A lot of people are confused about what dream feeding is and how it works. This can lead to some very stressful nights for new parents who are trying to get their babies to sleep through the night, but who don’t know what they’re doing wrong. In this article, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about dream feeding newborn babies so that you can get your baby on its way toward sleeping through the night.
What is Dream Feeding?
Dream feeding is a method of giving your baby extra nutrition while they sleep. It is not a form of night nursing, but rather, it’s intended to give your child all the necessary nutrients without waking them up.
Dream feeding can be done from birth, even though it’s most often used between 3 months and 12 months. If you’re breastfeeding, this means that you’ll put your baby to bed with a full stomach so that it can have a longer stretch at night without having to wake up for another meal. If you’re bottle-feeding, this means giving them an extra bottle before bedtime so that they don’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night and cry out for more food or drink (which could disturb their sleep cycle).
How to Dream Feed?
- Make sure your baby is in a deep sleep.
- Place your baby on your chest, so that he or she can hear and feel your heartbeat, which will help them fall back to sleep.
- Gently pat the back of your baby’s head in a rhythmical motion until he or she dozes off again, then repeat patting until you sense that their breathing is slow and even again (about 3-5 minutes). Do not wake up the baby! If his eyes begin to open when you begin patting, wait until they are closed before continuing with steps 4 through 6 below.
- Sing softly to him or her as they drift off into dreamland again; this will help him/her stay asleep longer without waking fully from his nap yet again after having been woken up by being fed during this dream feeding session (which may cause him/her to become overtired later on when it’s time for bedtime!). You can also whisper gently instead if singing doesn’t appeal – either way, works well as long as whatever it has calming effects on him/her while helping keep him/her asleep longer than usual during each feed session.
Also Read: How to achieve a safe temperature in a newborn’s room
When to start dream feeding?
Dream feeding is the process of waking your baby to feed him or her during the night. It should be started after the first month of birth when the baby is at least 4 pounds and can sleep through the night without any problems. You may decide to start dream feeding if you find that your baby is ready for it, but you should also consider whether he or she is able to eat more food during the day.
If you have a newborn who sleeps long hours during the day, it’s not recommended that you start dream feeding right away because this may lead to overtiredness; however, if he or she wakes up too often during daylight hours and needs frequent naps (more than two), then dream feeding might be a good idea.
When to stop dream feeding?
You may want to stop dream feeding when your baby is no longer hungry at night. This can happen as soon as your baby starts eating solid foods, which happens around six months of age for most babies. Other signs that it’s time to stop are if the baby is sleeping through the night and you feel that your child is ready for this transition (usually around 15 months). You can also stop whenever you feel like it; there’s no reason why you need to force yourself or your child into something they aren’t ready for if they’re still comfortable with their current eating habits.
Benefits of Dream Feeding
- Dream feeding helps newborns sleep longer and better.
- Dream feeding helps you sleep well because you’re not waking up to feed every hour or so.
- It helps with breastfeeding by keeping the milk supply up when it might otherwise decrease at night. The hormones released while you’re breastfeeding stimulate the production of more milk, but they also can cause a letdown reflex that signals the body to secrete less milk than usual—especially during deep sleep phases. You may need to wake up in between feedings in order to relieve this letdown pressure before it becomes too intense and causes discomfort for both mother and baby. Dream feeding can prevent this situation from happening by giving your baby an opportunity for another full feeding session before morning arrives (which means less time spent worrying about how much milk he’s getting).
- It improves the bonding between mother and child: A study has shown that mothers who dream fed were able to bond with their babies as early as one week after birth! This is because dream feeding allows them more opportunities for close contact with their newborns while they are still awake which promotes feelings of joy among both partners involved in this practice.
Disadvantages of Dream Feeding?
While Dream Feeding can be very beneficial, it’s not a perfect parenting technique. Some of the disadvantages include:
- It’s not for everyone. Just because you read about Dream Feeding and think that it sounds like something you’d like to try doesn’t mean that babies will feel the same way. Your baby may end up needing more nourishment at night than the method calls for, or they might get confused by the change in routine. The good news is there are plenty of other ways to help your little one develop healthy sleeping habits—you just have to know what works best for them.
- It’s confusing for both parents and babies. Since every baby has its own personality, temperament, and needs when it comes to sleep time (and because we all have different schedules), being able to communicate effectively with each other is key when trying new methods of dream feeding. It’s important that both moms (or dads) know exactly what needs are being met through any given practice so they can make sure everyone gets enough rest without feeling overwhelmed by too many variables at once during bedtime rituals.
Also Read:Â Bonding with Unborn Babies
Will Dream Feeding be effective for your child?
Dream Feeding is a great way to help babies sleep through the night. Dream Feeding can be used for babies who are not yet sleeping through the night. It may be especially effective if your child wakes up during the night because he or she is hungry and needs food or additional soothing to return to sleep. If your child does not need food or soothing, then it’s best not to use Dream Feeding because it could result in overfeeding and extra weight gain.
Dream Feeding may not be right for every child. Some babies do better with short night wakings while others may need more frequent feedings (and more soothing) during the night before being able to settle back down into sleep without waking again.
Conclusion
We hope that you have learned a lot about dream feeding and are ready to try it out on your own baby. Dream feeding is a great way to help you get more restful sleep, but it also has benefits for your child too. In this article, we covered everything from the best time of day to start dream feeding (while they’re still young enough) all the way up to what happens when they grow older. We also talked about how long you should wait between feeds so that baby gets plenty of rest during the night without waking up hungry again too soon afterward – which might happen if they only get fed every two hours instead.
