How long should a newborn sleep without feeding?

Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours. Bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 3–4 hours. 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.


What's the longest a newborn can sleep without eating?

Newborn babies need to feed every few hours until the age of 3 months. After this, it is normal for infants to feed once or twice during the night. Most infants can sleep for 6–8 hours without a feed by the age of 6 months. Once they are 9 months old, most infants can sleep for 11–12 hours without a feed.

Is it OK for a newborn to sleep 6 hours without eating?

The amount of sleep an infant gets at any one stretch of time is mostly ruled by hunger. Newborns will wake up and want to be fed about every three to four hours at first. Do not let your newborn sleep longer than five hours at a time in the first five to six weeks.


Can a newborn go 4 hours without eating at night?

Newborns should not go more than about 4–5 hours without feeding. Signs that babies are hungry include: moving their heads from side to side. opening their mouths.

Can my newborn go 5 hours without eating?

Newborns generally sleep for two to three hours before waking to eat, day and night. As they get older, babies are usually able to sleep for increasingly longer stretches of time at night without waking to eat. Between the age of 2 to 3 months old, healthy babies are often able to sleep for six hours without feeding.


Hi9 | Is it ok to Wake Up a baby to feed | Dr Ramprasad | Neonatologist



Is it OK if newborn skips a feeding?

Don't worry, baby will ask to be fed as usual as soon as his stomach feels empty again. Your baby may be constipated and appear less hungry than usual, however once this passes everything will go back to normal. Or it may just be that your baby was enjoying the sleep and took longer to wake up.

What happens if a newborn won't wake up to feed?

If you are at home and baby still will not wake up to feed and has missed 2 feedings, pump your breasts and feed baby your pumped milk or formula with a slow flow nipple. (at home give ½ to 1.5 oz range = 15-45ml). Call your baby's doctor & report this if it continues for 2 or more feedings.

Should you force newborn to feed?

Tip #5: Don't force your baby to feed

Don't push your baby by the head or try to force them to feed as this could put them off completely.


Can I feed my newborn every 3 hours at night?

Your baby may want to eat as often as every 1 to 3 hours. Frequent feeding helps increase your milk supply and gives your baby practice at sucking and swallowing. You may be able to hear your baby sucking and swallowing the breast milk.

Can babies sleep through hunger?

If your baby is older than 6 months, and/or weighs more than 15 pounds, then barring any medical issues, they are absolutely capable of sleeping through the night (11-12 hours) without needing a feed. But this is only true if they are able to take in their entire caloric needs during the daytime hours.

Can I let newborn sleep 4 hours?

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.


Should I wake my baby to feed at 2 weeks?

Once your baby is 2 weeks old and weighs more than when she was born, you will no longer need to worry about waking for feeds. You can then relax and feed in response to your baby's cues.

What happens if newborn sleeps more than 5 hours?

A baby occasionally sleeping for longer than usual is not a cause for concern unless there are other symptoms. In general, it is uncommon for a newborn to consistently sleep through feedings or to sleep for longer than 19 hours per day unless they are ill or are having feeding difficulties.

How do I wake my newborn up to feed?

Pick your baby up, talk to them, move their arms and legs around, even tickle the bottom of their feet or rub their cheek—whatever works to rouse them.


How do you burp a newborn?

Sit your baby on your lap supporting the chin and chest with one hand. Rub or pat the back with your other hand. Tip: Use repeated, gentle pats on your baby's back. Rest your baby faced down on your lap and gently rub or pat the back.

How soon after feeding can I put baby down?

While holding your baby upright for 30 minutes after a feeding may allow for some of the feed to leave the stomach, the majority of the feed remains in their stomach after that time. When you lay your baby down, their immature LES could still open, causing them to spit up.

Should I wake 3 day old to feed?

Because your baby's body sends signals to let her know when she is hungry, it is generally not necessary to wake her up for feeding at night.


Are newborn hiccups OK?

Hiccups are normal and usually don't hurt your baby. In younger babies, hiccups are usually a sign that they need to be seated upright during or after feeding, that feeding needs to be slower for them, or that they need more time before or after feeding to relax.

Should I wait for baby to cry before feeding?

Beginning to nurse or feed your baby while they're still calm will facilitate the most successful breastfeeding results. Once crying begins, it can be harder to properly latch.

Should you feed a newborn if they are asleep?

In general, babies under the age of 6 months require one or more feeds during the night. Providing your baby with a feed while asleep, before he wakes to demand one, may enable him to continue sleeping. The benefit is you don't need to settle him back to sleep.


Why is my newborn just sleeping and not eating?

Your Baby is Experiencing a Growth Spurt.

Don't be alarmed if your baby is eating less during a growth spurt, and don't wake her up for feedings as there are important physiological developments taking place during sleep. Your baby will more than make up for those missed meals when she is ready.

What if my baby is too sleepy to feed?

Check in with your health professional if your baby is consistently too sleepy to breastfeed to make sure they are not poorly or getting dehydrated. Hand expressing or pumping your milk will protect your milk supply and provide a breast milk supplement to keep your baby fed until they can breastfeed.

How sleepy is too sleepy for a newborn?

Chronic sleepiness, though, can sometimes be a cause for concern. If your newborn is regularly sleeping for more than 17 hours a day and it's interfering with her ability to eat at least eight times per day, you should let your pediatrician know.


Can a 1 week old go 4 hours between feedings?

In the first few weeks of life, breastfeeding should be "on demand" (when your baby is hungry), which is about every 1-1/2 to 3 hours. As newborns get older, they'll nurse less often, and may have a more predictable schedule. Some might feed every 90 minutes, whereas others might go 2–3 hours between feedings.

How do I know if Im not feeding my newborn enough?

But there are a few signs baby may not be getting enough to eat to watch for:
  • Baby is sluggish or sleeping longer than usual. ...
  • Feedings are too long or too short. ...
  • Latching is really painful for you or it appears that baby hasn't latched deeply enough.
  • Baby is not producing stools or their urine is not pale.