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Night feeds and night weaning

Normal, necessary, and mostly a parental choice rather than a medical one.

The short version

  • Never force a baby to take more feed than they need in the hope that they will sleep longer. Feed responsively instead.
  • It is both normal and essential for your baby to feed during the night. Starting solids will not make your baby sleep through.
  • Dropping night feeds is mostly a parental choice, not a medical necessity: no UK source says feeds must stop at any particular age.
  • Speak to your health visitor or GP first about growth, weight gain, prematurity, reflux or illness. These steps are options, not a validated protocol.
  • Reduce gradually: shorten each feed by a minute or two every few nights, try a cuddle before feeding, and drop one feed at a time.

The rest of this page explains where this comes from. You do not have to read it tonight.

About 2 minutes to read

Night feeds and night weaning

Start here. UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative is unambiguous: "It is both normal and essential for your baby to feed during the night." Feed responsively: your baby will know how much milk they need. Never force a baby to take more feed than they need in the hope that they will sleep for longer. If you are breastfeeding, topping up with formula can reduce your supply, so it is worth a word with your health visitor or the National Breastfeeding Helpline first. If you already bottle feed, none of that applies to you and your baby is not missing anything. And the NHS is clear that starting solid foods will not make your baby any more likely to sleep through the night; milk stays the main drink for the first year.

The NHS does say that by 6 to 12 months night feeds may no longer be necessary for some babies. Note the hedge: no UK source says night feeds must stop at any particular age. Dropping them is, in most cases, a parental choice rather than a medical necessity, and a legitimate choice when the nights are no longer sustainable for you.

Being straight about the evidence: no UK clinical source describes a structured night-weaning programme. What follows is a synthesis of the gradual-interval principle and UNICEF's responsive feeding position. These are options, not a validated protocol.

  1. Speak to your health visitor or GP first if there is any question about growth, weight gain, prematurity, reflux or illness. That step is not optional if any of those apply.
  2. Reduce gradually. Shorten the time at the breast by a minute or two every few nights, or reduce the volume in a bottle slightly.
  3. Lengthen the interval before feeding, trying other caretaking first: a cuddle, a stroke, a nappy change, your voice.
  4. Increase daytime and evening intake responsively, so the calories move rather than disappear. Do not push more than they want.
  5. Where a waking has become habitual rather than hungry, settle without feeding. Neither is something your baby has invented, and a diary shows which wakings are which better than memory does.
  6. Share the wakings if there is another adult. A partner settling the non-feed wakings can break the pattern quickly. If you are parenting alone, change one waking and leave the others, so the night still improves without a second pair of hands.
  7. Drop one feed at a time, holding there for several nights.
  8. Stop and reassess during illness, teething, a growth spurt or a big change. Going backwards for a fortnight is a sensible response, not a failure.

Where this comes from

Last checked 1 August 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child, speak to your health visitor or GP.