A dream feed is when you gently take your baby out of his crib between 10pm and midnight to give him a feed. Research shows that this extra feed usually reduces night waking, helping babies stay asleep until a more ‘reasonable’ time of the morning.

Do I need to let my little one burp after a dream feed?

Yes, babies still need to burp even though they have had a dreamfeed. Otherwise the air bubbles might wake them up later on because they need to spit or they experience pain from gas. What you can do best to prevent your little one from waking up is to slowly rub your little one’s back upwards, from the bottom to his shoulders.

How do I use a dream feed?

1. Place your breast or the bottle on your baby’s lower lip; he should start feeding, without fully waking.
2. If he is in a deep sleep, he might not feed efficiently. Rub the bottom of his feet to rouse him a bit more. Avoid talking to him or changing his diaper unless necessary, so you don’t risk fully waking him.

Note; not all babies will feed well at a dream feed and then will be up an hour later. In that case, stick with a set-time approach.

Until what age can I use a dream feed?

Continue the dream feed until 7 months – unless he’s a great sleeper and makes it through on his own.

What do I do when my baby wakes up during a dream feed?

If your little one woke up during his feeding, you can use the Shush Pat method to re-settle your little one. The shush pat method learns your little one to fall asleep independently in a very gentle way. You can watch our step by step video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3wxgS74ykQ&t=1s

Where do I give my baby his dream feed?

It is important that the environment is as quiet and dark as possible. If possible it is best to stay in your little one’s room so you do not have to transfer him a lot and he does not get distrubed by any surrounding noises, different smells or light.

If you want to know more about starting a dreamfeed or whining off from using a dreamfeed you can also always send us a message! I would love to help you!

To get all basic information you need to help your little one sleep independently and for longer stretches with the use of gentle parenting methods, you can sign up for the free sleepplan here: https://mailchi.mp/8d0dc9d8a8f0/kyn3tq8ios

The bottles we do recommend

For the baby who prefers the shape of the breast:

• Philips Avent Wide

For the baby who suffers a lot from gasses:

• Dr Brown’s