Breastfeeding at night is one of the most discussed topics at La Leche League meetings. In the early days, night feeds are a normal and important part of caring for a young baby and help establish and maintain breastfeeding. At the same time, broken sleep can be exhausting for adults.
There is a huge amount of information online and in parenting books about how babies “ought” to sleep. This article looks at why babies breastfeed at night, how night feeding changes over time, and ways to make nights easier while getting the rest you need.
Summary
- Newborn babies need to feed through the night to get enough milk and establish a strong milk supply.
- It’s normal for children to fall asleep at the breast and to need closeness and support at night through the first year and beyond.
- Breastfeeding can help you maximise your sleep, especially if you can sleep with or close to your baby and learn to nurse lying down.
- Every family finds their own way of managing nights and sleep. We’re here to help.
On this page
Why do babies need to feed so much at night?
Is it OK to feed my baby to sleep?
When will my baby sleep through the night?
Coping when you’re really tired
Why do babies need to feed so much at night?
Babies wake to feed at night in the early weeks and months (and often beyond) for a number of important reasons. (1, 2) Breastfeeding at night helps establish and maintain milk production and ensures that newborn babies get the milk they need to grow and thrive.
Milk production works on a supply-and-demand basis: the more milk that is removed, the more milk your breasts make. For most mothers, this means milk needs to be removed frequently in the early weeks, including overnight. Although some babies may sleep for slightly longer stretches, newborn babies typically wake several times during the night to feed. (2) Frequent feeding also helps avoid overly full breasts and mastitis (breast inflammation).
Newborn babies often wake because they are hungry. However, babies and children of all ages also wake at night for many other reasons, including discomfort, feeling too hot or cold, or needing comfort and reassurance.
As adults, we have developed ways of meeting these needs ourselves – adjusting a pillow, having a sip of water, cuddling our partner. Babies cannot do this independently, so they rely on us to help meet their needs. Breastfeeding at night offers a convenient way of meeting many of these needs in one go.
What’s special about night feeds?
Research shows that milk changes constantly in response to many factors, including your baby’s age and health, and the time of day or night. (3, 4)
At night, milk contains high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which helps your baby to produce melatonin. Melatonin plays a role in developing your baby’s circadian rhythm – their internal sense of day and night. (5)
Overnight, your prolactin levels – the hormone that supports milk production – are also at their highest. (6) Frequent night feeding may therefore give your body an especially strong signal to increase or maintain milk production. If you’re expressing milk, the hours after midnight may be a particularly productive time for pumping.
Is it OK to feed my baby to sleep?
Mothers have always breastfed their babies to sleep, because it works beautifully. (7) Most babies fall asleep peacefully at the breast, feeling calm, safe, and secure. Hormones released during breastfeeding help both of you relax and fall asleep, or back to sleep, more easily.
You may have heard that breastfeeding to sleep will make your baby dependent on it. Sleep is not a taught skill – it changes as your baby grows and develops. Just as babies stop crawling when they’re ready to walk, all children eventually stop falling asleep at the breast.
While breastfeeding to sleep continues to work for you and your child, it’s a convenient and loving way to ease them into sleep. You might prefer to do this for every night and nap, or as part of a mix-and-match approach.
A few babies do not enjoy nursing to sleep and prefer to fall asleep in arms, a sling, or a pram instead. This sometimes happens when their mother has a very fast flow of milk, or it may simply reflect the baby’s personality.
Children – even young babies – quickly learn that different people care for them in different ways. Many babies prefer to nurse to sleep when they’re with their mother, but happily settle in other ways, such as being cuddled, rocked, or carried in a sling, with another parent or carer.
How can I get more sleep?
Keeping your baby close at night — for example in a sidecar cot, bedside crib, or safely shared bed — can make night-time breastfeeding easier and less disruptive to sleep. Research suggests that breastfeeding mothers who sleep close to their babies tend to get more sleep overall than those who fully get up for night feeds. (8)
In the early weeks you may need to feed sitting up, but over time many mothers find that side-lying breastfeeding transforms night-time feeds. It can take a little practice (daytime naps can be a good time to try) but once you and your baby get the hang of it, you might find night feeds more comfortable and less tiring.
