Dream Feeding + Baby Sleep

A dream feed is a term developed by Tracy Hogg to explain a milk feeding offered to your baby in the evening time whilst they are still sleeping.

So instead of your baby waking YOU up at 1 AM, you can offer a dream feeding around 9-10 PM in the hope that it will stretch them a little longer, so that YOU can get a longer stretch of sleep.

Sometimes dream feeds work really well, other times it can just disrupt your baby's sleep cycle and cause a night waking.

From a personal standpoint, I tried dream feeding with my firstborn for about a week or so. She did not take to it well, and still woke for her next feed at the same time she did before. She also would fully wake up and have a hard time going back to sleep. For that reason, I dropped it and let her early morning feeding naturally wean.

On the other hand, I decided to trial a dream feed with my second born when she was about 10 weeks old. I was a little nervous to try because it never worked with my first, BUT she took to it SO WELL. She always goes right back to sleep, and it often enables her to sleep right through until morning time. She still has one occasionally at 6 months old.

SO… HOW DO I DO A DREAM FEED?

It’s pretty simple actually. Here are the steps:

• Your baby goes to bed at 7-8 PM

• Whilst they are still sleeping, you pick them up and offer a feed (can be breastfed or bottle fed, it doesn’t matter).

• After the feed you can offer a burp. I usually find that holding them over your shoulder keeps them nice and sleepy.

• Lay them back down in bed

• If they don’t fall asleep during/after the feeding, you can rock them back to sleep.
  
  

DREAM FEEDING TIPS

• Keep the lights off or low, this will help prevent a full blown wake-up, or baby thinking that dream feeding time is in fact play time, lol. Especially as they grow.

• No need to change their diaper (or nappy, if your from the U.K. like me) unless it's dirty, of course! It’s worth checking a newborn’s nappy as they can poop around the clock, but as they get older, it becomes less common for them to poop overnight, and simply lots of diaper cream and a really good overnight diaper is absolutely sufficient and doesn’t cause any rashes.

• Don’t stress out about burping! Some breastfed babies especially don’t always require burping if they are efficient feeders. Of course, if your baby tends to be gassy, try burping after the feed and gently laying them back down again.

It is definitely worth trying for 3-5 days to see if it’s worth it! You can’t really tell just by trying it one time.

IT IS WORKING IF…..

1. Your baby takes the feed and goes right back to sleep.

2. Your baby sleeps a longer stretch after the dream feed.

3. You simply enjoy it and it doesn’t cause any stress.

IT IS NOT WORKING IF…..

1. Your baby doesn’t take the feeding (too sleepy).

2. Your baby has a full blown wake up during the feed and has a hard time going back to sleep.

3. Your baby still wakes up 2-3 hours after the feed and it doesn’t provide you with a longer stretch of sleep.

4. If it stresses you out in any way, it’s not working or worth it.

Know that a dream feeding is NOT necessarily for great sleep, but it can just be a helpful tip IF your baby takes to it. Please don’t believe that you HAVE to have a dream feed to have a great sleeper! It’s just not true.

If you just feel like you're constantly struggling with sleep in general, that's what I'm here for! I'm really good at baby sleep stuff, and I can teach you too. 

I have guides and courses to help YOU teach your baby to sleep in a way that feels good for your mum heart and parenting style. Multiple methods to choose from, no “one size fits all” approach. You get to choose and go at YOUR pace:

Click here 
If you have a newborn (0-15 weeks)

Click here 
If you have a baby (4-14 months)

Click here 
If you have a toddler (19 mo - 4 years)

Reference:

Hogg, T., & Blau, M. (2005). Secrets of the baby whisperer: How to calm, connect, and communicate with your baby. Ballantine Books.