Comments on: Try a dream feed and sleep better

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 06:53:35 +0000

I love the dream feed, it worked so great with one of my kids. I did have to pump each time which was kind of annoying, but then my husband fed my son the bottle and I got to go to sleep sooner.

By: SuperMomWannabe

SuperMomWannabe — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:08:23 +0000

Yep! Works while breastfeeding. I am a co-sleeper as well and he just latches on when he wants still sleeping really. I am trying to give him more sleeping opportunity in his own crib…the last two co-slept with until about 3-4 years old. Our youngest (1) is our last, so I am hoping we can transition him easier and sooner.

By: tobasco

tobasco — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:46:16 +0000

To Cora: my daughter is over 2 YEARS old and still doesn’t sleep through the night. We have literally tried everything. Some kids just suck at sleeping. Please keep your judgements to yourself.

By: Zoey

Zoey — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:28:45 +0000

For mamas asking about burping, eventually around 5-6 months, babies can begin to burp themselves! So no need to worry about it, keep dream feeding, its awesome!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:49:26 +0000

I’m still dream feeding my almost 10 mos old. She fusses in the night enough to rouse me (it seems I can sleep through fake outs ) and I can pick her up from her crib, have a little nurse and put her back down. She never wakes. She is a great sleeper and happy, confident child. I don’t feel like my sleep is really disrupted as I’m half asleep during feeding and I fall back to sleep easily! Plus I could always sleep in since she sleeps 14 hours at night! Now we’ll see if I feel differently when I go back to work

By: Coral

Coral — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:26:58 +0000

I’ve been told that ‘rocking your baby to sleep’ is actually a BAD habit to get into because then they will always want it, and will never learn to self settle. My sister in law is STILL paying for that piece of bad advice (the one where midwives tell you babies don’t know how to settle themselves…SO not true!!), and her baby is 8 months old and still not sleeping through the night. I was able to watch my sister’s mistakes of rocking her baby to sleep, and learn what not to do.

Of course, I am only a new mum and every baby is different. But I’ve seen things work better when we started from the very beginning by NOT rocking her to sleep, but putting her down in her crib while she is awake and calm, and if she is chucking a huge tanty, we firmly press her arms to her chest (been told they feel like its being in the womb again) and wait until she calms down. We dont pick her up if she’s screaming, but wait until she’s calm before we pick her up so that she doesnt get the idea that if she screams she gets what she wants.

Dont get me wrong, we had some MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR breastfeeding issues when she was first born (and I had a terrible pregnancy and birth). She hasnt always been an easy ride. But we’ve found this consistent strategy of discipline (i.e. letting her chuck her tanty but calming her while she remains in her crib by holding her arms to her chest), eventually bubby will stop screaming and realise she has lost the battle. Sure, it will be painful for YOU for awhile, but trust me…eventually the battle will get less and less to the point where bedtime is no battle at all. Remember, YOU are in charge, not your baby.

We tried the same strategy with breastfeeding and it worked a dream! Not only that, but this same strategy has meant that our bubby now sleeps through the night as well. My piece of advice to new mums is this: not every cry means bubby needs to be picked up. Learn to distinguish distressed cries from tanty cries. If bubby is burped, fed, changed, and has had a play, then likelyhood is she is just chucking a tanty and is better off left to cry it out (unless she is teething, which is a whole different story!) Good luck guys, I hope this bit of advice helps.

By: tobasco

tobasco — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:19:07 +0000

I have heard that a lot of people endorse the dream feed. This wasn’t possible with use because of a multitude of feeding problems (both with DD and with me). I would like to try it with the next one though, because waking up 4 or 5 times a night was not a positive thing, haha.

My only concern with it is once the LO gets teeth. Breast feeding is one thing (the milk shoots to the back of their mouth and doesn’t touch their teeth) but bottles would concern me. Thoughts?

By: Alissa

Alissa — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:15:08 +0000

I nursed and did a dreamfeed – and my DS slept in his crib. I just pulled him out and nursed him. He was totally asleep by the time he was done nursing. No burping issues, and he was a ridiculous spitter.

I did a dreamfeed til about 6 months. Eventually weaned it down to one breast, moved the time up, and then dropped it completely.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:12:39 +0000

Due in March 2012….This sounds like it will be terrific if it works!!! But what about burping? Thanks!!

By: Stacia

Stacia — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:33:14 +0000

I can attest to this – not with a bottle, but with the breast. I cosleep with my daughter (6 months) and she still eats a few times a night. She just latches on when she’s hungry and pops off when she’s done – and sleeps through the entire thing. I get roused when she latches, but am able to go right back to sleep. It’s the only way we both get any solid sleep.

By: Formula and breastfeeding – Help!

Formula and breastfeeding – Help! — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:36:57 +0000

[...] olds who can also eat and drink other stuff; six-month olds with no attention span. I have done dream feeds with formula and breast milk combinations as well as pumped in dingy supply closets and on [...]

By: Toddler Eating Issues (or Stuff Your Worries, Not Your Toddler) | Janet Lansbury

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:33:15 +0000

[...] benign as it may seem, I even object to “dream feeding” (breastfeeding or bottle feeding an asleep baby) which some experts advise for helping babies [...]