Would formula or solids help my baby sleep?
Lots of research shows that frequent night waking is normal for babies. (1) You may have heard that formula helps babies sleep better. Commercial formula marketing has often framed normal baby sleep as a problem that formula can solve. (10) However, research suggests that breastfeeding mothers may actually get more sleep than mothers of combi- or formula-fed babies. Breastfeeding at night – especially if you sleep with or close to your baby – is less disruptive to your sleep than other feeding methods. Breastfeeding hormones may also help you fall back asleep more quickly. (8)
There is also a perception that giving solids helps babies sleep longer. Babies do tend to sleep for longer stretches as they get older, and some studies have found small improvements in sleep after introducing solids. However, these differences are usually modest, and introducing solids earlier than recommended is unlikely to dramatically change your baby’s sleep. (11, 12, 13) Introducing solids earlier than your baby is developmentally ready may also increase the risk of health problems, such as diarrhoea and later overweight. (16)
When will my baby sleep through the night?
As babies get older, the overall trend is usually towards less frequent night feeding. (14, 15) But, like so much else with babies and children, every child is different, and progress rarely goes in a straight line.
Your baby may start sleeping for longer stretches and then return to more frequent night feeds – for example because of teething, illness, or learning a new skill such as sitting, crawling or walking. These phases are usually temporary. If your baby has slept for longer stretches before, they are likely to do so again.
As your baby grows, night feeds often become easier and quicker. In the early days, you may need to switch on a light or sit up to help your baby latch comfortably. Later on, many babies can nurse with little help, sometimes without either of you fully waking.
It’s common for babies to wake more at night around four months. In the past, this was sometimes seen as a sign babies needed solid foods, but we now know that most babies are not ready for family foods until around six months. (16)
Some babies also wake more often after their mother returns to work, perhaps because they miss her and want to make the most of their time together. Breastfeeding can be a simple and effective way to help your baby settle back to sleep, whatever the reason they woke. Sleeping close to your baby can help nights feel more manageable at any stage of breastfeeding.
Feeling pressured about sleep
Even when you understand why babies wake at night, broken sleep can still feel exhausting – especially if your baby wakes more often than you expected, or more than other babies you know.
Parents are often given strong opinions about baby sleep and night feeding. You may hear suggestions about what your baby “should” be doing, or pressure to try to “fix” their sleep. Unrealistic expectations about babies’ sleep may leave you feeling anxious, as though you are doing something wrong. If comments from other people about your baby’s sleep or your parenting choices are adding stress, you may find our article on dealing with criticism helpful.
It can be comforting to know that when you’re awake with your baby at night, you are not alone. All over the world, other mothers are caring for their babies too.
You may find it helps to lower the pressure to achieve a particular sleep pattern, and to focus instead on getting as much rest as possible. Some people find it helpful not to check the clock or use their phones during night feeds.
Coping when you’re really tired
Would it help to take a break from breastfeeding at night?
When night feeding feels exhausting, other people may suggest giving bottles overnight so that someone else can help. Some families choose to do this, while many find that breastfeeding at night remains the simplest and least disruptive option.
You may find that you wake when your baby wakes anyway, and still need to express milk overnight to stay comfortable and maintain milk production.
If you’re extremely tired, another option is for another adult to act as a “sleep angel”, caring for your baby at night and bringing them to you only for feeds.
La Leche League Leaders can help you think through night-time solutions that work for you and your baby.
Getting more support
There are many ways partners and others can help at night. Some families find it helpful for another adult to take over in the early morning so that the breastfeeding mother can sleep longer. Even doing this once a week can make a difference.
It is OK to say that you are tired, and OK to ask for practical help and emotional support. Complaining about broken sleep does not necessarily mean you want to stop breastfeeding. La Leche League meetings can be a good place to talk openly about how you feel, without others making assumptions about what you want to do.
