what age should breast fed babies sleep through

Pamela - posted on 01/17/2009

Every baby is so different. My daughter started finally sleeping through the night (5 or 6 hours at a time) around 3 months and by about 6 months or so was sleeping at least 9 hours at night. My son is now almost 9 months and still usually gets up in the middle of the night to nurse and again around 6am usally. he``ll tease us every now and a gain and sleep through about 9 hours, but those nights are still few and far between lol.

Stefanie - posted on 01/17/2009

Biologically speaking, closer to 3 years. Kids wake up, they are hungry, scared, or thirsty. http://kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthroug...

Also, remember that "sleeping through the night" is medically considered 5-6 hours NOT 10-12!

Emily - posted on 01/17/2009

that is perfectly normal. it is not an age thing but is dependent upon the size of baby's stomach. babies have very small stomachs, and therefore need to eat often. cosleep to make night nursing easier and do not ever allow your baby to cry it out. feed on demand and your baby will benefit. do what is best for your baby, not what is most convenient for you. my 9 month old wakes up 2 to 5 times per night for a feed. he is exclusively breastfed (as babies should be, no food until they are developmentally ready, which happens around 10 or 12 months, not even cereal) and he is very healthy and happy.

Sarah - posted on 01/17/2009

my daughters doctor told me that we wont see her sleeping through the night until about three months old, but that is because her stomach is so small ... and she is yet too little to start on infant ceral

Bethany - posted on 01/17/2009

My daughter is 14 months old and still wakes up 2-3 times a night to breast feed. Granted, we do co-sleep so she probably won't be sleeping through the night for another year or so. From everything I've read and from all the Moms I've talked to, this sleeping through the night thing really depends on the child. My mother tells me that I slept through the night before I was one, but my sister didn't sleep through the night until she was two. We were both solely breast fed. From everything I've heard, babies pretty much make their own schedule and this is perfectly alright.

Lorilynne - posted on 01/17/2009

Oh and I forgot to mention that my son is about five months.  I'm not too worried because my daughter did this too and right about the time she hit six months she was on such a consistent schedule with solid foods and naps that she would go to bed at 7 and get up at 7 every day with no night time wakings.  It did take getting her on a regular feeding schedule though.  Well, regular solid feedings, I still breastfed on demand but once those solids were offered at the same times every day she started to want the breast at the same times every day....

Lorilynne - posted on 01/17/2009

I've heard that once they hit a certain weight than they are capable of going at least eight hours without eating but that doesn't necessarily mean they will.  All babies are different.  My son started sleeping through the night (from 11pm til 7 am) at 6 weeks.  Lately though, he's been waking up sometime between 4 am and 6 am for a feeding.  If he wakes up closer to 6 then he won't go back to sleep, its rough.  I'm trying to phase out that feeding by just letting him fuss for a bit to see if he'll go back to sleep as I suspect its more of a comfort/soothing thing with him than actual hunger.  He still sleeps in our room so I'm not exactly letting him cry it out but I am giving him the chance to soothe himself.  Some mornings it works, others it doesn't.  How much sleep does your little one get during the day and how many hours does she take between feedings?  Maybe you can work on stretching out the time between feedings during the day to make sure she's getting enough of the hind milk to keep her full longer.  Also, the more they sleep the more they'll sleep.  So if she's not taking regular naps during the day, that could be your culprit.  Otherwise, I would say just keep offering those feeds and eventually she will cut them out on her own if she doesn't really need them.

Kerry - posted on 01/17/2009

My boys both slept through at about 8 weeks, I got them into a bedtime routine right from the start, bath feed bed. so they can learn it is night time. I didn't go into them until they were crying, if they were just awake I would give them a chance to self settle. I also tried comforting first before giving them a feed at night and when i did feed them, I fed them in their room with the lights dim then straight back to bed, no nappy change if you can get away with it, no play or talking and no eye contact. make it as boring as possible for them it is not a time for play. I don't know if i was just lucky or if this stuff helped but, in the midst of slep deprivation anything is worth a try right?! Good luck

Lindsay - posted on 01/17/2009

I think babies are just very different. My daughter was sleeping through the night by 6 weeks and was EBF. My son who is 7 months (19 pounds) still wakes up once a night, and I cnt get him to sleep more then 6-7 hours. My daughter slept 12-14 hrs. Im not sure if there is anything that can be done to help them sleep through I think they just do it when they are ready. I have tried sleep feeding and my son still wakes. Good Luck I hope she sleeps through very soon for you!!

Lauryan - posted on 01/17/2009

My firstborn started sleeping right through 7pm - 6am from about 8 months, but would still occasionally wake for the 3am feed. That only stopped completely after I weaned him and increased his solid intake.



My second little one is now 11 weeks and goes down at 7:00pm and is starting to go longer and longer - waking between 1:30 - 2:30 for a feed and then sleeping till 6am.

Charity - posted on 01/17/2009

My daughter is 4 months and is 14 lbs too. She also wakes up to feed 1-2 times a night still. But I sometimes wonder if shes doing it because shes actually hungry or if she just wants to nurse to be close.  Hard to tell.

Caroline - posted on 01/17/2009

I think all babies are different...my son is EBF and started sleeping through the night around 9-10 weeks. (I was EBF and didn't sleep through the night until 6 months...my brother on the other hand, slept through the night at 8 weeks!) When my son started sleeping through the night, it happened very quickly. He had been getting up at 4 to feed for a while. Then all of the sudden he went to 6 am...and a few days later jumped to 8:00 a.m.! He's been there for 3-4 weeks now. Maybe your daughter will start soon! Best of luck!

Andria - posted on 01/17/2009

i heard their tummies are only big enough at 6months to be able to take in enough to not need a feed at night time. matteo is 6 months old (19 lbs) and has only been sleeping for 10 hours in the last week without a feed. before that he woke up at least once a night for a feed.  he started eating solids a few weeks ago and has 3 little "meals" a day of either rice cereal/fruit/veg puree. so i decided to stop the nights feeds and just pacify him to see if he could settle without a feed. took about 3 nights of pacifying and now he sleeps through it. each baby is so unique though and they say it some only sleep through at 10 months or later...