gina
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Re: Dream Feeding
Would DS eat a full bottle when you dream fed him?
This is pretty much my DS current schedule - eat at between 6-8 then wake between 12-2. Then wake again around 4 - 6. If I dream feed him this could work!
You could definitely try it. Give DC a bottle closer to 6 or 7, then bedtime.....
Dream feed around 10 or 11, right before you go to bed, sometimes I even fed DS IN my bed.....
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:58 AM |
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curliegirl
He's here!!!!
Member since 3/06 10128 total posts
Name:
Gina
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by pumpkinpye517
Posted by curliegirl
We did it with DS for a bit, maybe from 2 or 3 months to about 5 months...it was successful for us, but like jambalady said, since you are already giving DC and 11PM bottle it may not work out for you.
For us, DS would go to sleep around 7 and we would give him a bottle around 10-10:30 and that would stretch him to about 7AM.
YOu might need to adjust DC's schedule a little....
Start a new routine, turn down the lights when you give the bottle before the 11PM one......maybe a bath before....rock DC in a rocker or just humm a little while feeding, create a serene, quiet environment...
any suggestions on how to adjust her schedule? If she is always hungry at the same time and is screaming for a bottle it seems like its impossible to calm her down to prolong a feeding. Any words of advice?
You'll probably have to do it slowly....sometimes when my son would cry in his crib, just a small bottle, a few ounces would get him back to sleep. If this works you could start with 3-4 ounces, although that's prolly what your DC is eating now....try 2 ounces and see if they want more....
It's all a big experiment!!!!
Oh, and if she just had a bottle say and hour ago, like 8 or 9 PM, the I would give a smaller bottle at 10 to keep her full and hopefully asleep....you'll figure it out, measure what she gets by the hour...if she's getting 3 oz every 3 hours, then that's an ounce and hour....if you give a bottle 2 hours after her previous bottle then give her a 2 oz bottle, KWIM?
Message edited 7/30/2008 11:04:53 AM.
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| Posted 7/30/08 11:02 AM |
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jambalady
Is it summer yet?
Member since 8/06 7392 total posts
Name:
Holly
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by lc214
Would DS eat a full bottle when you dream fed him?
This is pretty much my DS current schedule - eat at between 6-8 then wake between 12-2. Then wake again around 4 - 6. If I dream feed him this could work!
it would depend on how sleepy he was. start with maybe an oz less than what DS would typically eat and as Curliegirl said, experiment with the amount until you find something DS is comfortable with.
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| Posted 7/30/08 11:25 AM |
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jrbaby
LIF Adult
Member since 11/05 1204 total posts
Name:
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Re: Dream Feeding
Sorry to barge in, but do you also change their diaper when you do the dreamfeed or just feed DC and put them right back to bed? Also, can this work for breastfed babies?
I think this might work for us also as we DD goes to sleep around 10 and is up by 2:30. We'd love to put her to bed after her 7pm feed since DS goes to bed at around 7:30, then we would have some time alone.
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| Posted 7/30/08 1:40 PM |
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jambalady
Is it summer yet?
Member since 8/06 7392 total posts
Name:
Holly
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by jrbaby
Sorry to barge in, but do you also change their diaper when you do the dreamfeed or just feed DC and put them right back to bed? Also, can this work for breastfed babies?
I think this might work for us also as we DD goes to sleep around 10 and is up by 2:30. We'd love to put her to bed after her 7pm feed since DS goes to bed at around 7:30, then we would have some time alone.
i only changed ds's diaper if there was a poop or if it felt especially full.
yes, you can do it if you are bf, for me it was harder bc ds had problems latching sometimes.
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| Posted 7/30/08 1:51 PM |
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curliegirl
He's here!!!!
Member since 3/06 10128 total posts
Name:
Gina
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by jrbaby
Sorry to barge in, but do you also change their diaper when you do the dreamfeed or just feed DC and put them right back to bed? Also, can this work for breastfed babies?
I think this might work for us also as we DD goes to sleep around 10 and is up by 2:30. We'd love to put her to bed after her 7pm feed since DS goes to bed at around 7:30, then we would have some time alone.
hmmm, I don't remember but Idon't think I changed his diaper, but if I did, it was quickly and quietly. Then bottle which he usually fell back to sleep for and viola! Back in the crib....
Boob....bottle? What's the difference? 
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| Posted 7/30/08 1:57 PM |
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snowboardgirl
LIF Adult
Member since 8/05 1033 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: Dream Feeding
Am I getting this right? dream feeding is feeding them while they are still asleep?
what about burping? do you burp after the dream feed?
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| Posted 7/30/08 2:22 PM |
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jambalady
Is it summer yet?
Member since 8/06 7392 total posts
Name:
Holly
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by snowboardgirl
Am I getting this right? dream feeding is feeding them while they are still asleep?
what about burping? do you burp after the dream feed?
yes, feeding them when they sleep. i don't remember if I burped them afterwards. i read about this in Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and i think she says something about the way they eat in their sleep doesn't cause them to swallow too much air. but DS was so asleep, even if I burped him, he probably wouldn't have woken up. the key is to keep them in sleep mode.
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| Posted 7/30/08 3:21 PM |
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RM23
LIF Adult
Member since 5/06 997 total posts
Name:
Rachel
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Re: Dream Feeding
Posted by jambalady
Posted by snowboardgirl
Am I getting this right? dream feeding is feeding them while they are still asleep?
what about burping? do you burp after the dream feed?
yes, feeding them when they sleep. i don't remember if I burped them afterwards. i read about this in Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and i think she says something about the way they eat in their sleep doesn't cause them to swallow too much air. but DS was so asleep, even if I burped him, he probably wouldn't have woken up. the key is to keep them in sleep mode.
I agree...when i dream fed I did not burp DS. I always held him upright for a few minutes, just in case, before laying him down to sleep.
Two other things to add...sometimes I would let DS wake up and then within in minutes I would get him feed him and he would go right back down...even if they are up for a few minutes they tend to fall right back asleep on the bottle, and i counted that as a dream feed. I would rather wait for them to tell me there hungry instead of just feeding them b/c of the time. Also, I found that the only way DS would go sleep earleir than 11 was if he decided on his own. He slept from 12am-5am, then eventually went down at 11pm, then 10pm and so on....there was nothing i could do to make his bedtime earlier.
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| Posted 7/30/08 3:41 PM |
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LJSMommy
Love him!
Member since 10/07 3189 total posts
Name:
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Re: Dream Feeding
OMG!!! I am SO trying this!!!!!!
DS has been going down around 9:30-10:00 PM and sleeps from 4-6 hours (last night was ALMOST 7 hours!!!).
I am starting to move the bedtime routine back 15 minutes every 2 days, so I can get him down by 9. I could dream feed him around 11 and maybe get till 5 or 6 AM then!!!
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| Posted 7/30/08 3:43 PM |
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sunflowerjesss
Mommy to 3!
Member since 10/05 20369 total posts
Name:
Jesss, duh.
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Re: Dream Feeding
DS won't take a boob when he is semi sleeping....but I do pump daily. You think I should just give a couple of oz via bottle?
And I just don't know how I could change a diaper without him waking up. 
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| Posted 7/30/08 10:01 PM |
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