If tiredness is becoming overwhelming, it may help to temporarily adjust your routines – perhaps resting during the day, going to bed earlier, or getting help with housework or older children. Spending time with other breastfeeding mothers won’t give you more sleep, but it can be reassuring to know you’re not alone, and helpful to hear how other families manage nights and sleep.
Nursing aversion at night
Some mothers, especially when breastfeeding older babies or toddlers, experience feelings of irritation, restlessness, or being “touched out” during night feeds. These feelings, sometimes called “breastfeeding aversion”, are often linked to tiredness, overwhelm, or hormonal changes.
This can be upsetting, especially if you usually enjoy breastfeeding. Many mothers find that aversion passes with time, rest, and support. Take things one day at a time, and be gentle with yourself. La Leche League Leaders are available to listen.
Breastfeeding and sleep: finding what works for your family
Breastfeeding at night continues to meet a baby’s needs in many different ways. For many mothers, it remains the easiest and quickest way to help their baby fall asleep.
Waking at night is not caused by breastfeeding. Babies wake for many different reasons, and breastfeeding is one way of responding to those needs. Over time, children gradually wake less often and need less help to go back to sleep.
How can I encourage my older baby to breastfeed less at night?
You may hear that babies no longer “need” night feeds after six months. In reality, babies vary enormously. Many babies continue to need milk, comfort, reassurance, and closeness at night well beyond the first year. Milk also continues to provide important nutrition and immune support for as long as a child breastfeeds. (3,4) Breastfeeding may also help older babies and toddlers cope with illness, separation, developmental changes, and other periods of increased need.
As babies grow and develop, many parents find it becomes easier to make gentle changes, especially once their child can understand simple explanations and reassurance.
Changes are usually easiest when approached gradually and responsively. You, or other people close to your child, may find other ways of helping them fall asleep, such as cuddling, rocking, patting, or talking softly before offering the breast. Once your child is used to this, you may find they can go to sleep without breastfeeding every time.
It may be helpful to practice shortening feeds during the day, for example, “Nurse while I count to ten”, or “while I sing a song”. Once your child is used to doing this, you may be able to do the same at night. Over time, they may ask to nurse less often.
Some families change their sleeping arrangements so that the child sleeps with their other parent, an older sibling, or alone. Sometimes a little physical distance from the breastfeeding mother reduces requests for night-time nursing.
Some children adapt quickly to these changes, while others need more time. Children with additional needs may especially need extra time and patience. As always, you know your child best, and you can decide whether this feels like the right time to make changes or whether it may be easier to wait a little longer.
Caring for a baby or toddler at night can be exhausting, even when you understand why frequent waking is normal. Reliable information about baby sleep and night-time breastfeeding can help you make informed decisions and find your own ways of responding to your child’s night-time needs.
Whatever your nights are like, and whatever you decide to do, we’re here to help.
Written by Rhiannon Butterfield, LLL Cambridge, February 2021
Revised and updated by Jayne Joyce, May 2026
If this article has helped you, please consider supporting LLLGB with a donation. Every gift, however small, helps keep breastfeeding information and support flowing.
Further reading
From the LLLGB website
Safer Sleep and the Breastfed Baby
I need some sleep!
Letting babies cry: the science behind the studies
From La Leche League International
Safe Sleep Seven
Other resources
Baby Sleep Info Source (Durham University)
Caring for your baby at night (Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative UK)
Co-sleeping with your baby (Lullaby Trust)
Books
The Art of Breastfeeding, 9th edition ( La Leche League International, 2024). Chapter 12: Sleeping Like a Baby.
Sweet Sleep: nighttime & Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family, by Diane Weissinger, Diana West, Linda J Smith and Teresa Pitman (Pinter and Martin, 2014)
How Babies Sleep: A Factful Guide to the First 365 Days and Nights, by Professor Helen L Ball (Penguin, 2026)
Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions, by James J McKenna (Platypus Media, 2020)
References
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