Baby wants to breast feed all the time and doesn't sleep - 7 causes and tips

Reasons why babies want to nurse all the time and don't sleep

1. Cluster Feeding

The amount of breast milk is regulated by supply and demand. When your baby nurses and the milk ducts in your breast become “empty,” signals are sent to your body to increase prolactin levels, which boosts milk production. However, breasts are never truly empty—they are continuously refilling, even during nursing.

As your baby grows, their nutritional needs increase, leading to phases known as “cluster feeding.” During cluster feeding, your baby may want to nurse as frequently as every 30 minutes or even stay at the breast for several hours with minimal breaks. This behavior helps keep the breasts “empty” for longer periods while stimulating them to signal your body to produce more milk. After about 2-3 days, your milk supply usually catches up, and cluster feeding typically decreases or stops.

Cluster feeding often coincides with growth spurts. Common times for growth spurts during the first few months include around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age. However, every baby is different, and growth phases may not always occur exactly at these times.

Read more about cluster feeding and tips on how to manage it, here.

1. Your baby is not actively nursing

Even if your baby has the nipple in their mouth and is moving their tongue and cheeks slightly, they are not always “actively” nursing. Toward the end of a feeding, especially when they start to doze off, your baby might stay at the breast and suckle weakly without actually drinking any milk.

To give yourself a bit more of a break, you can try to distinguish between active nursing and this “nibbling” and remove your baby when they are no longer actively feeding.

During active nursing, your baby will have a steady, strong vacuum; they’ll suck and swallow rhythmically and continuously, and you can see their jaws working and their temples moving. If you watch and listen carefully, you’ll often see and hear them gulping.

When your baby is “nibbling,” they suck more weakly and no longer swallow, or do so only occasionally. This is a good time to gently break the vacuum by inserting a clean finger into the corner of their mouth to let in some air, and then softly removing them from the breast.

1. Hunger

A baby waking up frequently and wanting to nurse during the night may be due to hunger. If your baby has regained their birth weight and is steadily gaining weight, it’s normal for them to wake up every 2-3 hours at night.

However, if your baby wakes up more frequently than that, such as every 30-60 minutes, it could be a sign that they’re still hungry. In such cases, it’s a good idea to consult your healthcare provider or pediatrician for advice.

They can offer tips on nursing techniques and help determine if supplemental feeding might be necessary for a period. If supplemental feeding is recommended, it’s important to learn about breastfeeding-friendly supplementation methods. This can help avoid disrupting breastfeeding and make it easier to return to exclusive breastfeeding if that’s your goal. Your healthcare provider can also offer support and guidance throughout this process.

1. Immature circadian rhythm

Another reason your baby may wake up frequently at night is due to an immature circadian rhythm. This can cause them to be more awake at night and cluster feed during those hours. A baby’s internal clock for night and day typically begins to establish itself around 3-5 months of age. Until then, if you're fortunate, your baby may have their "night" at night, where they sleep and primarily wake up to eat before falling back asleep.

However, it's common for a baby’s rhythm to be out of sync with ours, meaning they might have their "night" during the day and be more wakeful at night.

Here you can read more about how you can support the development of your baby’s circadian rhythm.

1. Your baby wakes up when you put them down

Some babies, especially newborns, can be almost impossible to put down from your arms to another sleeping surface. This can sometimes lead to a misunderstanding where you, as a parent, may think that your baby is waking up and wanting to nurse again. In reality, the baby may be waking up simply because of the transition from your arms to the sleeping surface. At that point, the baby might also be tired and want to nurse back to sleep.

Understanding this pattern can help you recognize when your baby truly needs to nurse versus when they need help settling back into sleep after being put down.

Tips on how to put a sleeping baby down:

• Wait until the baby is in deep/quiet sleep, about 10-20 minutes

• Make sure the sleeping surface is not cold

• Gently rock and shush as you lower your baby down

• Lower the feet first, then the head

• Place the head down slowly

• Place a hand on their chest, continue to shush

• Continue to shush as you leave

1. Viral infections

More frequent nursing can sometimes indicate that your baby is sick or in pain. Nursing isn’t just about nutrition—it also provides comfort and pain relief for your baby.

If you have an older baby who has started eating solid foods, you may notice that they nurse more often and eat less solid food when they’re unwell. During a viral infection, it’s common for a baby’s appetite for regular food to decrease, while their need to nurse increases.

When you nurse during a viral infection, antibodies from your more experienced immune system are passed to your baby through breast milk. Breast milk also contains various substances with antiviral properties that can help support your baby’s immune system during an illness.

Always contact a healthcare provider if your baby’s general condition worsens, such as if they become lethargic, eat less than usual, or breathe rapidly.

1. Teething

Another reason for more frequent nursing could be that your baby is teething. While many children don’t experience significant discomfort during teething, some may notice their mouth itching, increased drooling, and gums that become irritated, red, and slightly swollen. If your baby does feel discomfort, it often peaks 2-3 days before the tooth finally breaks through.

Nursing can have a calming and pain-relieving effect, which may make your baby want to nurse more frequently during these teething periods.