Night Waking in Babies: Causes and Expectations by Age
Our sleep guidance is independently endorsed by Harvard sleep neurophysiologist Dr Kate Johnson, Ph.D.
If your baby keeps waking in the night, you're not alone. Whether it’s every hour, every few hours, or even the same time every night, night waking is one of the most common and exhausting challenges parents face in the first year.
The idea of "sleeping through the night" can feel like a major milestone, and it's completely normal to worry if your baby isn't there yet. The reality is that night waking is a normal part of infant sleep, and it can vary widely depending on your baby's age, development and daily routine.
Some babies wake repeatedly through the night, while others wake at exactly the same time every night. If your baby keeps waking up at night or has started waking at the same time each night, this is very common and usually linked to sleep cycles, feeding patterns, naps or learned habits.
In this guide, we'll walk through what's normal at each stage, the most common causes of night waking, and what you can do to support longer stretches of sleep.
If you are reading this in the middle of the night, phone in one hand and a baby who has just woken again in the other, take a breath. Night after night of broken sleep is exhausting in a way nobody can really prepare you for, and it is easy to start wondering whether you are doing something wrong. You are not. Night waking almost always has a reason, that reason usually changes as your baby grows, and once you know what it is, it can be fixed.
In this Article:
- Why does my baby keep waking at night?
- Why babies wake at night
- Night waking between 0-3 months
- Night waking between 4-6 months
- Night waking between 6-8 months
- Night waking between 8-12 months
- Why does my baby wake at 3am or the same time every night?
- Waking every 10 to 30 minutes after bedtime
- Other common causes of night waking
- How to reduce night waking
- You are not doing it wrong
- Frequently asked questions
Struggling with overnight wakes? If you’re in the trenches with a baby or toddler who is waking all night, getting their daytime sleep balance right is the cure. But, the last thing you want to be worrying about is wake windows and nap times and bedtime and sleep pressure and how it all works together. Our Little Ones® Sleep App does it all for you, every single day, with customised schedules for your unique baby/toddler that adapt according to their age, sleep science and their real-time tracked data.
Why does my baby keep waking at night?
Babies often keep waking at night because of hunger, overtiredness, sleep associations, nap imbalances or developmental changes. While night waking is normal, frequent waking usually means something in your baby’s daytime rhythm or sleep habits isn’t quite aligned with their age and needs.
Why do babies wake at night?
Night waking is a normal part of infant sleep and the reasons often change as babies grow. Newborns usually wake because they need frequent feeds, while older babies may wake between sleep cycles, during nap transitions, or when they are learning new developmental skills. Understanding why your baby is waking overnight can help you respond in a way that supports their sleep while still meeting their needs.
Some babies wake very frequently, sometimes every hour or every sleep cycle throughout the night. This is usually linked to sleep associations, overtiredness or disrupted sleep cycles rather than hunger alone. If this sounds familiar, you can read more about the causes in our guide to why babies wake every hour or every 2 hours.
Typical Night Waking by Age
Age |
Typical Night Waking |
| 0-3 months | Waking every 2 to 4 hours |
| 4-6 months | 1-2 wakes common |
| 6-8 months | 0-1 wakes typical |
| 8-12 months | Most babies are capable of sleeping through |
Night waking in newborns (0-3 months)
The newborn weeks are all about learning each other’s cues - sleep will come in tiny pockets and that’s okay. Our approach is responsive, helping you create soothing rhythms that support feeding, bonding and rest for everyone. Our Little Ones® Sleep App guides you with flexibility so you can build calm sleep foundations without pressure.
Feeding
This is a huge period of development in your baby’s life - the biggest, actually, they’ll ever have! The amount of physical and mental growth that happens in these few months is massive, so they do need lots of fuel for all this growing.
At this point your baby will be entirely milk-fed (formula or breast) and milk is digested much quicker than solid food, so your baby will be feeding every few hours in the day and you can certainly still expect night feeds too.
Settling & Sleep Environment
At this age babies aren’t really capable of developing “bad” sleep habits, so don’t stress too much about how you’re getting them to sleep or that they’re feeding in the night. It’s really only when you reach the 4 month sleep regression that you will want to start thinking about your baby's sleep associations.
For any night wakes under 3 months, assume hunger and feed your baby. Make sure these feeds are done in the dark, change their nappy only if absolutely necessary and avoid stimulating your baby or they will be very hard to settle back to sleep!
We recommend playing white noise all night long and definitely keep it going during these night feeds. Feed your baby in the room they're sleeping in so there is no sudden temperature change. We also recommend that babies this age are swaddled to suppress their startle reflex. Keeping your baby tightly wrapped for their night feeds will also help them stay in the sleep “zone” and they’ll be easier to settle again. Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any signs of trying to roll.
