The short answer is at 4 months. Younger babies, whether breast- or bottle-fed, need to interrupt their (and your) sleep because they're hungry; they need the additional calories. But “by 4 months, most can sleep through the night,” says T.J. Gold, MD, a pediatrician at Tribeca Pediatrics in Brooklyn, New York.
Most babies can make it through the night without eating when they're 6 months old. You may be able to start night weaning your baby when they're 4 months old, or you may choose to wait until later. The key is to ensure your baby is getting plenty to eat during the day and right before bedtime.
At 3-6 months of age, your baby probably only needs 1-2 feeds per night: one at the beginning of the night (could be a dream feed), and one in the early hours of the morning. Unless there is a concern with their weight, they are unlikely to need more than that.
Every baby is different, and there's no magical age for this. For most babies at three months, it's okay to let them sleep as long as they want without a feeding as long as you are responsive to hunger cues during the day. However, some babies will still wake for feedings during the night, and that's perfectly normal.
From a developmental perspective, babies are able to sleep through the night — defined as a six- to eight-hour stretch — without eating when they're between 4 and 6 months old. In this age range, most babies reach the 12- to 13-pound mark, the weight where they no longer metabolically need nighttime feedings.
Try lots of reassurance : 1) Talk quietly and cuddle your baby until calm 2) Put your baby on their back in the cot awake (drowsy) 3) Comfort your baby with gentle 'ssshh' sounds, gentle rhythmic patting, rocking or stroking until baby is calm or asleep.
Night Feedings at 3 Months Old
Many 3-month-olds are still eating 1-2 times a night and can do one 4-5-hour stretch of sleep without eating. However, breastfeeding babies may still be nursing every 3 hours at night at this age but that will likely change very soon.
If a baby is hungry, they won't give up easily. If you comfort and soothe your baby and they go back to sleep for a long stretch. Then they likely weren't hungry. If baby doesn't settle or settles for 10, 20 minutes and is up again.
A 3 month old baby should be able to sleep though the night without eating but that would only be about 5 to 6 hours. At about 6 hours you should wake up the baby and feed the baby. then put it back to sleep if it's in the middle of the night. 12 hours without eating is too long.
It's possible. Some babies do naturally stop eating at night, while others need a bit of help. Important Note: For babies 3 months and younger (who are staying on their growth curve), you can typically allow one longer stretch of sleep in the night.
Three-month-olds will likely still need to be fed every three to four hours during the day. When in doubt, look for hunger cues.
Once you've established that your child is ready to night wean, you may choose to go cold turkey and remove the feeds altogether. “If you would like to do something more gradual, though, you can still offer a night feed but slowly adjust how long the feed lasts,” Birdsong says.
We believe there are many ways you can gently encourage your baby to sleep through the night by 3-6 months, including swaddling and a simple daytime routine (see below). For other babies it may take another month or two, but a lot of babies can physically go from 10pm to 6am without another night feed by 4-5 months.
Between the age of 3 and 6 months, some babies have 2 or 3 longish sleeps during the day, while others just have short naps. A few sleep 12 hours at night without interruption, some manage 8 hours while many others wake fairly regularly for feeds.
Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.
Babies should be fed before they get upset and cry. Crying is a late sign of hunger. But every time your baby cries is not because of hunger. Sometimes babies just need to be cuddled or changed.
Even if you are experiencing short naps, the EWS cycle will still be helpful. Feed your baby every time they wake, and focus on making it a full feed. The more they eat during the day, the less likely they are to wake to eat overnight.
Check how your baby is sucking
If he latches on well and takes long, drawn out pulls, then he's likely hungry and actually eating. But if his sucking motion is shorter and shallower, then he's probably sucking for comfort. You can also check whether he's swallowing the milk.
Night wake ups are still really variable at 3 months. Anywhere between 2 and 6 times a night is normal. If you've got a baby who's been waking up 6 times a night for 2 months straight, you might feel at your wit's end, but you should know that this is not something to be alarmed about.
Second Night Syndrome
Generally occurs about 24 hours after birth for almost every baby. Your baby will want to be on the breast constantly but quickly fall asleep. If you put him down, he will probably wake up. If you put him back to breast, he will feed for a short time and fall asleep.
Between 3-4 months, your baby's sleep neurology matures. This is commonly called the 4 month sleep regression as it can cause a pretty big regression in your baby's daytime napping and their night-time sleep too. It can be especially devastating if you'd gotten used to the longer sleep stretches at night!
Many babies experience a 3- to 4-month sleep regression where they suddenly start to wake up every few hours like a newborn. Other reasons for frequent night-waking include: Your baby could be hungry depending on how much they ate during the day and before bedtime. Your little one might be teething.