A dream feed is traditionally the last feed of the night in which you wake your baby prior to YOU going to bed, so their overnight sleep patterns align with yours.

Ideally, this is done for a limited period of time and ceased early on. The dream feed can be great if you’re having a particularly challenging time with sleep and recovery postpartum, but long term it can contribute to sleep issues as we inch towards the 3-4 month mark.

Most parents who choose to do a dream feed will do so somewhere between 9pm-11pm before they head to bed. The idea here is that as baby starts to stretch their sleep, it will align with yours. A great example would be if you feed baby at 6:30pm, put them to bed at 7pm and plan to head to bed around 9:30 - you’d feed them at 9:15 and then hope for a stretch from 9:30-12:30 or 1:30 am. Then instead of feeling like you have three “night feedings” it only feels like two as you’re only getting up at 1:00 and 4:00/5:00 am.

I typically don’t recommend a dream feed, as evidence shows that it disturbs sleep. The deepest and best quality sleep most humans will get is the first stretch of the night and most babies thrive with a bedtime between 6:30pm - 8:00pm with 7:00 being a sweet spot. Not doing a dream feed can be harder at first, but long term you’re likely to see bigger stretches, earlier on. After baby hits their birth weight, you’re able to stop waking them at night so long as they are eating plenty throughout the day. By 4-6 weeks, we like to see a four hour stretch, meaning baby is sleeping about 7pm-11pm and then up again between 2am-3:30 am, starting the day between 6am-7am. This 11pm feed will begin to push back as baby grows, and with that you’ll see the 3:00am feed push back and eventually drop entirely.

A lot of sleep programs do recommend a dream feed. Taking Cara Babies, Moms on Call and Baby Wise to name a few, This can be very effective early on and if you have a baby with feeding issues or a breastfed baby with a supply that requires an extra feed longer term, this can be a life saver. If you have a baby who is a great feeder, it’s often something you can skip and focus on sustainable overnight patterns.

What are the Cons of a Dream Feed?

Disrupts overnight sleep patterns
Teaches baby to wake overnight
Isn’t respectful of their feeding needs and communication overnight
Around 12-18 weeks, many babies will go from sleeping a long stretch (9pm-6am or 7am) after their dream feed to waking more frequently overnight
It can be difficult to get them back down after we woke them. After 4 weeks they aren’t as drowsy and it’s hard to pick them up, fully or partially asleep and also put them down in this same state. They are VERY alert.

When Will You Sleep?

In the first 2-4 weeks, baby will likely wake or need to be woken between 9pm-11pm for a feed anyway as you establish supply (if applicable) and they are working to feed and get back or above their birth weight. This isn’t really a dream feed - it’s just normal infant feeding patterns.

You’ll sleep when baby sleeps, which obviously is easier said than done. Having a newborn is hard, and unless you only have one baby - it’s unlikely you’ll get significant sleep during the day. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of sleep and make a decision that is best for your family.

To help support good sleep habits and overall good sleep in the first 8-16 weeks of baby’s life, you can consider hiring a Night Nurse, Newborn Care Specialist or Overnight Postpartum Doula / Night Nanny to help out anywhere between 1 and 7 nights per week.

Harmony Baby Concierge is a full service Newborn Care + Postpartum Support Agency based in Dallas, TX. We have a well-rounded team of Newborn Care Specialists, Night Nurses, Postpartum Doulas, Newborn Night Nannies and Baby Nurses. We provide lactation support, newborn care, night nursing, gentle sleep training and parent education to families of newborns. We serve all families with love, warmth and care. Serving: Dallas, Austin, Houston, Highland Park, University Park, Kessler Park, Lake Highlands, Lakewood, Plano, Frisco, Celina, Prosper, Fort Worth, Southlake, Westlake, Irving, Preston Hollow, Park Cities, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Houston, Manvel, Galveston, West University, Austin, Barton Creek, Round Rock, Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado Spring, Littleton and Aspen Colorado.