If you have a windy baby make sure you burp them really well after their feeds or they might wake again shortly afterwards and can be more difficult to settle.
Before any sleep schedule, settling method or routine, the foundation is always safe sleep. Place your baby on their back, on a firm flat mattress in a clear cot or bassinet, in their own sleep space in your room for at least the first 6 months. Follow safer sleep guidance from Red Nose (AU/NZ), The Lullaby Trust (UK) and the AAP (US). See our full Safe Sleep Guidelines for region-specific resources.
Naps
If your baby is waking a LOT in the night or staying awake for long periods it is often attributed to what is happening in their day and with their naps. They might be having too much or too little day sleep, meaning that they are under or over tired. See Why Daytime Sleep Matters for more information about how your baby's naps can impact their night sleep.
Newborn babies can also sometimes have their days and nights around the wrong way, where they happily sleep all day, then stay awake all night! It's not difficult to reverse this day/night confusion simply by having a bit more control over their naps during the day.
Naps can feel like the most fragile part of the day - one short catnap and suddenly the whole rhythm feels off. In our sleep app we look at naps as part of the whole day - wake windows, feeding, environment and settling - so your baby’s sleep rhythm can develop naturally with the right structure around it.
Night waking between 4-6 months
Feeding
Between 4-6 months your baby may start waking more in the night for milk, genuinely hungry, even if they can self-settle and had previously been sleeping through the night. This is often a sign they are getting ready to start solids, as their calorie intake from milk alone isn’t quite getting them through the night anymore.
Milk is still the most important food for a baby until 8 months of age, however, milk is digested very quickly and doesn't sustain your baby for long periods. So if your baby is breastfed or bottle-fed and you don't want to start solids until 6 months, you will need to assume your baby's overnight wake is due to hunger and feed them straight away.
If you have started solids and your baby is still waking, you may need to increase their solids intake. We would advise you to refer to health guidelines or talk to your GP about starting/increasing solids if you think your baby is ready.
If your baby uses a pacifier and overnight you are resettling them with a pacifier instead of feeding, be careful. A pacifier can mask the fact that your baby is actually waking because they are hungry. When a baby sucks a pacifier, their brain thinks they are getting food so they may go back to sleep, but then wake hungry again shortly afterwards.
If your baby is waking frequently to have the pacifier replaced, try feeding them at their first wake to see if they are actually waking hungry. If they continue to wake frequently, the pacifier could actually be causing more problems than it solves. You can read more about The Pacifier & Baby Sleep: When They Help and When to Wean
Settling
At this age sleep gets a bit trickier as babies experience a maturation in their sleep patterns which is often called the 4 Month Sleep Regression and can start waking fully between sleep cycles (every 45 minutes in the day and every 60 to 90 minutes overnight). Now, your baby can come to rely heavily on the method used to settle them to sleep (rocking, feeding pacifier etc.), and they will need that same method to go back to sleep between cycles.
This means night waking can definitely be caused by a settling issue rather than hunger. However, this can be hard to work out if your baby is not yet able to go to sleep independently for their naps and at bedtime. Once your baby is able to self-settle to sleep, it's much easier to distinguish between your baby waking out of genuine hunger, versus a need to be fed back to sleep.
Teaching self-settling isn’t about leaving your baby to cry or forcing independence before they’re ready. It’s about helping your little one learn to drift back to sleep when they naturally stir between cycles.
“Brilliant app that helped me through the four month sleep regression and teach my son to self settle. It took about four weeks, but sticking to the schedule and the settling methods really does work. It feels like magic to be able to put my son down, walk out of the room, and have him settle in 5 minutes.”
budgehughes, mum to a son (4 months). 5 Star App Store review.
Night waking between 6-8 months
Feeding
Some babies will still need a milk feed in the night at this age. Babies who started solids after 6 months or who are doing baby-led weaning are generally not getting enough calories from solids (or protein at the lunch meal) yet to help them get through the night.
If night waking suddenly gets worse somewhere between 5 and 7 months, along with bedtime battles and early mornings, it often lines up with the 6 month sleep regression.
Naps
Between 6-8 months babies will transition from 3 naps, down to 2 naps a day. Babies who are still having that third late afternoon nap can begin to wake overnight because they are under tired and ready to drop that nap now. Read about Dropping from 3 naps to 2 to find out more about navigating this nap transition.
Short or tricky naps, especially during transitions, don’t mean you’re doing it wrong - they mean your baby's sleep balance is simply off. Our sleep app protects naps with age-appropriate timing, calm environments and responsive settling - to ensure the right sleep balance as your baby grows and changes.
Habit wake
Beyond 6 months of age, babies can begin to form habit wakes - these typically happen at the exact same time every night. If you are feeding your baby multiple times a night, yet you think they surely don’t need the milk, they may be waking out of habit rather than hunger.
