Night Sleep and Night Feedings: Reasonable Expectations

People often have strong opinions about when they think your baby should be sleeping through the night! And, everyone has a different idea of what a good night’s sleep means – four hours? six hours? eight hours? twelve hours without waking? Keep in mind – you may make choices that include more wake-ups, and more feedings than those outlined below, and if you and your child are well-rested and it’s working for your family, that’s okay too. Also, check out our age-by-stage schedule chart, which is a companion to this article.

★ Be sure to evaluate your child’s age from his/her due date if born prematurely

NEWBORNS

Newborn sleep and feeding works on demand — feed your baby when she's hungry and help her sleep when she's tired. There's no schedule yet, so focus on nursing (if you're choosing or able to), soothing, and sleeping in whatever way feels safe and right for you. See our our 0-6 weeks and 7-16 weeks blogs for more, or take our 0-6 month class.

Tip: write the time you pumped on your milk labels so you can offer daytime milk during the day and nighttime milk at night. Some research suggests that hormones in breastmilk help align your newborn's circadian rhythm.

3-4 MONTHS

Around three months, your baby's circadian rhythm will mature, promoting wakefulness during the day and sleep at night. Most healthy babies can manage at least a 4-5 hour stretch at this stage. Many will still wake two or even three times a night, though usually after a longer first stretch. A few babies sleep through the night at this age, and when it happens, it's typically natural.

If your baby is waking more than 2-3 times a night, taking brief non-nutritive feedings, or needing rocking, bouncing, or soothing to fall back asleep (known as a sleep association), it may be worth beginning to teach your baby to sleep independently using a gentle, baby-led method. That said, most babies aren't ready for full sleep training at this age.

4-6 MONTHS

Many healthy babies are now capable of sleeping through the night — roughly 8-10 hours — without a feeding, though one or two night feedings is still completely normal and not considered a sleep problem.

If your baby is waking frequently and you suspect a sleep association, it's generally fine to begin formal and interactive sleep training techniques at bedtime and during the first half of the night. We don't recommend sleep training through nutritive feedings. If you feel your baby is eating more than necessary overnight, you can start to gradually reduce those extra feedings. Keep in mind that babies under six months may not be ready for full-night sleep interventions.

BSS note: We're committed to helping parents improve and consolidate sleep in whatever way feels right to them — whether that's a slow, gradual, baby-led approach or a faster, more structured parent-led plan.

Around 5½ months, daytime sleep becomes more organized. Most babies start taking a longer, more regular morning nap, with the second nap consolidating a little later. Babies who still need a third nap often take just a short catnap. This is the earliest age we'd recommend nap training, though many babies consolidate naps on their own without any intervention. If your baby sleeps more than 11 hours overnight, shorter daytime naps are normal and nothing to worry about.

BSS note: Naps are hard and can take a long time to improve. Before jumping to nap training, we prefer to see parents first try adjusting scheduling, sleep environment, and priorities.

6+ MONTHS

After six months, about half of babies no longer need to eat during the night, though some continue through the first nine months. Many parents — especially breastfeeding moms — choose to keep one or more night feedings well beyond this point, whether to maintain milk supply or simply because it works for them.

BSS note: Six months is generally the earliest age to consider full night sleep training if you'd like to pursue it. It's also a good time for nap training if needed, though we typically recommend working on nights before naps.

The chart below provides rough estimates for determining when and how to work on sleep. Remember to calculate months from your baby's due date, not birth date if your baby was premature.

NOTE: Slow and interactive strategies are appropriate at ANY age

When To Begin More Structured Sleep Training:

0-4 months: No structured or restrictive interventions. Slow and interactive strategies (low/no cry) are okay. For example, our 0-6 month class guides you through how to implement baby-led approaches.

4-6 months: Sleep training can be done at bedtime and during the first third to half of the night. We often recommend working on one part of the night at a time. For example, we might suggest teaching your baby to fall asleep at bedtime first and then working on teaching your baby to go back to sleep in a later phase. Approaches like pick-up-put-down or camping out are good approaches in this age range.

6 months+: Full night parent-led sleep training is ok. It's also ok to do nap training at this age (though typically not done at the same time). You can build your own plan to suit your baby and parenting style using our sleep training class.

How Many Feedings? (typical patterns, may vary for some babies)

0-3 months: Feedings should be “on demand.”

3-4 months: First 4-5 hours without a feeding, then 2-3 feedings, 9-11 h night

4-6 months: First 5-8 hours without feeding, then 1-2 feedings, 10.5 – 12 h night

6-9 months: First 7-9 hours without feeding, then 1 feeding, 10.5 – 12 h night

9+ months: Usually parents' choice, may be helpful for extended breastfeeding, 10.5 – 12 h night

Obviously, if your baby is capable of sleeping through the night that's great! Just know that it's usually not a good idea to try to force a baby to drop feedings.

Need More Help?

If you need a little help to figure this out or if you are facing other challenges, then please check out our other blogs, our newborn class, and sleep training class. We have other blogs on schedules, naps, travel, toddler issues, and more! If you just need to talk to someone who can help you devise a sleep plan, then feel free to book a one-on-one consultation with us. We are moms with advanced degrees in sleep, nursing, and behavior analysis. We are always happy to help!

References

Akanalçı, C. and Bilici, S., 2024. Biological clock and circadian rhythm of breast milk composition. Chronobiology International, 41(8), pp.1226-1236.

Häusler, S., Lanzinger, E., Sams, E., Fazelnia, C., Allmer, K., Binder, C., Reiter, R.J. and Felder, T.K., 2024. Melatonin in human breast milk and its potential role in circadian entrainment: a nod towards chrononutrition?. Nutrients, 16(10), p.1422.

Sanchez, J., 2005. The circadian rhythm of tryptophan in breast milk affects the rhythms of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and sleep in newborn. Neuro endocrinology letters.

Bathory, E. and Tomopoulos, S., 2017. Sleep regulation, physiology and development, sleep duration and patterns, and sleep hygiene in infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. Current problems in pediatric and adolescent health care, 47(2), pp.29-42.

Paruthi, S., Brooks, L.J., D'Ambrosio, C., Hall, W.A., Kotagal, S., Lloyd, R.M., Malow, B.A., Maski, K., Nichols, C., Quan, S.F. and Rosen, C.L., 2016. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of clinical sleep medicine, 12(6), pp.785-786.