How to Wake up a Newborn to Feed - Sterling Sleep Solutions LLC

Waking up a newborn to eat every 2-3 hours can be a challenge. Newborns are so sleepy! There are several tips below you can use to wake your newborn up to feed! Whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding most parents all struggle to wake up a sleepy baby. It is important to keep feeding your baby frequently so that they don’t lose too much weight.

But when your little one is not interested in being awake it can take awhile to feed them! As a sleep consultant I tend to share a lot about how to get your little one to fall asleep, the newborn period is the exception because it’s so important that they get a lot of nutrition to grow and develop.

Here are some tips to wake up a sleepy newborn to feed!

Un swaddle your newborn
Change your little ones diaper before and/or in the middle of the feeding
Burp your newborn often so that your newborn’s tummy has more room for food
Try a warm wet baby wipe on your little ones cheek or feet
Tickle and stroke their feet
If your bottle feeding try holding your newborn facing you upright instead of in a cozy position next to you in your arms
Try stroking your newborns cheek if they stop swallowing to remind them that they can keep eating
If your bottle feeding stroke the top of the roof of their mouth with the bottle nipple in a gentle in and out motion
If you need additional support, schedule an appointment today to start receiving valuable education from a postpartum doula to help you thrive during the newborn period.

Here are some general guidelines for feeding newborns

Even thought newborns are difficult to wake up, it is really important that they get enough nutrition in a 24 hour period. Most newborns eat every 2-3 hours, some may only eat an 1/2 ounce at each feeding for the first and second day of life. Then after that they usually can eat 1-2 ounces per feeding. At 2 weeks you might start to notice that they want to eat more. Remember to talk to your pediatrician about how much and how often to feed your infant/newborn especially if they have lost weight or were premature at birth.

Even though newborns are sleepy and hard to wake up feeding your baby should be a pleasurable and beautiful bonding experience for you and newborn. If you’d like some more newborn education visit my Postpartum Services in the menu to find out more about how I can support you and your newborn. Enjoy each feeding knowing that you are nourishing them and helping them grow stronger and bigger everyday!