When will Baby Stop waking for Overnight Feeds
Helen Stevens
Parent Infant Consultants
A baby will stop waking for overnight feeds when they are no longer needing a feed or your reassurance.
- Most babies will be able to take more milk around the same time the circadian rhythm hormones become influential.
- So around about 5 months your baby will be able to sleep for longer blocks of sleep occasionally, but may well still need a feed once or twice overnight; this is normal.
- As the circadian hormones become more influential at around 6-7 months your baby may wake just once overnight if at all.
- Studies have shown that it is around this time that about 1/3 of babies are continuing to wake overnight and this is considered quite normal.
- We often rush to get baby sleeping through, but sometimes in our haste, we interfere with their normal development of night sleep and we have a baby who is then more unsettled and resisting sleep.
- A dream feed may be introduced around 6 months of age as well.