When should I drop the "rollover" feed???

[Jac]

I currently wake DS for a breastfeed when I go to bed (around 10.30pm). My MCHN suggested dropping this feed but I am uncertain as to when to do this. Some people have said not to drop it until he is 9-10mths and other people have said once he is on 3 solid meals a day (ie. now). What did others do? He is breastfed before bed at 7pm and usually wakes around 6.30-7.30am for morning feed.

[Danni]

hmm i guess there is no right or wrong answer jac!

Why not try dropping it and see what happens? Thats the only way to see if he needs it or not.

good luck!

[Jennifer13]

Hi Jaci, how many feeds is he having during the day? I would suggest he will probably make up for the feed if you drop it at other times. I always demand bf and my DD stopped all overnight feeds at a younger age than your DS, so I wouldn't think you are going to be depriving him is he isn't waking for it of his own accord. Sounds like he probably has enough to keep him going.

[Kelly W]

Jac
At my 12 month check up my MHN said I should drop the roll over feed. Well my twins are 18 months and I haven't dropped it yet ! I felt it was best to keep going over winter with slight colds etc. Plus it WORKS. my boys go to bed at 6pm and get up about 6.30am I have felt why change when it works.

Seriously though I am in the process of dropping it. I have been reducing it each week, now they have 70ml. Once I get it to 50 ml I am going to try dropping it. I suppose I am not looking forward to the possible few days of them both waking me up till they get used to not having it.

so my thoughts are if you are not ready, then don't rush it

[MantaRay]

Jack used to go to bed late and sleep through so I didn't really dream feed much. With Tom, I have only just dropped it (at 12 months) and still do it sometimes (ie if he doesn't have a good feed before going down). Mostly now he will sleep through the night without the dreamfeed, but before that he was dream feeding AND most nights waking once for a feed. I tried dropping the dream feed earlier (about 10 months maybe?) and he woke twice in the night instead of once. This time, I waited until he had slept through the night a few times in a row before trying to drop it again and Bingo, it worked. I say read the cues, give it a try, and let your baby let you know whether he is ready or not. Best of luck with it.

[Tobily]

I'm still doing the 10pm dreamfeed and DS is 12 months!

I've tried to drop it a few times but it just means he wakes at about midnight then again at 4am...where as when I dreamfeed we do the 10pm feed, he wakes at 2, and then goes through until 6am so I only have to get up once. I find getting up twice kills me so I plan to keep doing it until he weans probably LOL!

[lilima]

Hello,
I demand fed my son overnight from 12 weeks. By then he was sleeping through. The times that I did give him a rollover feed it made no difference to what time he got up in the morning, He still got up at exactly the same time.

I wouold suggest give dropping it a go, and if it works Yay, and if not re assess and go from there.

[Nadine216]

I feed at 11 at night, just before getting into bed. Sometimes she drinks the whole bottle, other times she will only have two sips. She gets three meals a day and snacks in between, has four bottles (excluding late night one) which I am suspecting that she is going to drop the 4pm one any day now. She goes to bed at around 8pm (there is usually some left-over milk from dinner that she wants then) and she wakes up anything from 6:30am till 8am. I have let her sleep without giving the 11pm bottle, but she wakes up at 4:30 and that is just not on! So instead of making bottles in my sleep at 4:30, I just give her the bottle at 11 - less trouble for me (and I get to change her nappy for the night). I believe that she will let me know when I can stop harassing her that time of the night
I agree with the others. Leave it out for one night and see how it goes. Good luck!!

[Kelly W]

I have just dropped the rollover feed thsi week on my twins (18 months old) and it worked, but I found for the week before I was really having to wake them for it, so was guessing they didn't want it anymore