When to drop dream feed?

[noodleoo]

DD is just over 4 months old and she's a great sleeper. Our current schedule is that she goes down between 7 and 8 PM, we wake her up around 11:30 to eat before we go to bed. Then she sleeps though the night until about 7 or 8 AM. It is a great schedule for us. When we first started she'd be asleep when we woke her up at 11:30, but lately I've noticed she's stirring or almost awake when we go in. We saw the pedi today and she said we should not wake her to feed because it is bad to teach her to wake up at the time. So we should just let her sleep and feed her whenever she wakes up.  We tried not waking her once and she woke up at like 3 AM. Which sucks for me, makes me exhausted to have interrupted sleep when with our current schedule, I get a full nights sleep.

So, WWYD?  Follow the pedi's advice or keep the current schedule? 

[VillainV]

I'd try just dropping the dream feed now and see what happens. It might take a day or two to see if she will STTN without it. If it doesn't work, you can always add it back in. But you'll never know if it works until you give it a try.

[whiskeyandwine]

We're in pretty much the exact same situation. DS is almost 5 months. He eats around 7 (usually), and then goes down. H feeds him about 10 on his (H's) way to bed. Then DS will usually sleep until 4:30 or 5 a.m. (sometimes there is a 2 o'clock wake up in there). 

He's had some weight gain issues and is still only in the 4 percentile so I hesitate to drop that 10 p.m. feeding, but ... I don't want him to need to eat at 10 p.m. forever! 

[bk1]

I tried to drop it and she woke up at 3 or so a couple nights then sttn after that. That was at 5.5 months old. Worth trying and just add it back in if it doesn't work. Good luck!

[kate1482]

Following because umm dd is 7 months and I still set my alarm for a dream feed at 2am. It's reduculous she doesn't need to eat MOTN but she doesn't have teeth yet (not worried about cavities) and the pedi said it was ok at her 6 month check up. I'm just so scared to mess up her sleep.

Eta- plus it reliefs a lot of anxiety for me because I know when I'm going to wake up. Before I would sleep crappy because I was always anticipating her waking up and glued to the moniter...

[robyn]

I dropped it at about 4.5 months. DD was nursing to sleep about 8, and I was waking her up around 10:39 to dream feed. She was STTN other than that. When I dropped it she continued to STTN with no problem.

[Deleted]

Very fortuitous post noodleoo! I'm having the exact same thoughts. DD is 6 months old. She falls asleep in my arms on the couch around 7:30-8pm. We snuggle and watch TV, and I do a dream feed around 10:30-11 when I go to bed. She STTN until 7-8am. I'm watching her right now sound asleep, and wonder if I need to keep waking her to eat. But I'm selfish and like the cuddles! She gets marginalized so much during the day b/c I'm caring for her rambunctious 3.5yo big brother. Her feedings get rushed, she gets woken from naps, she gets carted around to his activities. That evening couch cuddle is my time to connect with her. But maybe she would prefer not to be woken up?

[pooh8402]

my mom and I were actually discussing this today. usually E goes down between 7 and 8, and wakes up between 2 and 4 to eat.

last night, however, I woke him up at 10 because he had a massive explosive poop just as I was going to bed and I wasn't about to let him sit in it for hours. so I nursed him back to sleep, and he slept all the way through to 5 am! which will be my wake up time once I go back to work next week.

so I guess I'm wondering if I should add a dream feed in?

for those on app/mobile, he's 2 months.

[noodleoo]

Thx, you guys are giving me faith that maybe she'll STTN. I really don't want to go back to waking up at 3 am. If course I also have a tendency for lots of plugged ducts and am worried dropping the feed will make it worse. Sigh.

[noodleoo]

Sept 28, 2015 21:12:06 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

Very fortuitous post noodleoo! I'm having the exact same thoughts. DD is 6 months old. She falls asleep in my arms on the couch around 7:30-8pm. We snuggle and watch TV, and I do a dream feed around 10:30-11 when I go to bed. She STTN until 7-8am. I'm watching her right now sound asleep, and wonder if I need to keep waking her to eat. But I'm selfish and like the cuddles! She gets marginalized so much during the day b/c I'm caring for her rambunctious 3.5yo big brother. Her feedings get rushed, she gets woken from naps, she gets carted around to his activities. That evening couch cuddle is my time to connect with her. But maybe she would prefer not to be woken up?

Aww, that's so cute! My DD isn't much of a snuggler. I miss when she'd fall asleep on me nursing when she was a newborn. Now she kicks me, head butts me, pulls my hair, etc. Her newest this is wet sneezes on me and blowing raspberries at me. I wish she was snugglier. It's a good thing she's cute!

[mlt]

I would try dropping the dream feed but if her sleep suffers I would go right back to it as long as it's working. She sounds like a great sleeper. Don't mess with success!