In some cases, what can end up happening is that a baby takes most of their milk calories during the night and consequently, feeds less during the day. This turns into what we call reverse cycling - when they have their feeding times/quantities the wrong way around! Read about Reverse Cycling to find out how to switch things back around.
“Game changer for my 7 month old who has gone from 3 to 4 wake ups overnight to just 1, in less than a week! Appreciate all the info in the programme and the tailored schedule that flexes with your day. Highly recommend.”
Liz, mum to a 7 month old. 5 Star Google Play review.
Night waking between 8-12 months
Feeding/Habit wake
Babies this age are far less likely to wake out of genuine hunger if they are well established on solids. By now, your baby should be also drinking small amounts of water during the day to keep them hydrated. From 8 months of age, solids can be offered before milk feeds but you’d still aim to have 3 good milk feeds a day. Waking overnight at this age is more often due to a settling issue or habit wake, rather than actual hunger.
Naps
As your baby approaches 12 months of age, they will get ready to transition down to one nap a day. This nap transition typically occurs between 12-15 months of age. If your baby is still having quite a long morning nap, this can have a knock-on effect with their second nap of the day and their overnight sleep. Our sleep app guides you through nap transitions so your baby’s routine evolves naturally as they grow.
Beyond 12 months, if your toddler is still having 2 naps a day, or is napping for longer than 2 hours across the day, it can definitely start causing more night waking because they're simply not tired enough to sleep through the night.
Why is my 10 or 11 month old waking at night?
Around 10 and 11 months, night waking often has a new cause. Separation anxiety is usually at its strongest now, many babies are crawling, pulling to stand or cruising and want to practise in the cot, and the day can drift out of balance as naps lengthen or bedtime creeps earlier or later. If your baby was sleeping well and has suddenly started waking, read about the 8 to 10 month sleep regression. For a balanced day at this age, see our 10 month old sleep schedule and 11 month old sleep schedule, or read how one family solved frequent night waking at 9 months.
Still waking for milk at 9 to 12 months?
Some babies still have a feed overnight in the second half of the first year, and that is fine. If your baby is well established on solids, feeding well during the day and growing well, a wake that comes at the same time every night for a quick feed is more often a habit than hunger. If you are unsure whether your baby still needs a night feed, check with your GP, paediatrician or health visitor before dropping it. Our guide to night feeds explains how to keep them calm and quick.
Waking at night at 12 months and beyond
A 1 year old who keeps waking is often ready for a change to their day: one long nap instead of two, a little less day sleep in total, or a bedtime that suits their new awake times. Our 12 month old sleep schedule shows what that looks like, and the 12 to 15 month sleep regression covers the nap transition in detail.
Why Does My Baby Wake at 3am, or at the Same Time Every Night?
Few things are harder than a baby who wakes at exactly the same time every night, or who sleeps well until the early hours and then wakes again and again. If this is you, there is usually a clear reason, and it can be fixed.
Waking at the same time every night
A wake that happens at the same time every night, often with crying, is usually a habit wake. It tends to follow a pattern: your baby wakes, is fed or rocked back to sleep, and their body learns to expect it at that time. In younger babies it can also be genuine hunger, so if your baby is under 6 months or not yet feeding well during the day, feed them. In older babies, see the habit wake section above and our guide to reverse cycling if most of their milk has moved to the night.
Waking every hour after 3am
The early hours are when sleep is most fragile. Your baby’s drive to sleep builds up through the day and is largely used up by the second half of the night, so sleep in the early hours is lighter and easier to break. A baby who cannot yet self-settle often copes in the first part of the night, then wakes at every sleep cycle from around 3am. Too much day sleep, a bedtime that is too early, light creeping into the room or white noise that switches off can all make it worse. Our guide to sleep pressure explains how the day shapes the night.
If the wakes move closer to morning and your baby starts the day at 5am, read why babies wake at 5am and our guide to early waking, or see how one family fixed night waking and early mornings at 6 months.
“What I particularly love about the Little Ones strategies are that they are a more gentle alternative and can be tailored to your family so that you really see positive change to your baby's sleep. I am blown away by their comprehensive body of work.”
Dr Kate Johnson, Ph.D. in Sleep Physiology, Harvard Medical School and Stanford Research Institute
Dr Kate Johnson is a sleep neurophysiologist with a Ph.D. in Sleep Physiology from the University of Melbourne and postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Stanford Research Institute. She discovered Little Ones® independently through her clinical work with families and endorses our methods unprompted. Read her full endorsement.
Waking Every 10 to 30 Minutes After Bedtime
Some babies fall asleep at bedtime, then wake 10, 20 or 30 minutes later, sometimes over and over. These early wakes usually happen as your baby comes to the end of their first sleep cycle and cannot get back to sleep on their own. The most common reasons are a baby who is overtired or not tired enough at bedtime, falling asleep on the breast or bottle and waking when that comfort is gone, or a bedtime routine that winds them up rather than down.
