How do you do a dream feed?

Just curious as to how others do it without waking them up. I have tried it a few times and when I have to burp my ds likes to wake up.

 

Burping is defintitely the challenging part of it.

We would feed them right before we went to bed at around 11 ish. We would pick them up and take them to the chair or rocker and while sleeping just insert the bottle and they would slurp away till they had enough. Then gingerly we would put them upright to burp.

My son was always a difficult burper so sometimes it could take quite a while. A lot of pacing up and down with him on our shoulder. But like I always told my husband - I prefer to pace before I go to sleep rather than at 3 in the morning when he wakes up screaming cause he didn't burp properly. So pace we did.

They never really woke up and if they did, they were easy enough to get back down.

 

oh - i want to add to the question! how do you know when to drop the dreamfeed? is there a magic age, or do they 'tell' you somehow?

 

I don't do a dream feed. Never did... I didn't want to chance waking a sleeping baby.

 

We swear by our dreamfeed, the babies go to bed around 7/7:30, then we wake them up at 10:30. We turn the lights down low, bring them downstairs, do a quick diaper change, feed/burp, back to bed. They do wake up a little bit but I find if I burp them over my shoulder, they go right to sleep after the burp. Without the dreamfeed DD wakes at 12 and 3, with it she eats at 10:30 and 4:30 (sometimes not until 7). DS will go from the dreamfeed all the way until morning whereas before he was waking at 2 to eat. As far as when to drop the dreamfeed, who knows, I guess when they start eating less. It seems so counterintuitive to wake a sleeping baby, but it really works for us.

 

We never really "woke" the babies as such - they literally drank it in their sleep.

As to when to drop it - we weaned them off all the other feeds first, and left that one till last. If I remember correctly I think with DD - we one night forgot to do it and she slept right through so we were kind of like um okay - no more for you.

They do start to tell you. DD would purse her lips and wouldn't let us get the bottle in so that was a good indicator that she didn't want it.

You have to do what you find best. I know some don't think that waking a baby helps - but personally it helped my sanity to feed them before I went to bed so I could get at least 3 or 4 hours solid sleep before they woke again. Going to bed and sleeping for only an hour to have to get up to feed them did not make for a productive mom and dad.

 

QUOTE(KYsweetheart @ Dec 28 2007, 12:49 PM) [snapback]548858[/snapback]
I don't do a dream feed. Never did... I didn't want to chance waking a sleeping baby.


Ditto. My girls go to bed between 7-8 and dont wake until 1-2am. They are only 10wks so I am happy with a 6-7hr stretch.
I tried the dream feed once and she was up again 3hrs later so I never attempted it again.

 

I don't go to bed until like 11ish anyway, we actually try to keep them up late. I know it might sound selfish, but Jay works nights and he needs some sleep, so they sleep later, until 8-9 am. But also when I get home from work, at 4ish, I don't want to only have a couple of hours with them before they need to go to bed. I just need to spend time with them!!!


Shannon