Many parents wonder at what age their baby can go all night without a feeding and sleep through the night. This article will outline general guidelines about how many night feedings your baby might need at each age and when to consider night weaning your baby or toddler.
Pediatricians all seem to disagree to the answer to the question when a baby can go all night without a feeding. There are some doctors who claim babies do not need to eat at night after 3 months old and then there are others, who believe that babies need 1-2 night feedings up through 9 months old. If you talk to your pediatrician, the answer will likely be even something different.
It does seem a bit extreme to consider night weaning an infant as young as 3 months old and not likely that all babies, particularly breastfed babies, can go all night at the age with a night feeding. Some babies will do this on their own at that age or younger, but it is not uncommon for a baby to wake at night and need a feeding to get them through until morning.
In general, when it comes to hunger at night, it would be best to err on the side of caution. It would be much easier to not feed your baby at night, but consider there are adults who cannot go 12 hours without eating; therefore it may be unreasonable to expect a growing baby to go 10-12 hours at night without a feeding. Parents will want to make sure they are feeding baby during sleep when they are truly hungry and not creating a sleep association where baby is conditioned to think he has to have a night feeding to get back to sleep. Generally, it is a good idea to consider a night weaning schedule when your baby is showing signs she is ready and that age can vary by child.
Below are the number of feedings at night, at various ages, that are within "normal" range and do not throw up a red flag that there is more going on than just a feeding:
• Newborns to 3 months old: Feedings every 2-3 hours, on demand
• 3-4 Months: 2-3 feedings per night or every 3-6 hours, on demand
• 5-6 Months: 1-2 feedings
• 7-9 Months: 1, maybe 2, feedings
• 10-12 Months: Sometimes 1 feeding
• 12+ Months: Generally no feedings
Obviously, growth spurts are an exception and you should feed as needed during those. Growth spurts are generally over within a week.
You can consider at least an attempt at night-weaning by 8-9 months old, because at some point, sometimes it is a chicken and egg problem. A baby needs a certain amount of sustenance during the day and if he gets some at night, he will not eat more during the day and if he does not eat more during the day, he needs it at night. So, sometimes, a baby really does feel hungry at night, but it does not mean he can't go all night without a feeding, it simply means he needs to adjust how much he is eating during the day. The idea is to gently help him do this. Often, parents can see an improvement in baby's sleep when their baby or toddler has been weaned from night feedings at the right age.
Nicole Johnson is a sleep coach and the owner of The Baby Sleep Site (TM) (http://www.babysleepsite.com) specializing in baby sleep products and consulting services. She also works with Babble Soft (http://www.babblesoft.com), a premier baby software company, in order to further help new parents. Nicole is a wife and the mother of two boys. With a B.A. degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Ohio State University, Nicole has also received an honorary degree in "Surviving Sleep Deprivation," thanks to her son's "no sleep" curriculum. She has become an expert on infant and toddler sleep and has made it her mission to help other parents solve their child's sleep problems, too.
