This is a hot topic for caregivers and it can be incredibly challenging to know whether your little one is waking from hunger or habit overnight. Let’s discuss some factors to consider when you are trying to determine how to handle those overnight wakings.
Is your baby under six months old?
Many babies under 6 months biologically require overnight feeds as their tummies are not yet big enough to take sustain an entire night without! Your little one needs to take in between 24-32oz of milk in a 24 hour period. Under 6 months, it is possible that a portion of that needs to come in overnight! This certainly isn’t the case for all babies, some will wean off night feeds before then, but I would say most still have at least 1 feed overnight until about 6 months.
Is your baby eating/feeding enough during the day?
Again your baby needs to be taking 24-32oz of milk in a 24 hour period. If your little one is above 6 months old and you are able to get those ounces in during the daytime, then you can gradually shift the overnight feeds. When shifting those night time feeds, it is important to ensure your baby is getting the calories during the daytime instead. You can do this by adding in an extra feed or two during the day, or adding an extra ounce or two to each bottle through the day. Around 6 months, you will be thinking about introducing solids. As your little one grows, ensure that you are offering a variety of iron rich foods, at first it will be very small amounts 1-2x/day but start working towards 3 meals and 2 snacks a day through that first year.
Reminder: always speak to your paediatrician or primary health care provider before making changes to your baby’s feeding schedule. Sleep is great, but nutrition is vital. If your little one is underweight or not growing as fast as they should- it may not be time to wean off night feeds even if they are above 6 months of age. So again, discuss with your health care provider.
Is your baby falling asleep as soon as your feed them?
If your little one is up multiple times a night but passes out immediately when you offer them a feed, there is a good chance that they are looking for help back to sleep versus them being hungry. Babies who are genuinely hungry will usually eat a full feed and then settle back to sleep.
Does your baby sleep for a good stretch after feeding?
Babies who take a full feed at night should be able to have a good stretch of sleep afterwards. The average sleep cycle for babies around 6 months is between 45 minutes- 1 hour, so if your child is consistently waking every hour, chances are they have formed a feed-to-sleep association and rely on the sucking and soothing actions of feeding to get back to sleep.
Does your baby fall asleep independently?
This is the key to everything! If your little one can be placed in their crib awake and settle to sleep independently without any kind of external assistance then those night time cries are likely to mean that they may need something like a feed. If you are feeding or rocking your little one to sleep at bedtime, they are probably waking between sleep cycles (which we all do!) and looking for the same support to fall back asleep. This is where we see the habits forming.
Determining whether your baby is hungry at night is a complex situation. Nutrition is vital, and sleep is too. We typically end up stuck trying to balance the importance of the two. It becomes considerably easier once you have taught your little one the skills to fall asleep on their own.
Falling asleep and returning to sleep is a learned skill and I support families around the world through this transition. It can be totally life changing for families to find their sleep again and it is 100% achievable! Use this link to book a free discovery call so I can learn more about your specific sleep situation and I can share what working together might look like.