What’s a dream feed?
The term ‘dream feed’ tends to be thrown around in the newborn world all the time. Many comments get put out there about it disturbing their sleep, it not working because they still wake up every few hours hungry again, or no matter how hard you try your baby wakes up before you get the chance to feed him. I’m going to clear up any misconceptions you may have about it right now and show you that it can work within the boundaries I share.
How you do a dream feed is incredibly important but what age and what time of night is what I want to share with you first. We want to still be doing an awake feed up until 3-4 months. This creates sleep pressure to get them further into the night. Unswaddle them, change their nappy, feed them, have a little play and then wind them back down ready to settle to sleep. Once the baby is 4 months old we can introduce the dream feed. And we want to drop the dream feed at 6 months, if not before. At this age we can expect babies to wake 1-2 times a night for a feed.
There is a certain amount of calories each baby will need in the night and this amount is different with each baby. However, what time in the night can be up to us. Mum or dad can either go to bed early and wake twice for the feeds or feed the baby at 10-10:30 pm before they go to bed and feed once more. It’s entirely up to you.
Okay, now on to how you do a dream feed.
First of all, we want the room to remain dark enough so that the light doesn’t interfere with the baby’s melatonin production. Melatonin is a sleep hormone made from serotonin and light can stop this secretion from happening. This means don’t move rooms or turn on the TV and if you need light to see what you are doing, make sure you use a night light that can be dimmed or already is not very bright.
Second, keep the baby swaddled or in their sleeping bag. Unless they have pooped, there is no need for a nappy change.
Lastly, keep it quick. As soon as they are done with the feed, move them back into their bassinet or cot.We don’t want to stimulate them causing them to wake up.
Signs the dream feed isn’t working:
It’s the biggest feed in 24 hours. - This can cause reverse cycling meaning the baby can end up having more calories in the night than the day.
The baby is still waking twice in the early hours with or without the dream feed. - This can mean they are not getting enough to make the dream feed worth it.
Baby wakes up the second you pick them up. - This might be overstimulating for them.
The baby JUST WON’T EAT. - The reason we do the dream feed during this time is because they are in a deep sleep and hard to wake up. Sometimes this means they don’t feed easily.
If a dream feed isn’t right for your baby or your own bedtime, that is totally fine! It’s not for everyone but it can be a very helpful tool and it doesn’t hurt to try.
