Dream Feeding: How to Dream Feed your Baby?

Maybe you have heard the term “dream feed” from a friend, in one of the many sleep training articles you have read, or in your favorite parenting group. Wherever you were first introduced to the commonly used strategy to encourage fewer night wakings, we bet you still have some questions!

We’re glad you’re curious and are excited to help you better understand dream nursing or bottle feeding and how filling up your baby’s tummy just before his longest sleep can help everyone get a better night’s rest.

IN THIS ARTICLE

What is a dream feed?

To put it simply, it’s a sleepy nursing or bottle feeding session given to your baby in the late evening hours, usually just before you go to sleep yourself.

Note that offering breast milk or formula at this time typically won’t help improve sleep if a child is waking due to a , rather than hunger. For example, if an infant older than 4 months will only fall asleep while being fed at bedtime, they will be more likely to need to be fed back to sleep when they wake between sleep cycles, even if they aren’t hungry. Offering a twilight feed in a case like this is unlikely to improve sleep.

At what age can you dream feed?

Great question! Parents around the world first introduce this twilight feed at various times. It is never too soon to introduce a sleep feeding into your baby’s feeding schedule, although some prefer to wait until their baby graduates the newborn phase. Dream feeding is most used for babies between 6 weeks and 10 months old. Let’s take a look at the optimal ages to dream nurse or bottle feed.

Dream feed by age chart

When is the best time to stop the dream feed?

Babies will not need a sleep feed forever. The best time to stop or drop the feeding depends on a few things. At Huckleberry we take into consideration:

1. The baby’s primary feeding method (i.e. breastfeeding, bottle feeding, combination feeding, and if solids have been introduced)

2. Calorie intake during the day

3. How ready you, as the parent, are to stop the feeding

4. Whether the baby is waking from true hunger or a sleep onset association

5. How helpful the feeding is to the baby’s sleep schedule and ability to sleep longer as a result of a late-night last feed

How do I dream feed?

Now that you know what this sleepy feed is, what age you can offer this feed, and the best time to stop, let’s help you learn how to dream feed your baby.

Step 1. Wake the baby. 

After your baby has been sleeping for 1-3 hours, you will want to gently wake up your baby. Many families ask us, “How awake should my baby be for the dream feeding?” Ideally, you want your baby to remain drowsy and awake just enough to take a full feeding.

Pro Tips: 

• Keep the lights off or very dim.

• Be boring! Try not to talk or make a lot of noise.

• Be mindful as you pick up your baby from his crib or bassinet. Slow and steady movements help keep you and your baby safe and reduce the chances of waking him fully.

Step 2. Get ready to feed. 

How long or how much to feed your baby at this final feed of the night varies. Breastfed babies may need to nurse for just a few minutes (e.g. 5-10 minutes) or half an hour. There is no magic twilight feed duration that applies to every breastfeeding mom and baby. Bottle-fed babies, like breastfed babies will require differing amounts, depending on their age, size, and how recently they last ate.

Step 3. Put the baby back to sleep.

After the feed, your goal is to put your sweet one back in their sleep space without them waking up fully. This can be tricky, but with practice and patience it can be done! Again, use slow/steady movements to gently lay your baby back down to sleep. Follow safer sleep guidelines by laying your baby down on their back.

Let’s not forget burping! 

Not every baby is a “big burper” or needs to burp following every feed. You know your baby best; if your baby tends to need a burp after finishing a feed, be sure to burp him before laying him back in his crib or bassinet.

Bonus round! The double dream feed…

You read that right. Some parents double down on the dream nursing or bottle. The double feed is when you purposefully offer your baby 2 sleepy feedings in the evening, roughly 2 hours apart, with the final feeding occurring close to midnight.

Dream feed weaning

Once a family is ready to stop the sleep feeds, they can stop waking their baby for the feedings and let the child wake naturally when they are ready to eat.  Another option is to offer less milk or formula each night. For example, parents can gradually lessen the time spent nursing by a minute or two or reduce the formula in the bottle by 1-2 ounces.

Dream feed schedule

Here is an example of a dream nursing or bottle schedule.

• 6:30 p.m. Bedtime feeding

• 7:00 p.m. Bedtime

• 9:30 p.m. Dream feeding

• 10:00 p.m. Baby is back to sleep

• 1:30 a.m. Night feeding

• 4:30 a.m. Night feeding

• 7:30 a.m. Wake up

Pros and Cons of dream feed

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