Night Feeds by Age: How Many Are Typical and When Babies Drop Them

When do babies drop night feeds? Gradually, and on their own timeline. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby(opens in a new window) says many babies sleep longer stretches overnight from around 3 months. Bottle-fed babies may stop night feeds from around 6 months, and breastfed babies often keep a night feed until around 12 months. Most toddlers no longer need them for nutrition.

Night feeds meet a real feeding need, and that need shrinks as your baby grows. The ranges below are typical patterns from Australian guidance. They show where your baby sits and when a chat with your GP or child health nurse is worth having.

Night feeds by age: how many are typical

Night feeds fall with age. From birth to 3 months, 2 to 4 or more feeds a night is typical, every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. From 3 to 6 months it is usually 1 to 3. From 6 to 12 months it is 0 to 2. After 12 months, most no longer need them for nutrition.

These ranges draw on Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's night feeding guidance(opens in a new window) and the Raising Children Network. Each baby sets their own night feeding schedule, and plenty of thriving babies sit outside these ranges.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby · Night feeding

It's common for babies to wake overnight for feeds and comforting in their first year of life.

Newborn to 3 months: every 2 to 3 hours

The Raising Children Network(opens in a new window) says newborns usually feed every 2 to 3 hours, around 8 to 12 feeds in every 24 hours. Their body clock can't yet tell night from day, so those feeds carry on overnight. Day and night confusion is covered in the newborn sleep guide.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association(opens in a new window) says little babies need at least 8 feeds in 24 hours, including overnight. A newborn who sleeps long stretches may need waking to fit those feeds in, especially if weight gain is slow. If the evenings feel like one long feed, that may be cluster feeding and the witching hour.

3 to 6 months: the first longer stretch

Many babies start sleeping 4 to 5 hours overnight from around 3 months, and their longest sleep shifts to the night. The Raising Children Network notes a 3 month old still wakes at least once a night. One to three night feeds is typical at this age. What else changes around 12 weeks is in 3 month milestones.

6 to 12 months: solids join in

From around 6 months, food starts sharing the load with milk. A formula-fed baby over 6 months is unlikely to be waking from hunger. Many breastfed babies still feed once or twice a night until around 12 months. The first foods are in starting solids in Australia, and what else changes around 6 months is in 6 month milestones.

12 months and over: most no longer need night feeds

Most toddlers no longer need night feeds for nutrition, though some breastfed toddlers keep one. The Australian Breastfeeding Association says night waking itself is still normal, even beyond 12 months.

Why babies feed at night

A newborn's stomach is small, and breastmilk and formula digest quickly, so frequent refills are how babies grow. The Raising Children Network notes that the parts of a newborn's brain controlling day and night sleep cycles haven't matured yet. Your baby wakes at night because they don't yet know night exists.

For breastfeeding mums, night feeds do extra work. The Australian Breastfeeding Association(opens in a new window) describes frequent night waking as something that supports feeding and bonding, and a normal part of healthy development.

Feeding method shifts the timing too. Formula is digested more slowly than breastmilk, the Raising Children Network notes, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says bottle-fed babies tend to drop night feeds earlier.

Signs your baby's night needs are changing

Babies drop night feeds the way they outgrow jumpsuits: gradually, and led by them. Things you might notice:

• A longer first stretch. One night the 1am feed doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen again.
• Bigger daytime intake. As babies take more during the day, night hunger eases. Our guide to how much milk a baby should drink covers daytime amounts by age.
• Solids entering the picture. From around 6 months, food gradually shares the load with milk.
• Temporary reversals. Growth spurts, illness and developmental leaps can bring night feeds back for a stretch. That's a normal detour.

When can you stop night feeds?

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says bottle-fed babies may drop night feeds from around 6 months, and breastfed babies often feed overnight until around 12 months. The Raising Children Network's advice on phasing out night feeds(opens in a new window) says there's no hurry if you're comfortable feeding at night. It recommends talking with your child health nurse or GP before making changes.

Night feeds meet a real need, and that need shrinks on its own as your baby grows.

When to talk to your GP or child health nurse

Check in with a professional if:

• night feeds are increasing sharply and it doesn't pass like a normal growth spurt
• you have concerns about weight gain or nappy output
• your baby seems distressed during feeds, or is unusually hard to rouse or refusing feeds
• you're simply not sure, which is reason enough

For nappy output, how many wet nappies a day gives the typical counts by age.

In Australia you can also call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436 to speak with a maternal child health nurse, 7am to midnight, 7 days.

See the pattern in your own nights

At 3am, night feeds blur into one long night. Asked how many times the baby fed last night, most of us can't say. That makes it hard to notice that three weeks ago it was three feeds, and lately it has been one.

BabyLog was built for the 3am log: a breast feed runs on a timer, and logging works offline. Everyone you share with sees the same log, so whoever does the next feed can check when the last one was. BabyLog's Data Table keeps every entry, so you can look back to when the 1am feed stopped.

Feed logging is free with no card, so you can start free before tonight's first feed.

Common questions