The Dream Feed: Is It Your Passport to a better night's sleep?
Are you navigating the uncharted territories of sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings? Are you wondering how you can help your baby sleep for longer stretches and how you can finally catch up on some quality Zzz's? Then you’ve arrived in the right place!
What is a dream feed?
As a baby and toddler sleep consultant and mum, I know the dream feed can be an absolute gamechanger! So what exactly is it?
The Dream Feed is a sleep strategy that involves offering your baby a feed while they're still in the land of nod. Think of it like slipping them a midnight snack without them ever fully waking up! The aim of the dream feed is to help you to synchronize your baby’s longest stretch of overnight sleep with your own.
What time should I offer a dream feed?
Choose the Perfect Time Zone! The dream feed is best used in babies under 7 months of age and takes place between 9:30pm-11pm. This feed is offered a few hours after bedtime to ensure that your little one is hungry enough to take a full feed before you yourself head off to bed. The dream feed occurs at around this time to ensure that your baby is still in their deepest state of sleep, and to encourage them to sleep their longest stretch of sleep at the same time as you.
When can I start offering a dream feed?
A dream feed is usually an effective strategy to use with babies over 12 weeks of age. Before this time, babies will be cluster feeding, will naturally wake around this time for a feed, having a later bedtime, so the dream feed is of no real benefit because your baby’s longest stretch of overnight sleep is already synchronized with your own.
*Every baby is different so there may be some babies who absolutely can benefit from a dream feed before 12 weeks. Please be guided by your own child and their unique sleep circumstances.
How do I offer a dream feed?
Cabin Crew, Prepare for Feeding! Begin by picking your baby up out of their cot or bassinet and gently rousing them. For some babies, rubbing your nipple or the teat nipple over their lip to stimulate their sucking reflex will be enough to get them to begin feeding. For other babies, they may need a little more stimulation and encouragement. If this is the case, you can also try gently stroking your baby’s cheek/face, speaking to them softly or remove their swaddle. Remember we want to rouse them just enough to take a nice full feed without waking them completely.
As your baby starts to feed, keep everything calm. Silence is golden. Offer them a FULL feed just as you would during the day. Once you have finished feeding, burp your baby and place them back down in their sleep space.
*You may or may not need to burp your baby, this is completely dependent on your baby and their needs.
How do I know if the dream feed is working?
The dream feed isn’t always an effective strategy and doesn’t work for every baby and family. You will know if the dream feed has been successful if your baby…..
takes a nice full feed
stays asleep during the feed
remains asleep or is easily settled after you have burped them and they are placed back in their safe sleeping space
achieves a long stretch of sleep (approx. 5 -6 hours) after the dream feed
The dream feed is not working if your baby is…..
completely waking at the feed
finding it hard to return to sleep after the feed
they are not taking a full feed/ are not feeding well
they are not achieving a long stretch of sleep after the feed and are waking shortly after
When do i stop offering a dream feed?
The dream feed although effective in younger babies, can begin to interfere with the deepest stage of sleep in older babies. It is for this reason that it is recommended to cease the dream feed at around 6.5 months of age. By this age your little one will have also begun solids which will be helping to sustain them for longer periods of sleep overnight.
If you feel the dream feed is not a beneficial strategy for you and your family then you can cease offering it cold turkey and wait for your baby to wake naturally. *This assumes that their weight and growth are tracking well and you have been given the go ahead to let your baby wake of their own accord.
If you’re ready to book your journey to better sleep and have me as your very own baby sleep consultant, then check out what sleep support packages are on offer or get in touch with me today!