How to encourage newborns to eat more when they prioritize sleeping over feeding

Newborns are sleepy, and rightfully so. It’s tough work learning how to be a brand-new human. It’s also tricky work for new parents to learn how to balance their baby’s sleep and feedings. If your baby prioritizes sleeping over feeding, there are techniques you can use to encourage them to wake up and eat a little bit more. 

In this article, we’ll explain the typical sleeping and eating patterns of newborns and provide tips to feed a newborn during sleep. We’ll also discuss how to tell if your newborn is not eating enough and what you should do if you’re concerned about their intake. 

IN THIS ARTICLE:

Understanding newborn sleep and feeding cycles

To help you navigate whether or not your baby is eating and sleeping enough in these first weeks of life, it can be helpful to understand what’s “normal” in this phase. Newborns need a lot of sleep. We recommend aiming for around 15.5 hours of sleep over 24 hours, but know that sleep needs vary and it’s okay if your baby sleeps more or less than this amount. 

Short and long chunks of sleep will likely be evenly distributed between day and night for the first few months because babies aren’t born with a mature circadian rhythm(which controls sleep-wake cycles) and their tummies are very small, meaning they will wake for food often. It’s normal if sleep feels chaotic in this phase — we don’t expect newborns to follow a set sleep schedule and every day (and nap!) will likely look different.

In the first few months of life, newborns typically eat 8 - 12 times over a period of 24 hours. This usually looks like eating every 2 - 3 hours (overnight too), with breastfed babies often eating closer to every 2 hours and formula-fed babies often eating closer to every 3 hours. (Formula takes longer to digest than breast milk [].) It might feel like all your baby does is sleep and eat! 

It’s also normal for newborns to cluster feed, eating every hour or more, especially before bedtime. Some babies do this as a way to fill up before a longer stretch of sleep [].

Though it’s very normal for newborns to wake often throughout the night, some babies may sleep longer stretches. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends feeding your young baby at least every 4 hours during the night []. If your baby is sleeping longer stretches than that, you’ll want to wake them for a feed, especially until they’ve established a pattern of solid weight gain and have been cleared by a doctor or lactation consultant [].

Importance of a consistent feeding routine

A can help establish consistency for your baby and help new parents ensure their little one is getting the rest and nutrition they need. Rather than following a strict schedule, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends responsive feeding,  which means feeding your baby when they show hunger cues (like rooting or sucking on their hands) []. Along with this, many parents follow the pattern of “eat, play, sleep.” This can help your baby start to learn when to expect food and when to expect sleep. However, if a different routine is working for your family, that’s great too.

Of course, newborns aren’t known for being predictable, so things won’t always go as planned, and that’s OK! For example, you might notice that your baby wants to eat more frequently and then goes right into a stretch of sleep instead of doing tummy time for their “activity” period.

The important part is being responsive to your baby’s hunger cues. This can help ensure they’re getting enough to eat and also help relieve some of the anxiety around whether or not your tiny human is getting the things they need to grow and develop [].

Tips to encourage newborns to eat more

It might take some convincing to entice your sleepy newborn to eat more. Here are a few formula and breastfeeding tips for sleepy newborns to try: 

Tip #1: Gently wake your baby

If your baby is trying to sleep through a feeding, try gently waking them. You can try unswaddling them, changing their diaper, undressing them, keeping the room cool, and gently stimulating them by tickling their toes or softly blowing on their face. These techniques can help increase newborn feeding intake.

Tip #2: Practice skin-to-skin contact

For all infants [], skin-to-skin contact (holding your undressed baby directly on your skin) can help promote feeding by stimulating digestion and an interest in food []. For breastfeeding moms, it can also help increase milk production []. You can begin skin-to-skin any time — even if your baby is a few weeks old and you haven’t tried it yet, give it a try! 

Tip #3: Keep track of feeds

Keeping track of feeds can help ensure your baby is eating enough and can help you remember to offer frequent feeds (about every 2 - 3 hours). The Huckleberry app makes it easy for you to keep track of your baby’s feeds for your own use and to show your baby’s healthcare provider if necessary. Easily log each feed to keep track of when they last ate — and when they need to eat again. This can also help you see trends to help determine if your baby is getting enough feeds every day. Tracking feeds can be particularly helpful if your baby doesn’t show typical hunger cues. 

Tip #4: Switch sides or positions

If your little one seems to doze off the second you begin a feed, here are some ideas that can encourage them to stay awake:  

If breastfeeding:

• Doing breast compressions []

• Switching sides 

• Trying different positions

If bottle feeding:

• Changing up how you’re holding them

• Momentarily tilting the bottle or removing it from their mouth

Tip #5: Limit individual naps

We know, we know: never wake a sleeping baby. However, to ensure your newborn is eating enough, it can be helpful to limit each individual nap to two hours — this prevents long stretches of daytime sleep from interfering with feedings and helps establish a more balanced sleep-wake rhythm. Over time, this can also encourage longer, more consolidated sleep stretches at night.

Signs your newborn may not be feeding enough

Sometimes, and don’t get enough to eat. Signs that they might not be eating enough can include: 

• Producing fewer wet diapers: In general, newborns should produce about 5 - 6 wet diapers per day by the time they’re 5 days old []

• Falling off their personal growth curve: Newborns typically lose about 7 to 10% of their birth weight, and then they gain that weight back by about 2 weeks old. Once they have an established growth curve, falling below their personal curve can be a red flag []

• Becoming dehydrated: Signs of dehydration can include a sunken soft spot, not producing tears, and producing fewer wet diapers []

• Consistently being fussy after feedings: All babies are fussy sometimes, but consistently being fussy after feedings could signal that your baby isn’t getting through food []

• Being excessively sleepy: Lots of sleep is normal for newborns. However, if they aren’t able to stay awake long enough to finish their feeds, they may not be eating enough []

Sometimes, your baby just might not be hungry. It’s still best to offer a feeding every 2 - 3 hours. The AAP recommends a minimum of 8 feeds in a 24-hour period, regardless of feeding choice,  in the first 6 months of life []. If they’re simply not hungry, you can try again later. However, if your baby is prioritizing sleeping over eating, you may want to try one of the above strategies to wake your baby and encourage them to eat. 

When to seek professional help

If you notice any of the above signs that your baby isn’t eating enough, reach out to their healthcare provider. Dehydration can become serious rather quickly in newborns, so it’s important to have your baby evaluated if you suspect they may not be eating enough [].

Check with your healthcare provider if your baby:

• Isn’t gaining weight or growing as expected

• Isn’t feeding frequently enough (typically 8-12 times a day for newborns)

• Has fewer wet diapers than expected: 2 to 3 wet diapers per day in the first few days after birth, and at least 5 to 6 wet diapers per day after the first 4 to 5 days

Takeaway

• Newborns sleep a lot — usually around 15.5  hours per day! They also typically eat every 2 - 3 hours, so the majority of their day consists of eating and sleeping. By developing a consistent sleeping and feeding routine, you can help your baby learn to expect when to eat and sleep. 

• If your baby wants to sleep more than they want to eat, you can encourage more feeding by gently waking them, feeding them during lighter stages of sleep, switching sides or positions while feeding, and limiting each nap to 2 hours. 

• Even though newborns sleep a lot, sometimes they can sleep too much and miss out on their valuable nutrition. Signs that your baby isn’t eating enough include producing fewer wet diapers, falling off their personal growth curve, becoming dehydrated, becoming fussy after feedings, and being excessively sleepy. If you’re concerned that your baby isn’t eating enough, contact their healthcare provider.