Most people expect a newborn to feed overnight. As the months go by, this belief in the importance of night feeds begins to fade. Many pediatricians and other professionals confidently talk about babies not needing night feeds after various arbitrary months or weights. However, the research and reality of many parents’ experiences don’t match with those recommendations. So, what is normal when it comes to night feeds?

Let’s take a deeper look….

Nighttime feeds are both common and important for younger babies. One study tracked feeds over 24 hours in 1-6 month old babies (Kent et al., 2016). Night feeds were common and made an important contribution to overall milk intake. Babies breastfed 11 +/- 3 times in 24 hours (range: 6-18) so you can easily see the need for several night feeds with healthy, younger baby feeding patterns.

This makes sense with what we know about little baby physiology. Newborns have small stomachs and milk is digested quickly. These 2 facts support the need for frequent feeds both day and night. As a baby grows, they can take a higher amount of milk in a feed, but there is also a lot of variation in feeding patterns as suggested in the above study.

The majority of older babies feed at night. One study of 6-12 month old babies found that 78.6% of babies woke at least once a night and 61.4% had at least 1 feed (Brown and Harries, 2015). Over-all, the average number of night feeds was 1.4. This study looked at both nursing and bottle fed babies and noted no differences in waking patterns by feeding method. They did notice that babies who ate more during the day were less likely to feed overnight.

We know from many large studies that the majority of older babies and young toddlers are waking a few times a night (Paavonen et al., 2020; Brown & Harries, 2015; Hysing et al, 2014). It’s logical to assume that some of those wakes would include a feed.

Beyond the research….

There’s more to consider than just the evidence that night feeds are normal. For nursing babies, feeding isn’t just about hunger. The hormones in nighttime human milk support sleep physiologically. The sucking, snuggles, and skin to skin contact promote relaxation and safety. Nursing is also thirst, connection, and coregulation. Night feeds are a healthy part of sleep development.

Let’s consider a few different factors that might shape night feeds.

• Your baby may be thirsty. Who are we to say a baby should go 8-12 hours overnight every night without anything to eat or drink? I’d venture to guess that many adults don’t go that long.

• Your baby may be distracted during the day, and feed less. Many older babies are on the move and slowing down for a feed is challenging. Those sleepy, quiet feeds overnight are an important component of their overall intake.

• Some babies naturally take less from the bottle when separated from their parent, and reverse cycle to both balance that lesser intake and also reconnect after long periods of separation. Reverse cycling is simply a feeding pattern where a baby takes less during the day and makes up for it at night.

• Babies are growing quickly in the first year. Even though their growth slows down as an older baby, they still have very different needs than older children. Allowing them to shape their feeding intervals ensures they get enough feeds and in ways that best fit their body’s needs.

• You may have a smaller storage capacity. Lactating parents all have the ability to store different amounts of milk between feeds. While a feeding pattern is also shaped by your baby, your storage capacity will impact how frequently your baby needs to feed to get an appropriate volume. A parent who has a high storage capacity can go longer between feeds than a parent with a smaller storage capacity.

• Simply understanding nursing physiology suggests that night feeds are important for many nursing parents. Going too long between feeds can signal to the body to decrease milk production. If you have a small storage capacity or struggle with supply, long nighttime stretches may lead to a supply decrease even with an older baby.

So what’s the take away on night feeds?

Night feeds are normal and healthy throughout the first year and into early toddlerhood. While the belief that older babies don’t need night feeds is common, it’s not based on evidence proving that it is healthiest for most babies. Just because a baby can go all night without falling off their growth curve, doesn’t mean that’s optimal. Just because a baby doesn’t need a night feed on one night, doesn’t mean they never do. Night feeds are healthy and do not interfere with sleep development.

If you need more guidance around balancing sleep and feeding, let’s talk. My support helps you maximize sleep without undermining your feeding goals or baby’s healthy needs.