Getting up two or three times a night to feed a baby wears any parent down. At the same time, it is hard to know whether it is fair to stop feeding a baby who may still be hungry. Drawing on guidance from HealthyChildren.org, the parenting site of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), this guide covers when night feedings tend to become unnecessary and how to reduce them gently.

When to Start and Signs Your Baby Is Ready

According to HealthyChildren.org’s “Amount and Schedule of Baby Formula Feedings,” formula-fed babies often no longer need middle-of-the-night feedings somewhere between 2 and 4 months of age, or once they weigh more than about 12 pounds (roughly 5.4 kg). They take in more during the day, and their sleep becomes more regular. The same page stresses that this varies considerably from baby to baby. Breastfed babies tend to wake more at night to feed, and to feed more often during the day, in the early months. As they grow and sleep patterns settle, they fall asleep and stay asleep more readily.

By around 6 months, many babies take 6-8 ounces (180-240 mL) at each of 4 or 5 feedings in 24 hours. If your baby eats well in the day, is gaining weight, and seems to wake out of habit rather than hunger, that can be a sign to try cutting back. Before reducing night feeds, it helps to have your pediatrician confirm that your baby’s weight gain is on track.

How to Do It Step by Step

The specific amounts below are an example of applying a “reduce gradually” approach, not exact figures from AAP’s own materials — adjust the pace to your baby.

  • Reduce the amount first: With a bottle, take off about 10-20 mL (a third to a half ounce) each night, or with breastfeeding, shorten the feed by a minute or two, adjusting every 3-4 nights.
  • Stretch the wait: Instead of feeding the moment your baby stirs, pat, shush, or soothe for about five minutes and see whether they settle back to sleep.
  • One feed at a time: If your baby wakes several times, start with the earliest night feed or the first one and work through them in order.
  • Fill up by day: Making sure daytime feedings are full and frequent tends to ease night hunger.
  • Keep a bedtime routine: Follow the same order each evening, such as bath, feed, and lullaby, and lay your baby down drowsy so they can practice falling asleep alone.

HealthyChildren.org notes that healthy, growing babies usually do not need to be woken to eat. It also explains that putting cereal in a bottle will not help a baby sleep through the night, and that starting solids early does not help either. Giving solids before the digestive system is ready may even lead to a tummy ache and worse sleep.

Common Parent Mistakes

  • Treating every waking as hunger and feeding right away. Babies often stir briefly between sleep cycles and only look fully awake.
  • Stopping cold in one night, then giving in halfway. Inconsistency can mean longer crying.
  • Adding cereal to the bottle at bedtime. As noted above, it is not shown to help.
  • Starting while the baby is sick, teething, or traveling. Choosing a calmer stretch usually goes better.

What Can Differ from Child to Child

Some babies sleep through the night at 4 months, while others still wake once or twice around the first birthday, and both can fall within the usual range. If you are breastfeeding, consider your milk supply and comfort and cut back slowly. For babies who gain weight slowly or were born early, it is safest to talk through the timing with your pediatrician first.

When to Consider Talking with a Pediatrician

If weight gain is slow or daytime feeding is clearly low, if night waking comes with vomiting, labored breathing, or other symptoms, or if your baby was born early or has a medical condition and you are unsure night feeds can stop, it may help to talk with a pediatrician. If fever, unusual fussiness, or fewer wet diapers appear after you cut back, get medical advice. This information isn’t a diagnostic tool and doesn’t replace advice from a medical professional.