For months, you’ve dutifully woken up throughout the night to feed your baby. But now she’s getting (a little bit!) bigger, and has maybe even started to take fewer night nibbles on her own. Is it time to start the process of night weaning?
Night weaning is transitioning your baby off waking to eat in the middle of the night. She’ll have her first nursing session or bottle in the morning after getting up, nurse several times or have several bottles during the day (just like before), and have her final breastfeeding session or bottle shortly before bed.
It’s normal for babies to move away from overnight feedings as they get older and their tummies can hold more food. Do babies ever self-wean from night feeds? In some lucky cases, yes. But more often, you’ll have to give your little nosher a nudge in the right direction. Here’s how to wean your baby from those night feedings so you can all start getting some more sleep.
When to start night weaning
From a developmental perspective, babies are able to sleep through the night — defined as a six- to eight-hour stretch — without eating when they're between 4 and 6 months old. In this age range, most babies reach the 12- to 13-pound mark, the weight where they no longer metabolically need nighttime feedings.
As your baby reaches the right age and weight, exactly when you decide to drop the night feeds is up to you.
Some parents begin when they feel like it’s time to start reclaiming their sleep, while others look to their baby for cues — like shorter overnight feeds or waking less often. No matter what, you should always get the green light from your pediatrician first before you start night weaning.
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Know, too, that you don’t have to night wean between 4 and 6 months. If you’d feel more comfortable, waiting a little longer or just cutting down to one or two feeds per night is okay. (In that case, it may be worth offering more during those feeds so that your baby is less likely to reawaken due to hunger.)
Keep in mind that by 5 or 6 months, a baby who is waking to eat overnight is probably not really hungry (unless she isn't eating enough during the day) — she’s just used to the snacking and snuggles. And as your baby gets older, getting her to (happily) give those comforts up could prove more challenging.
Gradual vs. cold turkey weaning
While it’s possible to stop night feedings cold turkey, experts agree that you’re better off taking a gentler approach if you can. After months of midnight noshing, your baby has learned to expect that you’ll come to feed her when she wakes up.
Gradually moving her away from that habit will ease the transition for everyone, and if you’re breastfeeding, result in significantly less discomfort for you.
One common way to do this is to simply stretch the time in between each night feeding, tacking on an extra 15 to 30 minutes every other night. Hopefully, your baby will start to sleep longer and longer, until eventually, she stops waking to eat altogether.
You can also try making each feeding shorter by cutting back the amount of time on each breast or putting fewer ounces in your baby’s bottle. Keep trimming things back bit by bit, and over a week or so, your baby will (hopefully) realize that waking up to eat is no longer worth it.
Night weaning for breastfed babies
Both breastfed and bottle-fed babies can take some time to adjust to not eating during the night. But if you’re nursing, night weaning can also be an adjustment for your body and milk supply. Here are some tips for making the transition as smooth as possible for breastfed babies:
Make sure your sweetie is eating enough during the day
The more calories your cutie takes in during the daytime hours, the less she’ll need overnight. Breastfed babies under 6 months who haven’t yet started solids should eat every two to three hours during the day, for a total of eight to 12 feedings over 24 hours.[1] (After that, five to six feedings a day becomes the norm.)
Go slowly
Cutting off multiple overnight feedings in one fell swoop is a recipe for uncomfortably engorged breasts and an increased risk for mastitis. It can cause your milk supply to take a dip too.
Instead, focus on dropping just one feeding at a time, stretching out the time between feedings and shortening the feeding by a few minutes per night.
Pump for comfort
Pumping milk at night can relieve some of the pressure if your breasts start to feel full before you’re ready to go to bed, or in the middle of the night.[2]
Night weaning for bottle-fed babies
The slow-and-steady approach to night weaning works well for bottle-fed babies too. The main key to success is making sure that your little one is getting enough to eat during the day so she’s less interested in snacking overnight.
Once your baby is old enough and weighs enough to night wean, she’s typically drinking about 24 to 32 ounces over a 24-hour period. After she starts solids, your little one may adjust her milk intake a bit. The more of these ounces she gets during waking hours, the less she’ll need to drink during the wee hours.
Night weaning tips for all babies
There are plenty more strategies for successful night weaning that apply whether your baby is breastfed or bottle-fed. Some tactics to try include:
Give baby a dream feed
Topping off your little one’s tank with a final feeding right before you go to bed can increase the odds that she’ll sleep soundly for the rest of the night. You’ll need to rouse her enough so that she’s not completely asleep, but even if she’s drowsy, a few sips might be better than nothing.
On the other hand, if the dream feed really revs her up and makes it harder for her to go back to sleep, or gets her into the habit of waking up to be fed more often, skip it.
Don’t rush in ASAP
All babies wake up overnight, and a brief rousing doesn’t necessarily mean your little one is hungry. She might just be fussing, so give her a chance to settle back in before automatically running in to feed her.[3]
Be consistent
Night weaning is an adjustment for your baby, and she’ll get the message about the new normal faster if you have a plan and stick with it rather than offering a feeding some nights but not others. (Keep in mind, though, that even after your baby has dropped a feeding or is fully night weaned, she may need to eat overnight when she’s sick.)
Feed when you must, but keep interactions to a minimum
On the other hand, if your baby isn’t falling back asleep and you sense that she really does need to eat, feed her. But do it in a business-like fashion — keep the lights off (or dimmed), avoid much conversation or interaction, and don’t change her diaper unless it’s dirty or extremely wet.
Night weaning is often a process, and some babies go at a different pace than others. Gradually dropping feedings and keeping a consistent approach will help your little one learn the new system sooner, but if it seems like she’s having a hard time adjusting, feel free to pause or slow the pace. And consult with your pediatrician whenever you have questions or concerns, or just want to go over your baby's progress.
Even if it takes a little while, your baby will eventually move away from her nighttime feedings — and then everyone will start to get some more sleep.
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