For months you have been waking up throughout the night to feed your baby, but now your baby is getting a little bigger! Is now a good time to learn how to night wean your baby? Let’s find out!
What is Night Weaning?
Some parents begin night weaning when they feel it’s time to reclaim their sleep, while others wait for baby cues such as shorter overnight feeds or waking up less often during the night.
Nevertheless, night weaning is the transition away from your baby waking up during the night to nurse (or bottle-feed).
It’s natural for babies to move away from night feedings as they get older, and their stomachs can hold more food! Therefore, all babies will self-wean themselves entirely from night feedings at some point, but for it to happen a bit sooner, some babies will need a nudge in the right direction.
Is Breastfeeding Waking You Up or Your Baby?
Before we get into how you can accomplish gently night weaning your little one, first I have to tell you that night weaning your baby doesn’t mean they are not going to wake up during the night because they likely still will. All babies and children will continue to wake up during the night until they are ready not to.
Plus, as they get older, and feeding isn’t the reason they’re awake it’s still normal that they just need your comfort to fall back asleep after they woke up for a random reason (same as we adults do too). Therefore, just remember breastfeeding isn’t what is keeping you up all the time, it’s being a parent that is too.
And I know, sleep deprivation is real and difficult. If you need help with a night to catch up on your sleep and you don’t have the option of a family member, I highly recommend checking out a postpartum doula!
When Can You Start Night Weaning?
Firstly, it’s crucial to point out that sleeping through the night is defined as a 6-8 hour stretch.
Babies typically sleep this long without eating once they’re between 4 and 6 months old. In this age range, most babies weigh 12-13 pounds.
However, most babies don’t sleep through the night until they reach around 9 months old because they still need you physiologically for a long time and psychologically for comfort and security which they receive from breastfeeding and being close to you.
Additionally, babies will go through growth spurts or illness, making them want and need to nurse more often. During these times, your baby needs it and it’s important to stay flexible, mama!
It’s also essential to point out that you don’t have to night wean between 4 and 6 months. You can wait longer, gradually cut down the night feedings to 1 or 2 feeds at night, or let your baby wean naturally. Whichever works best for you!
How to Night Wean Your Baby
I highly recommend taking a gradual approach with night weaning and weaning in general. And experts also agree that you’re better off taking a gentle approach.
One common way to gradually move away from night feedings is to stretch the time between each night feeding by adding an extra 15-30 minutes every other night. Additionally, replacing the feedings with a different loving and connecting activity is a gentle-parenting approach I recommend. Some things you can do are snuggles, back scratches, reading books in bed, etc.
Hopefully, your baby will begin to sleep longer and longer and eventually stop waking during the night altogether as they get older. However, every baby is a different person and we all have our own different sleeping habits and needs.
You can also try making each feeding shorter by decreasing the amount of time on each breast or putting fewer ounces in your baby’s bottle. If you keep decreasing these things little by little, your baby will hopefully decide that waking up to eat isn’t worth it anymore!
Your Baby Still Needs You
Remember mamas: Your baby is likely to still wake up during this transition, but it may not be because they’re hungry. It could be because they just want you.
They weren’t just used to eating throughout the night but also being held by you, feeling your comfort, warmth, and scent.
During this transition, keep this in mind. I recommend holding your baby and trying to get them back to sleep first before automatically feeding. And if they won’t go to sleep or settle in a few minutes, then I would feed your baby and follow whichever option of gradual night weaning we just talked about.
Avoid This Common Mistake!
Many mamas will try to encourage their baby to eat more during the day in hopes that their baby won’t wake up as much at night due to being more full but consider this first:
Feeding your baby very often during the day might actually increase night feedings!
When your baby does a lot of “snacking” during the day, your baby might not be getting as much of the fatty and more filling hindmilk. This will happen because you’re not emptying your breasts.
We want to encourage more filling feedings during the day. And for some babies, this can mean spreading out daytime feedings.
The average for most mamas is every three hours that babies will need to feed, so if this is the longest your baby can go until getting hungry, this is okay! Just continue only to encourage the filling feedings for your baby.
A Tip to Night Wean Any Baby (breast or bottle-fed)
Give Your Baby a Dream Feed
Feeding and burping your baby right before putting them down to sleep increases the odds that they will sleep soundly for the night. Even if your baby is drowsy and only gets a few sips, it’s worth trying!
However, if a dream feed makes it harder for your baby to go back to sleep, skip it.
Replace the feeding with another form of comfort
As I mentioned above, some things you can do include snuggles, rubbing their back, back scratches, reading books in bed, etc.
Tips to Night Wean a Breastfed Baby
Ensure Your Baby is Eating Enough During the Day
The more calories your little baby gets in the daytime, the less they will need overnight!
Experts recommend that babies are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months (no water, juice, food, or formula). Therefore, if your baby is under 6 months old and exclusively breastfeeding, they should be nursing every 2-3 hours during the day for a total of 12 feedings over 24 hours. After 6 months, 5-6 feedings a day will eventually become your baby’s routine.
Wean Gradually
Cutting out multiple overnight feedings all at once will cause you to have uncomfortable engorged breasts and a highly increased risk for mastitis (usually caused by milk trapped in the breasts) or a clogged milk duct. It can also make your milk supply take a dip as well.
Interested in learning How to Maintain Your Milk Supply While Night Weaning?
Focus on gradually dropping one feeding at a time either by extending the time between feedings or simply shortening the feeding by a few minutes per night.
Pump to Relieve Pressure
I explain exactly how to do this correctly in this post here!
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DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
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