Getting the last awake window of the day right and helping your baby fall asleep in their cot, rather than being put down already asleep, is usually what fixes it. Read how one family solved waking 45 minutes after bedtime, or our case study on a 5 month old waking all night long.
Other common causes of night waking
If you can rule out hunger, here are some other common causes of night waking in babies of all ages:
- They are too hot or cold
- They don’t have white noise playing all night and are being woken by environmental or household noises
- They are sick
- They can’t self-settle (beyond 4 months old)
- They aren’t swaddled (for babies younger than 5 months, who aren't rolling yet)
- Their sleep environment is too stimulating - ie there is a nightlight or a musical toy
- They have a medical condition such as tongue tie, reflux or allergies
- They have had too much or too little day sleep
- Separation anxiety in babies going through big changes or developmental leaps
- During particular periods in their development babies do wake simply to "practise" their new skills (crawling etc). This is common at 8 months and 12 months.
How to reduce night waking?
While some night waking is completely normal, there are gentle ways to help your baby sleep for longer stretches as they grow. Supporting balanced daytime naps, ensuring your baby is well fed during the day, maintaining a consistent sleep environment and encouraging age-appropriate self-settling can all help reduce frequent night wakes.
Our sleep app does the thinking for you, with age-appropriate patterns, adaptive schedules customised to your unique baby and easy ways to adjust when things shift, so that daytime sleep supports the circadian rhythm and peaceful nights.
You Are Not Doing It Wrong
When you have been up three, four or five times a night for weeks, it is natural to feel that you have somehow caused this, or that every other baby is sleeping except yours. Neither is true. Night waking is one of the things parents ask us about most, at every age, and it is rarely down to one big mistake. Usually it is a few small things in your baby’s day, feeds and settling that need adjusting for their age.
You do not have to work all of that out on your own at 3am. The Little Ones® Sleep App builds your baby’s day around their exact age, tracks their sleep and adjusts as they grow, so you can stop guessing and start resting again. If you would like a person to talk it through with, you can also book a one-to-one session with a paediatric sleep consultant inside the app once you are subscribed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Night Waking
When do babies stop waking at night?
Many babies begin sleeping longer stretches and may start sleeping through the night between 6 and 12 months. However, night waking can still happen due to hunger, development or sleep habits. By the end of the first year most babies are capable of sleeping through the night, although every baby develops at their own pace.
Is it normal for a 6 month old to still wake at night?
Yes. Night waking is still very common at 6 months, and many babies are not yet sleeping long stretches by their first birthday. In one large study, more than a third of 6 month olds and over a quarter of 12 month olds were not yet sleeping 6 hours in a row. If your baby is waking often, the cause is usually in their day, their feeds or how they fall asleep, and it can be improved.
Why does my baby wake up at the same time every night?
A wake at the same time every night is often a habit wake, especially after 6 months, where your baby’s body has learnt to expect a feed or cuddle at that time. In younger babies it can be genuine hunger. Look at how much your baby is feeding during the day and how they fall asleep at bedtime.
Why does my baby wake up every hour after 3am?
Sleep is lighter in the second half of the night because your baby’s drive to sleep has mostly been used up. Babies who rely on feeding or rocking to fall asleep often wake at each sleep cycle from the early hours. Too much day sleep, an early bedtime, light or noise can make it worse.
Why does my baby keep waking 30 minutes after going to bed?
This usually happens at the end of the first sleep cycle. Common reasons are being overtired or not tired enough at bedtime, or falling asleep on the breast or bottle and waking when that comfort is gone. Adjusting the last awake window of the day and helping your baby fall asleep in their cot usually helps.
When do babies stop needing night feeds?
It varies a lot. Many babies still have a night feed in the first half of the year and some well into the second half. Once a baby is well established on solids, feeding well during the day and growing well, a night wake is more often habit than hunger. Check with your GP, paediatrician or health visitor if you are unsure whether your baby still needs a night feed.
Why is my 10 month old suddenly waking at night?
Common causes at this age are separation anxiety, practising new skills such as pulling to stand, naps that have grown too long, and the 8 to 10 month sleep regression. Teething and illness can also cause a few unsettled nights.
My baby was sleeping through the night and now wakes. Why?
This is very common and is often linked to a sleep regression, a nap transition, illness, teething or a new skill. It usually settles once your baby’s day catches up with their age. If it lasts more than a few weeks, look at their awake times, naps and how they fall asleep.
Bibliography
This guide draws on peer-reviewed research into how infant sleep and night waking change across the first year, international health and safe sleep guidance, and the clinical experience behind the Little Ones® Sleep App.
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