Why Is My Baby Feeding All Night Long? (The Truth Behind Those Endless Night Feeds)
You close your eyes for what feels like a second, and there it is—the tiny rustle, the whimper, the rooting. Again.
If your baby is feeding all night long, and you're co-sleeping just to survive, you are not alone. At Tired Baby Sleep, we work with parents like you every day—exhausted, touched-out, and wondering if they’ll ever sleep more than 45 minutes at a time.
Here’s the truth: Night feeding isn’t “bad.” But when it becomes constant and disruptive—for you or your baby—it may be time to understand why it’s happening and what you can gently do about it.
🧠 Why Is My Baby Feeding All Night Long? (And What’s Normal?)
Let’s start by clearing something up: frequent night feeding is normal in babies and toddlers. But constant feeding all night is not always necessary, or sustainable.
Babies and toddlers wake for many reasons:
Hunger
Comfort
Habit
Developmental changes
Disrupted sleep cycles
Sensory sensitivities
Pain (teething, reflux, etc.)
And while young babies do need to feed frequently, when babies are established on solids, they should naturally need to feed less overnight. These babies feeding all night long, are often feeding out of comfort than true hunger.
👩🍼 Story: Co-Sleeping, Breastfeeding, and Sleepless Nights
Meet Rachel, a first-time mum who came to me at her wits’ end.
Her baby, Elsie, was 13 months old, and Rachel had been co-sleeping for several months. At first, it made life easier—quick latch, everyone back to sleep. But over time, Elsie began waking every 45 minutes to feed. Rachel wasn’t getting any restorative sleep, and she was starting to feel resentful of her once-beloved bedsharing bond.
When we looked deeper, we found Elsie:
Was relying heavily on breastfeeding over solids.
Needed the breast to transition through every sleep cycle
Had a strong suck-to-sleep association
Through gentle sleep coaching, Rachel gradually put some boundaries in, in help reduce her dependency on comforting on the breast. We introduced a calming bedtime routine (with connection but not feeding as the final step), and began resettling Elsie with touch, not milk. After 10 days, Elsie was waking just once , Rachel was finally sleeping long stretches at night.
💥 6 Gentle Reasons Your Baby May Be Feeding All Night Long
Here’s a list of common causes I see at Tired Baby Sleep:
Reverse Cycling – Baby underfeeds in the day, compensates at night.
Sleep Association – Baby feeds to sleep, and looks for the same comfort to get back to sleep.
Co-sleeping – Protects the breastfeeding relationship, baby can access feeds easily. This often sees higher levels of feeding for longer at night.
Developmental Leap – Cognitive changes can spark frequent waking.
Routine Issues – too much sleep, too little sleep, ill timed naps, can all cause more disturbed night time sleep.
Deficiencies - Cause disturbances to the architecture of sleep, if a child has a deficiency they will often use feeding to help themselves get back to sleep
You might see one of these—or several—playing a role in your night wakes. The key is to gently uncover the root, not just the surface pattern.
🔄 The Sleep Cycle Connection
Babies naturally wake every 45–60 minutes as they move between sleep stages. If your baby hasn’t yet learned to settle in other ways, they’ll call for the only thing that works—feeding.
This is especially true for breastfed, co-sleeping babies, where feeding is immediate and effortless. It’s not that they’re hungry every hour—it’s that milk is how they fall asleep, so they believe it’s required to get back there.
What if, instead, they learned to settle with a cuddle, a song, or just your steady hand?
📉 What Happens When It’s Constant?
When a baby feeds all night long for weeks or months:
Mum’s milk supply may dysregulate, leading to over- or under-supply.
Baby’s digestion is constantly working, disrupting deeper sleep.
Mum becomes touch-averse, anxious, or depleted.
Daytime feeds may become lazy, further reinforcing the cycle.
Feeding at night is not inherently bad—but feeding all night can lead to exhaustion for both mum and baby.
🛠 How to Gently Shift the Pattern (Without Weaning or Crying It Out)
You don’t need to stop breastfeeding, unless you want to (your body your choice :))
But if your baby or toddler is feeding all night long and you’re running on empty, here’s a plan to gently support change:
🌙 1. Separate Feeding from Sleep (Gradually)
Move the last feed earlier in your bedtime routine.
Add calming steps after the feed: books, music, cuddles.
Let baby fall asleep with you, but not always on the breast.
⏱ 2. Introduce Pause-and-Settle
When baby stirs at night, pause before feeding.
Try shushing, patting, or holding first.
If they don’t settle, then offer a feed—this helps break habit waking.
🧸 3. Add Sleep Cues That Aren’t Milk
Use white noise or a lullaby as part of every nap/bedtime.
A special sleep phrase (“It’s sleepy time, mummy’s here”).
Light touch or rocking in arms without feeding.
🧭 Gentle Doesn’t Mean Passive—Consistency Is Key
Many breastfeeding mums feel stuck between two extremes: baby feeding all night long or leaving their baby to cry it out.
There’s a middle ground: responsive but structured.
Babies are incredibly capable. When supported consistently, they begin to understand, “I can fall back to sleep without milk—and mum is still here.”
🤝 Need Help With Your Baby’s Sleep?
If you feel ready to make big changes, but feel you just need a plan and some support.
At Tired Baby Sleep, we specialise in supporting frequent breastfeeding babies and co-sleeping families with gentle, evidence-based approaches that work for real-life parenting.
👉 If your baby is feeding all night long and you're ready for change—reach out. We’re here to help.
👉 Click here to book a free discovery call
📩 Or DM me on Instagram or TikTok [@tiredbabysleep] with the word “HELP”
You deserve sleep, too.
📌 Final Thoughts
Sleep isn't about perfection—it’s about sustainability. If night feeds are working for you, there’s no pressure to change. But if you’re stretched thin, it’s okay to want more sleep—for your baby and for yourself.
Let’s gently find your way back to rest.
