Night feeds
Ferber and breastfeeding: feeding to sleep and night feeds
You can use the Ferber method while breastfeeding. Move the feed earlier in bedtime, keep any night feed your pediatrician wants, and change feeds slowly.
Your baby falls asleep at the breast every night, and wakes two or three times wanting to do it again. You love those feeds, mostly. You would also like to sleep. And you are not sure whether the Ferber method means giving up breastfeeding, or at least the night feeds.
It does not. You can use the Ferber method while breastfeeding. The method is about how your baby falls asleep, and breastfeeding can carry on alongside it. In practice that means three things: move the bedtime feed earlier so your baby goes into the crib awake, keep any night feed your pediatrician wants kept, and change night feeds slowly, with help from your pediatrician or a lactation consultant. The rest of this page covers how.
Ferber and breastfeeding can go together
The Ferber method is a way of teaching a baby to fall asleep on their own, with timed check-ins while they learn. Our page on the method explains the idea. Nothing in it says a baby has to stop breastfeeding, or stop feeding at night.
What it does ask is that the feed and falling asleep come apart. Many breastfed babies learn to drift off while feeding. That is normal and comforting for both of you. The catch is that when your baby surfaces between sleep cycles in the night, the breast is gone, so they call for it back. Sleep specialists call this kind of link a sleep association. The AAP makes the same point about rocking and holding: babies who are held or rocked to sleep may struggle to go back to sleep when they wake in the night.
So the change is about the order of bedtime. Your baby can still feed at bedtime. They just finish the feed before they are asleep.
Two checks come first. The Ferber method is not for babies under about 4 months, and 6 months is the most common starting point. If your baby is between 4 and 6 months, talk to your pediatrician before you start. Our article on the Ferber method at 6 months covers what to check at that age.
Moving the bedtime feed earlier
This is the main thing to change, and it is usually easier than parents expect.
Instead of feeding at the very end of bedtime, feed near the start. A common order looks like this:
- Breastfeed in a room with the lights on, or at least not dark.
- Bath, diaper and pajamas.
- A book or a song.
- Into the crib awake, on their back, and say goodnight.
The AAP recommends putting babies to bed drowsy rather than waiting until they are asleep. Feeding first and then doing a few steps gives your baby time to come out of that milky, sleepy state, so the crib is where they fall asleep.
If your baby cries after you leave, that is where the Ferber intervals start. Night 1 is 3 minutes, then 5, then 10, with short check-ins in between. The Ferber method chart has the full week. The Sleep Foundation describes check-ins as patting or speaking softly, without picking the baby up or feeding them. Feeding during a check-in tends to teach a baby that crying longer brings the breast, which makes the next night harder.
Night feeds while breastfeeding
Whether your baby still needs a night feed is a question for your pediatrician. They know your baby’s weight and growth, and that is what the decision rests on. Babies vary a lot. The Raising Children Network suggests breastfed children may not need night feeds from 12 months, and formula-fed babies from 6 months, but that is a general guide, and your pediatrician’s advice for your own baby comes first.
If your pediatrician wants a feed kept, the Ferber method works around it. Decide your rule in daylight, for example a feed at the first waking after a set time, and use the check-ins for every other waking. Our article on night feeds and the Ferber method walks through the common setups in detail.
During a kept feed:
- Keep the room dim and quiet.
- Feed as you normally would. There is no need to rush.
- Put your baby back in their crib on their back. A little awake is ideal, but asleep is fine, especially early in the week.
- If they cry after being put down, start that night’s first interval.
Your milk supply and your comfort
This is the part that is specific to breastfeeding, and it is worth planning before Night 1.
Dropping night feeds quickly can affect you, not only your baby. The Raising Children Network notes that night weaning a breastfed baby before 12 months can reduce milk supply. The NHS lists missing feeds or not feeding often enough as causes of mastitis, and advises cutting feeds down gradually rather than suddenly going longer between them.
So if the plan includes shortening or dropping a night feed, go slowly. The Raising Children Network describes one gradual approach for breastfed babies: shorten the feed by 2 to 5 minutes every second night, then resettle your baby after each shorter feed. Some families keep the night feed exactly as it is through the Ferber week and only wean it afterward, once the new way of falling asleep has settled. Changing one thing at a time is usually easier on everyone.
A pediatrician can tell you whether your baby still needs the feed. A lactation consultant can help you plan the change around your own body: comfort, supply and what to do if your breasts feel full in the night. If you have access to one, it is a good conversation to have before you start. The glossary entry on night weaning has the basics.
If a breast becomes painful, hot, red or lumpy, or you feel unwell, contact your doctor.
Who does the check-ins
Some breastfed babies expect to feed the moment the breastfeeding parent walks in. A check-in from that parent can wind them up more, because the visit seems to promise a feed that never comes.
If you have a partner, it often helps for them to do the non-feed check-ins, at least for the first few nights. The Raising Children Network notes that you or your partner can help your child learn to settle when they wake without needing a feed. The breastfeeding parent then handles only the kept feed, if there is one.
The plan only works if everyone runs it the same way: the same waits, the same short check-ins, the same words. Our guide to co-parenting and consistency covers how to agree on that before bedtime. If you are on your own at night, that is fine too. Keep your check-ins brief and calm, and keep the feed rule clear.
Safe sleep around night feeds
Night feeds are when tired parents are most likely to doze off with a baby. The AAP says that if you bring your baby into your bed to feed or comfort them, place them back in their own sleep space before you go to sleep. It also warns against falling asleep with your baby on a couch or armchair.
After every feed, your baby goes back on their back, in their own crib or bassinet, on a firm, flat surface with nothing soft in it. The full guidance is in the AAP parent’s guide to safe sleep. If your baby is sick, feverish or vomiting, stop for the night, comfort and feed them as they need, and call your pediatrician if you are worried.
One thing to do tonight
Try moving the bedtime feed to the start of the routine, before bath and pajamas, and see how your baby goes down. You do not need to change any night feeds yet. Then ask your pediatrician whether your baby still needs a night feed, and if you plan to change one, ask about a lactation consultant too.
The Ferber app runs the chart for each waking you log, restarts from the night’s first interval after a waking, and keeps a history of each night, so you can see how wakings around a kept feed change over the week.
Common questions
Can I do the Ferber method if I am breastfeeding?
Yes. Breastfeeding and the Ferber method can go together. The method is about how your baby falls asleep, and breastfeeding can carry on alongside it. Move the bedtime feed earlier in the routine so your baby goes into the crib awake, keep any night feed your pediatrician wants kept, and talk to your pediatrician or a lactation consultant before you change night feeds.
Will sleep training reduce my milk supply?
It can if night feeds drop away quickly. The Raising Children Network notes that night weaning a breastfed baby before 12 months can reduce milk supply, and the NHS lists missed feeds and not feeding often enough as causes of mastitis. If you plan to drop or shorten night feeds, do it gradually and ask your pediatrician or a lactation consultant to help you plan it.
Should my partner do the Ferber check-ins if I breastfeed?
It often helps. Some breastfed babies expect a feed whenever the breastfeeding parent comes in, so a partner doing the non-feed check-ins can make those visits calmer. It works as long as everyone follows the same plan and the same intervals.
What if my baby falls asleep at the breast during the night feed?
That is common, especially in the first nights. Finish the feed calmly, then put your baby back in their crib on their back. If they wake and cry after being put down, start that night's first Ferber interval as you would for any other waking.