Every baby has a unique feeding schedule. As a new parent, it can be tricky to discover how much your baby needs to eat and when. However, all newborns have similar feeding needs, especially during the first few months of life. Newborns typically have two to three feedings per night. Night weaning usually begins around months four to five, with most babies being able to give up nighttime feedings altogether around six months old. Newborns don’t need a nighttime feeding schedule since they should feed on demand. However, understanding their typical feeding routine will help with the weaning process as your baby grows and reaches that four to five-month mark. So how often should you feed your baby at night, and when and how do you wean them? This blog examines typical night feedings, when your little one might need midnight snacks, and offers practical tips to assist with late-night feedings.
Nighttime Feedings by Month
Your baby will grow rapidly during the first few months, and its feeding needs and schedules will change just as rapidly. Don’t worry about a feeding routine for the first few weeks. Instead, feed on demand, and eventually, your baby will fall into a predictable feeding routine and sleeping pattern.
0-1 Month
During the first few weeks of life, your baby will eat 8 to 12 times every 24 hours! Their little bellies can’t hold much, and what they eat digests quickly. This means you or your partner will be up every two to three hours overnight to feed your little one. Breastfed babies have 3 to 5 feedings per night, and formula-fed babies have 2 to 4.
Don’t worry about a schedule right now; instead, use the Baby Daybook Feeding tracker to note when your baby ate, how long they nursed, and which breast you started with. Alternatively, you can record how many ounces they ate if they drank formula or pumped breastmilk. You can also record how long they slept using the Sleep tracker.
1-3 Months
Your baby will likely have a predictable sleep and feeding schedule by one month. The data recorded in the Baby Daybook will help you see these patterns.
Until your baby is at least three months old, it should never go more than three to four hours without eating. This may mean you need to wake them up occasionally to eat.
At the end of three months, it is time to start thinking about a nighttime feeding schedule, but it’s not quite time for night weaning. Your baby will still need 2 – 4 feedings per night until about four months old.
3-4 Months
By months 2 to 4, most babies can sleep 6 to 8 hours without feeding, although they’ll still eat plenty during the day. These 6 to 8-hour stretches are what most people refer to as “sleeping through the night.”
Babies have a growth spurt around 3 ½ to 4 months and may start waking up in the middle of the night again. However, this doesn’t mean you need to revert to night feedings. Instead, it is the perfect opportunity for your little one to learn self-soothing techniques to put themselves back to sleep.
To maximize those longer sleep chunks, use a bedtime routine to put your baby to bed close to when you want to sleep, too. So, for example, plan to have your little one drift off by 9 PM so you can head to bed by 10 PM and capitalize on a solid chunk of sleep.
4+ Months
Your baby will begin solids sometime between four and six months, and the additional calories and brain development may help them sleep through the night. However, there is no truth to the old wives’ tale of adding rice cereal to their bottles to help them sleep longer. A newborn is not developmentally ready to sleep through the night until about four months old.
Night weaning can begin at around five to six months old, and by six months old, your baby should no longer need nighttime feeding, even if they continue to wake up in the middle of the night.
If your little one is still waking up after six months old, it is likely out of habit and not because they’re hungry; it might be time to consider a sleep training method.
Tips for Nighttime Feedings
Nighttime feedings are necessary and cause parental sleep deprivation, making the first few months tiresome and stressful. However, here are some tips to make night feedings successful and as restful as possible!
Keep Your Baby Close
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room-sharing but not co-sleeping for the first six months of your baby’s life. Room-sharing means your baby sleeps in a bassinet or crib in your room near you but not in the same bed as you.
Room-sharing is shown to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and makes night feedings much more manageable since your baby is close.
Keep the Lights Low
Use a nightlight to provide light in your baby’s room and to prevent the need to turn on the light. Turning on the lights can stimulate your baby and signal to them it is awake time! The Baby Daybook app even offers a dark theme option, allowing you to easily track your baby’s feedings and diaper changes without disturbing others at night.
You want your baby to stay sleepy and relaxed during nighttime feedings, reinforcing it’s a time for quiet and sleep!
Find a Comfortable Position
A comfortable position can make all the difference during nighttime feedings. If you’re breastfeeding, you can try lying down in many comfortable positions while keeping your eyes closed. Just ensure you don’t fall asleep and return your baby safely to their crib or bassinet before returning to sleep.
Avoid Excess Noise or Talking
As much as you may want to coo and talk to your little one at night, doing so will stimulate them and make them think it is playtime. Avoid talking, making extra noise, or even eye contact. You can gaze at them all you want as they eat and their attention is elsewhere!
Don’t Watch the Clock
Nighttime feedings can feel endless, but avoid watching the clock as you feed them, which will likely make you even more tired. If you’re tracking their feedings, hit the start button on the feeding tracker, then place the phone face down until they’re finished. Try listening to relaxing music or audiobooks to pass the time and rest your eyes!
Takeaway
Night feedings are an essential part of your baby’s development. For the first few months, they need to eat every few hours. Avoid worrying about a nighttime feeding routine. Instead, keep your baby on demand, tracking meals and sleep times until a natural schedule begins appearing around months 3 to 4. Once your little one is 4 to 5 months old, you can reduce the number of nighttime feedings and, by 6 months, should be able to eliminate them entirely, reaching the much-desired sleeping through-the-night milestone and moving them to their own room!
Sources
Forry LE (2023). Safe Sleep and Preventing SIDS: Tips for the first year. KneeBouncers. kneebouncers.com [accessed April 2024]
Lindberg S (2020). Are There Benefits to Co-Sleeping with Baby? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com [accessed April 2024]
Moon RY, Darnall RA, Feldman-Winter L, Goodstein MH, Hauck FR (2016). SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. Pediatrics 138(5): e20162938. publications.aap.org [accessed April 2024]
Van Amburg J (2021). Is It Safe to Put Rice Cereal in My Baby’s Bottle? What to Expect. https://www.whattoexpect.com [accessed April 2024]
