On average, most exclusively breastfed babies will feed about every 2 to 4 hours. Some babies may feed as often as every hour at times, often called cluster feeding. Or may have a longer sleep interval of 4 to 5 hours. How often your baby feeds might change depending on the time of day.
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.
Newborns typically lose between 5 and 10 percent of their body weight, depending on delivery method, in the days after birth. They need to spend the first few weeks gaining it back. Not eating enough in the first few days can also lead to complications linked to jaundice and low blood sugar.
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.
It's important to remember that every baby is different. Some may eat or breastfeed more at a time and may not feel hungry for many hours. Others may eat less at a time and need frequent feeds. As a general rule, however, a newborn baby must not go hungry for more than 4 hours at a time.
Most doctors will agree that you can stop intentionally waking your baby for night feedings around 3-4 months as long as they're showing stable weight gain and staying on their growth curve. However, some babies won't be able to sleep through the night without any feedings until closer to 9 months.
“After he's about one month old, your baby will begin taking bigger volumes of milk at a feed and may start to go longer between feeds,” explains internationally renowned lactation consultant Cathy Garbin. “His stomach is growing so he can take larger feeds, plus your mature milk keeps him fuller for longer.”
Your 6-week-old baby's growth
Feedings should be spread out to every three to four hours or so (and maybe even more spread out at night), though demand feeding is still generally the way to go, especially for the breastfed set.
But in general, it's wise to cap her daytime sleep to no more than four hours. Napping more than that could make it harder for her to settle in at bedtime or cause her to wake extra early in the morning. The exception to the rule is when your baby is sick.
It's very normal and nothing to be concerned about. Your baby may want to cluster feed during the day or night (or a bit of both). Your baby may cluster feed for a few days when they are going through a growth spurt. You can cluster feed formula milk, but it's important not to overfeed your baby.
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.
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.
Infants under 6 months old can usually sleep anywhere from three to eight hours at night, depending on age and stage. And babies between 4 and 6 months old are developmentally able to sleep through the night without a feeding, but whether they do is another story.
For the first few days you may need to wake them to feed if they are still sleeping by 3 hours from the last day feeding and 4 hours at night. If baby still won't eat, allow baby to sleep another hour and try again to wake and feed them.
If your baby doesn't burp after a few minutes, change the baby's position and try burping for another few minutes before feeding again. Always burp your baby when feeding time is over.
Your Baby is Experiencing a Growth Spurt.
In fact, most babies will sleep right through their typical feeding schedules. 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.
3-Week-Old Baby Sleep
Some babies may start to sleep longer stretches at night—up to four hours, if you are lucky. But babies this age are still eating very frequently,9 and unfortunately, that includes at night, she says.
Once your newborn establishes a pattern of weight gain and reaches the birth-weight milestone, however, it's generally OK to wait for feedings until he or she wakes up. Most newborns need eight to 12 feedings a day — about one feeding every two to three hours.
Early on in your baby's life, feeding on demand is best. Breastfeeding is instinctual for babies. They show hunger when their body needs nutrients and calories for growth and development. As soon as you see those feeding cues, let them drink up!
First Weeks and Months
On average, most exclusively breastfed babies will feed about every 2 to 4 hours. Some babies may feed as often as every hour at times, often called cluster feeding. Or may have a longer sleep interval of 4 to 5 hours. How often your baby feeds might change depending on the time of day.
Generally, newborns sleep a total of about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and a total of about 8 hours at night. But because they have a small stomach, they must wake every few hours to eat. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) until at least 3 months of age.
Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. But they may not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.
When do babies sleep through the night? If all of those factors are lined up though, it is entirely possible for a baby as young as 6 weeks old to sleep for a solid 6-8 hours, or even longer, overnight. It can, and does, happen!