Dream Feeds: Helping Baby Sleep
Dream feeding is a wonderful tool you can use to help your little one sleep for longer at night. What exactly is it and how can you make the most of the concept? Let’s take a closer look.
Quality sleep and nutrition are two of the main requirements your new baby will need to thrive; and these basic needs are often interlinked. If you are a parent of an infant, then you probably know first-hand that your little one may become cranky, restless or wake up more often when they are hungry. In the same way, the opposite is often true for infants who may sleep longer when their bellies are full.
To help infants, and parents, achieve a longer stretch of sleep at night, the concept of a ‘dream feed’ comes into play.
What is a dream feed?
A dream feed refers to the act of offering your baby the breast or bottle while they are asleep, so that they may wake up less often and enjoy a longer stretch of sleep each night. Dream feeding therefore relies on your baby’s root reflex to suckle, even when asleep.
How to do dream feeds for your baby
In order to successfully implement a dream feed into your schedule, it is often best to offer your little one a feed before you go to bed at night, around 10 or 11pm.
After your baby is asleep, and before your own bedtime beckons, simply lift your little one into a feeding position and allow their natural sucking reflex to guide them into a dream feed. In some cases, you may need to gently rouse your little one enough to be able to feed them, without completely waking them up. However, it is important to find the right balance without completely disrupting a peaceful slumber.
Another benefit is that you can slowly create a routine for yourself and your infant at night, and if carefully integrated into your schedule, a dream feed can be a real blessing to sleep deprived moms. If you currently have a little one waking up every two hours to feed, a dream feed could help to successfully extend this period to an ideal stretch of between four to six hours.
Dream feeds may therefore help to promote more mature sleeping habits in your little one, and eventually help your child ease into a full night of sleep. With baby asleep for longer, you too can get the rest your body needs.
What are the cons of dream feeds?
As with any newly implemented routine, there is always the chance that your little one may develop an unhealthy dependence on their dream feed, creating a habit that could be hard to break later. There are also circumstances whereby a dream feed may not be the ideal situation for your child. If your little one is underweight or has existing issues feeding, then it may be best to first consult a specialist for advice.
If your older baby has mastered the art of dream feeding and now sleeping through the night, it is important to consider the right how to wean your little one, and to recognize when the time is right.
How do you wean your baby?
As your baby matures and begins to sleep through the night, you may consider dropping the dream feed altogether. You can do this by slowly decreasing the amount of time spent dream feeding until it is no longer needed.
Follow your little one’s lead and if they are consistently sleeping through the night, you will have a better chance to successfully wean them from their dream feed. Shorten this feed by 5 or 10 minutes each night until it gradually decreases. After a week or two, your baby may be perfectly fine to sleep through the night without a dream feed.
At Magnolia Baby Company, we know first-hand how difficult it is to adjust to your new baby’s sleep cycles and promote quality rest for the whole family. As a Certified Newborn Care Specialist, our owner, Gloria Young, has seen how dream feeds, in conjunction with specialized sleep training, can be beneficial for both babies and parents.
Gloria’s overnight sleep training services are available to help guide you from the very first day that you bring your little one home. We offer holistic support that considers your unique needs as a family, with proven sleep training techniques you can use to bring positive change to your home.