https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:45:18 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115248 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:55:47 +0000 Mamasig 2115248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never did dream feeds. Both my boys woke up every 2.5-3 hours to eat until about 8 weeks. I went to bed around ten or so. At around 8 weeks, they stretched out the 1st feeding for 4-5 hours. Bedtime was between 9 and 10. By the time I went back to work at 12 weeks, bedtime was around 9. Eventually, DS1's bedtime moved to 8:30 and DS2 moved to between 7:30 and 8. My oldest won't sleep any earlier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115243 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:52:34 +0000 sarac 2115243@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We always just took the baby to bed with us, around 10. She just hung out in the evening - in our arms, in a blanket, nursing, while we read, or ate, or watched tv. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115228 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:40:03 +0000 gingerbebe 2115228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had a dreamfeed from 2.5 months to 4.5 months. We always had him in bed by 730pm, woke him at 1030pm, then 10pm, then 930, then moved his last feeding to 730pm and had him in bed by 8pm. We couldn't start a dreamfeed until 2.5 months because my son just had a really small tummy. The dreamfeed allowed us to go from 1030pm to 4:30am instead of 730pm to 1:30pm. By 12 weeks he was down to 5 feedings and going from 10pm to 730am. We started adding ounces and moving his dreamfeed back every 2 weeks and by 4.5 months we dropped to 4 feedings and 8pm bedtime with no dreamfeeds. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115192 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:20:50 +0000 Charm54 2115192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Dd had a late bedtime - 10pm, and slept through until 8am starting around 5 weeks. I was in no rush to move her bedtime earlier if it meant I didn't have to get up in the MOTN!!</p> <p>She naturally started moving her bedtime earlier on her own, bit by bit until it was 7-7 at 4 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115171 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:13:14 +0000 Mae 2115171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know what you consider late. We put her down between 9 and 10 from the day we got home from the hospital until she was about 8 weeks old. Then we moved it up to 8:30 I think. And at some point before 5mo it got moved to 8 then 7:30 which is where we are now (that is start of routine, she actually goes to bed at 8). We never did dream feeds except for the period of time when we were having trouble getting her to eat enough. When we were putting her down around 9:30 she would usually wake around 2:30 and then again around 6:30 to eat. We woke to feed in month 1 due to gaining issues but beyond that we just let her tell us when she was hungry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115162 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:08:49 +0000 twodoghouse 2115162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids had a late bedtime for a really long time. It was really really hard to get them on an earlier bedtime. We tried dream feeds a couple times but didn't have any luck. If it had been possible for my kids to do dream feeds well I definitely would have preferred that! I didn't realize how nice it would be to have some free time after the kids went to bed, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115098 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:38:29 +0000 Tidybee 2115098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also want to mention that as she grew older after 3 months or so, we'd move her bedtime back more and more because she stopped her witching hour and would take a 3rd nap from 4-5pm. For her first year of her life, she was probably in bed by 7:30 pm and slept until 5, nursed, and back down til about 7:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115091 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:36:17 +0000 SweetiePie 2115091@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Originally we did a 7pm bedtime and an 11 or 12 dream feed. But when my pediatrician caught wind she told us to stop it immediately and just let him go as long as he could go. She said that doing a dream feed just conditions them to wake up at that time.<br /> I will say that motn feedings sucked. BUT if I went to bed at 9pm I got a good 5 hours in before hed wake up on his own around 2am. And he just naturally kept waking up later and later.<br /> Another thing she told us to do was to try and push it each night, even if only by a couple of minutes. We did this by trying to put in the paci when he started fussing instead of going straight to a feed. He often surprised us by going another 1-2 hours.<br /> It took maybe 2-3 weeks for him to go 7pm to 5am. At that point he was 4 months and pediatrician said to eliminate that feed by decreasing .5-1 ounce each night. And once we were down to nothing, let him CIO. CIO lasted 3 nights and he now goes 7pm to 6:30/7am.</p> <p>ETA: my pediatrician and many sleep specialists say that bedtime should always be between 6pm and 8pm. Putting them to bed later doesn't usually yield a later wake up. So no matter what we always have him down by 7:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115089 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:35:29 +0000 Tidybee 2115089@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: I think she slept 6-7ish....she'd have her witching hour around 5-6 and she usually passed out from all the crying. She basically just hung out while we ate dinner and DH cuddled with her. Our bedtime routine was quite long -- bath, lotion, swaddling and nursing...it probably took over an hour. We'd put her in around 9:30-10 and then basically go to bed ourselves. She'd sleep until about 4/4:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115087 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:34:57 +0000 shellio 2115087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never did a dream feed and both of my babies have done well with an early bedtime, from a young age. Until about 1 year old, starting at a couple of weeks, that meant in bed by 530/6. It doesn't work for everyone but both boys slept a nice long stretch early in the night and got down to 2-3 wakeups by a couple/few mos old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115061 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:20:34 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2115061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Tidybee: how did the late bedtime work? What does baby do during the evening? Did she have an extra nap? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115051 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:12:59 +0000 Tidybee 2115051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never did a dream feed and DD was sleeping 6-7 hours by 5 weeks. I just followed the rule not to wake a sleeping baby. At that time, we'd put her down to bed for the night around 9:30-10. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dream-feed-or-late-bedtime#post-2115046 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:11:13 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2115046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did you do either? Is there really a difference? Does one work better?</p> <p>With lo1 we started with a dream feed and a 730 bedtime, but discovered if we didn't wake him for a dream feed he would sleep until the 230 feeding anyway (but he kept that 1 feeding until 12 months and I am REALLY not wanting another year of MN wake ups If j can avoid it). Last night dh went to bed and didnt wake up for lo2's dream feed and she went a 5 hour stretch. Now we are wondering if we should just move her bedtime later and skip the dream feed?</p> <p>Tell me what worked (or didn't work!) for you! </p>