One of the secrets to getting a good night’s sleep for your baby or child lies in looking at their energy needs and hunger. Just as they need sleep, they need to take in enough calories so their little bodies and brains have enough energy to keep functioning and growing. When that need isn’t met, they’ll sleep less soundly and wake more frequently during naps or at night.

Newborns and young babies need to be fed around the clock, so it’s both common and appropriate for these little ones to wake for feeds overnight. As they grow, they’ll be able to drink more at each feed, and when they’re eating solid meals consistently alongside their breast or formula feed, they’ll be getting the calories they need to sleep for long stretches and maybe even the entire night. This usually first happens when they’re around 6 or 7 months old.

When your baby is old enough to be having those long, restful stretches of sleep but they’re having short naps or waking frequently overnight, it’s worth looking at their feeding and eating habits. Are they having lots of short, snack-like feeds throughout the day and at night? I often see exhausted babies that feed like this. Their snacking is just enough to ease their hunger, but they don’t drink enough to fill their tummies, so these babies are unable to sleep for long stretches of time. If snack-like feeding isn’t an issue, is your little one feeding so much overnight that they’re just not hungry enough to feed well and eat their solid meals and snacks during the day? This is the case for a lot of new families I support, and what makes it even worse is these babies have been awake so much overnight to feed or eat that they’re absolutely exhausted come morning, which affects their appetite too. It’s yet another vicious cycle!     

I see sleep struggles in older babies, toddlers and children that are influenced by hunger too. These little ones are always on the move, but they aren’t taking in enough calories to keep them going. I also regularly see babies and children who are so tired by dinnertime that they just don’t have the energy to eat at that time of day, and so they wake up earlier than they should for their next meal. But when we make the changes needed to ensure their bellies are full, hey presto, we kiss goodbye to these issues and the emotions that come with them.

If you’re a breastfeeding mum, you’ll know it’s impossible to measure how much milk your baby’s getting at each feed. A lot of mums in this situation offer more feeds than they need to at night because they worry that bub is waking up so often because they’re hungry. If this is you, there are two things you can check to help you feel more confident to eliminate hunger as a cause of their sleep struggles. The first is your little one’s weight gain and whether it’s as it should be, and the second is if they have plenty of wet nappies across the whole day. If both of these are fine, it’s likely they’re getting the amount of milk they need.

As always, if you have any concerns about your baby or child’s nutrition, seek professional advice from a healthcare professional like your GP, maternal child health nurse or lactation consultant.

The information in this Blog Article relates to healthy babies and children with no undiagnosed, untreated medical issues or concerns. If you have any concerns about the health of the baby or child in your care, please see their GP or paediatrician.

For more sensible, straightforward, safe advice and resources on getting your family the sleep you all deserve, explore my website – sleepbysteph.com.au