How Long Should a 6-Week-Old Go Between Feedings at Night?
When babies are fresh out of the womb, they require plenty of sleep and feedings. Imagine that you used to have an endless supply of food and drink in a dark room in a warm and cozy bed. You’d probably want to spend most of your time relaxing there and be quite upset if you had to leave that perfect oasis!
This is the same with your baby. They will want to spend most of their time sleeping, but at only six weeks old, they most likely will not sleep throughout the night yet. As they get older, they will go through longer stretches of sleep at night until they stop waking up at night completely. Continue reading to learn about how long a 6-week-old can go between feedings at night!
Your Baby’s 6-Week Feeding Schedule
By the time your baby hits six weeks old, they’ve pretty much gotten used to eating. It’s probably one of their favorite activities! At this point, your little one is consuming between 24 and 32 ounces of milk every day. Although this may seem like a lot for your small baby, they aren’t consuming it all at once.
Every three or four hours, your baby will drink between 4 and 5 ounces per feeding. Keep in mind that this is not an absolute rule; every baby is different. If you are one of the lucky ones that have a baby that (mostly) sleeps through the night, you may notice that your little one will drink more during each of their feeding sessions during the day!
How Much Sleep Does My 6-Week-Old Need?
Sleep is an activity that your baby will be doing A LOT of in their first few months. After all, they went through a long journey just to meet you! Most six-week-olds will be unable to sleep throughout the entire night and probably shouldn't be to ensure they are gaining enough weight.
At this age, your baby should be sleeping anywhere from 14 to 17 hours a day. Some babies can sleep for longer stretches of time, such as 4-6 hours at a time, while other babies can still only sleep for 2-3 hours before waking for a feeding. Don’t be surprised if your little one is still waking up every two hours for some milk and cuddles!
Again, if you’re one of the lucky ones whose baby is a good sleeper, you can expect to catch up to six hours at a time at night before your baby wakes up for a feeding (lucky you!). At this age, it will be unusual if your baby is regularly sleeping past six-hour stretches at any point during the day or night. If your baby is trying to sleep beyond six hours, it's best to wake them up to fit in another feeding.
How To Get The Most Sleep At Night
With your baby waking up continuously throughout the night to feed, you will find yourself tired and longing for the comfort of your bed. Many parents experience exhaustion, and this can affect their day-to-day activities, including the care of their newborn! Although you still need to wake up and tend to the needs of your baby, there are things you can do to get as much shut-eye as possible.
Keep Supplies By Your Bedside
In the early days of parenthood, I didn’t keep everything I needed by my bedside. I spent the first week or two getting up and panicking to find what I needed as my daughter cried, letting me know she needed help. I would fumble around in the dark to try and find the diapers and wipes, wasting plenty of time! Here are some items that would be helpful to keep on your bedside table or a portable cart:
Diapers
Wipes
Spare pajamas
Swaddles
Saline spray
Nose syringe
Bottles
Formula
When you have these supplies readily available, you can tend to your baby much faster. The faster your baby is cared for, the less upset they will become and the easier it will be to soothe them back to sleep!
Comfort Them To Sleep
At six weeks old, there’s no such thing as spoiling! If your baby fell asleep while feeding, feel free to lay them back in their crib or bassinet and go back to bed yourself. But if they are still wide awake, do whatever you can to get them back to sleep! You can:
Sing to them
Rock them
Hold your hand on their chest until they fall asleep
Pat their butts
Any of these techniques should be helpful to help comfort your little one back to sleep. When they are this small, it is okay for you to cuddle them and let them fall asleep in your arms. Your main goal at this age is to make sure they are comfortable and fed and that YOU are well-rested. Don’t worry about any sort of sleep training until they are at least four to six months old!
Keep Track of Your Baby’s Feeding Schedule with Baby Connect
When your baby is small, you will need to keep track of your baby’s eating schedule to be sure they have enough wet diapers. If they don’t have enough wet diapers, they may not be getting enough milk! At six weeks old, your baby should be waking up at least once a night for an additional feeding. This extra feeding at night will ensure they are getting enough to eat to start packing on the weight.
With the sleepless nights, it can be difficult to remember what time the last bottle feeding was. This is especially true if it is in the middle of the night! Use Baby Connect to keep track of all of your baby’s feedings to be sure they are getting enough to eat and grow big and strong!