[rugbywife]

I hate you all right now. . I have no advice but I wish my 4 month old slept better.

I don't really mean hate. Envy? That's what I feel.

#dreamfeedingnow #hewillbeupby3

[noodleoo]

Sept 28, 2015 21:31:59 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

I hate you all right now. . I have no advice but I wish my 4 month old slept better.

I don't really mean hate. Envy? That's what I feel.

#dreamfeedingnow #hewillbeupby3

It's ok! I know we're incredibly lucky she sleeps so well. That's why I'm so afraid to mess with it!

[mannah]

I actually wouldn't mess with it! Keep doing what works for everyone until it doesn't work anymore, THEN try dropping it or whatever the next step seems to be. At this point it seems to still be going well so I would personally ignore the pedi on this one and KOKO. If it works, it works!

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2015 21:42:57 GMT -5 mannah said:

I actually wouldn't mess with it! Keep doing what works for everyone until it doesn't work anymore, THEN try dropping it or whatever the next step seems to be. At this point it seems to still be going well so I would personally ignore the pedi on this one and KOKO. If it works, it works!

This is the other reason I'm hesitant to drop the feed. My motto with DD has been "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that has served me VERY well. Like, why mess with perfection?

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2015 21:27:19 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Sept 28, 2015 21:12:06 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

Very fortuitous post noodleoo! I'm having the exact same thoughts. DD is 6 months old. She falls asleep in my arms on the couch around 7:30-8pm. We snuggle and watch TV, and I do a dream feed around 10:30-11 when I go to bed. She STTN until 7-8am. I'm watching her right now sound asleep, and wonder if I need to keep waking her to eat. But I'm selfish and like the cuddles! She gets marginalized so much during the day b/c I'm caring for her rambunctious 3.5yo big brother. Her feedings get rushed, she gets woken from naps, she gets carted around to his activities. That evening couch cuddle is my time to connect with her. But maybe she would prefer not to be woken up?

Aww, that's so cute! My DD isn't much of a snuggler. I miss when she'd fall asleep on me nursing when she was a newborn. Now she kicks me, head butts me, pulls my hair, etc. Her newest this is wet sneezes on me and blowing raspberries at me. I wish she was snugglier. It's a good thing she's cute!

Oh DD pulls my hair plenty! She just likes to fall asleep on me (heart). She's seriously the chillest sweetest baby. I don't know how I got so lucky.

[noodleoo]

Sept 28, 2015 21:42:57 GMT -5 mannah said:

I actually wouldn't mess with it! Keep doing what works for everyone until it doesn't work anymore, THEN try dropping it or whatever the next step seems to be. At this point it seems to still be going well so I would personally ignore the pedi on this one and KOKO. If it works, it works!

Yeah. I'm leaning this way. I forgot about how it would affect my plugged ducts issue. I'm finally getting them a little less frequently (like every few days instead of every day). I might have a mental breakdown if they increase again. Maybe we'll wait until 5 or 6 months to try it. 

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2015 22:08:30 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Sept 28, 2015 21:42:57 GMT -5 mannah said:

I actually wouldn't mess with it! Keep doing what works for everyone until it doesn't work anymore, THEN try dropping it or whatever the next step seems to be. At this point it seems to still be going well so I would personally ignore the pedi on this one and KOKO. If it works, it works!

Yeah. I'm leaning this way. I forgot about how it would affect my plugged ducts issue. I'm finally getting them a little less frequently (like every few days instead of every day). I might have a mental breakdown if they increase again. Maybe we'll wait until 5 or 6 months to try it. 

Are you taking lecthin?

[noodleoo]

Sept 29, 2015 5:50:50 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

Sept 28, 2015 22:08:30 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Yeah. I'm leaning this way. I forgot about how it would affect my plugged ducts issue. I'm finally getting them a little less frequently (like every few days instead of every day). I might have a mental breakdown if they increase again. Maybe we'll wait until 5 or 6 months to try it. 

Are you taking lecthin?

Yup, 4x a day.

[luv2rn4fun]

C is 9 months and I'm still dreamfeeding. His weight has always been a concern and finally at his 9 month appointment his pedi is no longer concerned. I need to drop it but he sleeps so good right now and I don't want to mess with it! I was supposed to try this past weekend but then got busy with getting our house listed and looking at new homes and wanted him well rested. I think I will try soon though.

So, if I were you...I would try and see what happens (I tried moving it earlier and earlier and every time I had to go back to 10:30/11 so he wouldn't wake up before 6, which is when I am comfortable with him waking up...if he wakes before 6 he plays in his crib until then). Good luck!

[Deleted]

P is 8 months and I'm still dream feeding, also due to weight concerns. If she's good at her 9mo appointment we'll drop it then. Don't be overly concerned about it yet, but if you want to try dropping it you can.