When do newborns stop needing night feedings?

When L, a mother of a 6-week-old baby, walked into my clinic, she let out a long breath before speaking.

 

“Doctor, my baby wakes every 2–3 hours at night.
I keep hearing about babies who sleep long stretches early on…
Am I doing something wrong?”

 

In that single question, there was fatigue, worry, and the quiet hope for reassurance.
This mix of emotions is completely normal for new parents.

 

 

**Medical Bottom Line First:

 

Night feedings are necessary from 0–12 weeks

 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, newborns have small stomach capacity and immature glucose regulation, which naturally lead to short sleep cycles and frequent wakings.

 

In everyday language:

 

👉 “A newborn’s body is not designed for long sleep yet.”

 

Night feeding during this period is not a problem to fix.
It is a physiological stage of growth.

 

 

L's Case: Why Her Baby Kept Waking at Night

 

During our consultation, two patterns became clear.

 

1) No pre-sleep routine → baby entered sleep overtired

 

Without a calming routine before bedtime, babies struggle to transition into deep sleep.
In many cases, what looks like “hunger wakings” is actually overtiredness.

 

2) Parental sleep deprivation → slower response and a feedback loop

 

L said, “Ten minutes of crying feels like an hour.”
When a parent’s cortisol rhythm is disrupted, brief crying feels longer and more stressful, which can unintentionally stimulate the baby’s arousal.

 

These two factors can create a cycle of
night feeding → wake → fuss → feeding again.

 

So… When Do Babies Actually Drop Night Feedings?

 

0–3 months

 

Night feedings are biologically necessary.
Waking every 2–4 hours is expected.

 

3–4 months

 

Stomach capacity increases.
Night feedings often reduce to 1–2 times, and the first longer stretch (4–6 hours) may appear with a stable baby routine.

 

5–6 months and beyond

 

Many babies can sleep through the night without feeding,
but individual differences are large.
Instead of asking “When will night feedings stop?” the more meaningful question becomes:

 

👉 “What is my baby’s signaling telling me right now?”

 

 

**A Practical 3-Step Plan for

 

Newborn Night Feeding + Baby Routine

 

1) Create a calming routine before the final feed

 

Babies understand patterns as a form of language.

 

Bath → Moisturizing → Dim lights → Final feeding → Place in crib

 

Repeating this daily helps clarify sleep cues and decreases nighttime awakenings.

 

👉 Related: Winter baby routine & moisturizing tips

 

 

2) Focus less on the clock, more on the baby’s 5-second cues

 

Hunger shows up before crying:
lip movements, rooting, hands to mouth.
Reading these signals stabilizes night feeding intervals and reduces overtiredness.

 

 

3) Parent self-care is half the solution

 

When parents’ bodies are exhausted, small cues are harder to notice.

 

A warm shower, 10–15-minute micro-nap, or gentle stretching before bed supports both postpartum healing and responsiveness during night feedings.

 

 

One Week Later…

 

L returned for follow-up with a soft smile.

 

“Doctor, he only wakes twice now.
And I feel so much less anxious.”

 

Half of the change came from the baby.
The other half came from a mother who regained her rhythm.

 

Night feeding is not a failure.
It is a language—
a newborn’s way of communicating regulation, growth, and need.

 

 

 

Care Begins Not With Knowledge, but With How We See the Baby

 

Night feedings diminish over time, but that timeline is unique to each child.
What steadies the journey is not forcing longer sleep, but learning to read the signals beneath it.

 

A baby doesn’t need perfection.
They need a parent who is watching with calm, informed eyes.