Five ways nutrition/feeding can affect your baby’s sleep
Think about a time that you ate something that gave you heartburn or when you ate too much too close to bedtime. How did you feel? It probably wasn’t your most restful night of sleep, or you may have had trouble falling asleep initially.
Likewise, you may have experienced nights that you realized you ate sugar too close to bedtime or maybe even felt the effects of caffeine in your foods. All of these things and more can also be experienced by your child, so it is important that we treat nutrition as a vital part of healthy sleep.
Nutrition and sleep go hand-in-hand, both with bottle/ breastfeeding, and with solids in the first year and beyond. When children are consuming adequate amounts and the right kind of nutrition, they are much more likely to sleep well.
Consider five ways nutrition and feeding affects your baby’s sleep:
Breast/bottle feeding about every 3 hours for the first year will ensure babies are getting most of their nutritional needs during the daytime rather than at night. For the first three months, newborns will eat between 2-5 oz every 2.5-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours at night. Total feeds per day at this stage will be about 8-11 times every 24 hours (more for breastfed babies), and between 16-24 oz or more for older babies. Sometimes babies will “miss” a feeding because their nap interferes. If this is happening, we recommend waking baby up at the 3 hour mark since they last ate so they don’t skip a feed and try to make up for it overnight. This will help you and your baby catch some more zzzs!
Another way to ensure baby is getting adequate daytime nutrition is to consider offering a dream feed. Between 2-4.5 months, parents may find offering a dream feed helps their baby get a longer stretch of sleep at night. This is typically done around 10-11pm when parents are about to go to bed, and is usually while the baby is halfway asleep.
Providing a full feed, about 4-6oz at each feeding, can help babies sleep longer stretches. Babies who take in less milk more often tend to have a harder time sleeping longer stretches. It is important to note, in the first few months of life nursing mothers may nurse on demand, and we encourage this as long as parents aren’t up every hour for feeds. As babies grow, they have the capacity to take in more milk, but within the first couple weeks of life it is important to follow the child’s needs and hunger cues to determine when they eat.
For breastfeeding mothers it can be hard to know how much baby is taking in, especially since newborns often fall asleep during feeds, but as long as your baby is gaining weight and your pediatrician has not expressed concerns, you can feel confident your baby is getting adequate nutrition. Parents may find it challenging to give a full feed at first since sleepy newborns can often fall asleep during feeds due to the soothing nature of feeding. Some things you can do to ensure a full feed are to remove clothing so baby feeds while skin-to-skin, switch positions while feeding, feed baby when they are alert instead of right before naps, feed in a bright sunny area, or gently nudge baby to keep them awake.
Another factor that can lead to more wake ups is dropping a baby’s night feedings too soon. While some babies are ready to drop night feedings as early as 3.5 months, others will still hang onto one night feed until they are one year old.
An imbalance of macros once baby is on solids may cause sleep disturbances. Once babies are eating 3 meals a day of solids, it is important for parents to pay attention to how balanced their baby’s diet is so they are getting the right percentage of grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables and proteins. They will still require breastmilk or formula every 3 hours, as it is their primary source of nutrition throughout the first year, so parents will need to be mindful to notice if baby’s milk/ formula intake suddenly decreases, which might mean the amount of solids offered should be decreased.
Between the ages of 5-12 months 10-25% of calories should be from solids, increasing after age one. The majority of calories should be healthy carbs, and proteins, followed by fruits and veggies. Reducing sugar around nap time and avoiding processed foods will also help prevent sleep disturbances. The AAP does not recommend any processed sugar before the age of two, and you also want to be mindful of sugar in fruits as well as around nap and bedtime.
Being aware of gastrointestinal sensitivities and food allergies can let you know if certain foods are causing sleep disturbances.
If possible, it is recommended that mothers breastfeed for a minimum of a year. Some of the benefits of breastfeeding among others include: less gastrointestinal issues, increased fat and energy contents, and longer stretches of night sleep. Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, reflux, and upset stomachs are a common occurrence in young babies. Therefore experts recommend mothers who breastfeed keep a food journal to make sure nothing she is eating or drinking is causing baby’s tummy to be upset.
Alternatively, parents who formula feed may find their baby has a sensitivity to certain types of formula or certain brands, so parents may need to take some time to try different brands until they find the one that is the right fit for their baby.
Feeding to sleep can become a dependent sleep association. This means your baby relies on feeding in order to fall asleep. Babies will fall asleep feeding at times, and that is okay! This is especially true in the sleepy newborn stage. While feeding to sleep is encouraged during the newborn stage, after four months of age it can become a challenge if it becomes the ONLY way they are able to fall asleep or fall back asleep after a wake-up and, therefore, is something to keep in the back of your mind.
Sleep aids such as feeding to sleep are very common in children, but sometimes it can be helpful to remove one, or teach them how to self-soothe, in order to set up our babies for better sleep.
Navigating your baby’s sleep and nutritional needs can be a challenge. We offer online sleep courses, sleep guides, and one-to-one coaching options to support you on your way towards better sleep!
Related articles:
https://www.mysweetsleeper.com/blog/ip0j321p735mp3wk5akgv4hxibaemj?rq=full%20feeds
https://www.mysweetsleeper.com/blog/how-and-when-to-drop-a-night-feed?rq=drop%20feed
