One of the biggest mistakes I see parents make before starting sleep training is focusing on sleep without first looking at daytime feeding.
The reality is, sleep and nutrition go hand in hand.
When babies don’t take in enough calories during the day, they’ll often make up for those calories overnight. In that situation, it’s not fair or effective to expect them to suddenly sleep through the night simply because we’re teaching independent sleep skills.
Before beginning sleep training, I always want to make sure daytime feeding is as optimized as possible.
Here are a few reasons why:
• Babies who consume enough calories during the day are less likely to rely on nighttime feeds out of hunger.
• Full feedings during the day help support longer, more restorative stretches of sleep at night.
• Frequent snacking throughout the day can sometimes lead to frequent snacking overnight because babies never learn to take full, satisfying feeds.
• A baby who is genuinely hungry may have a much harder time settling independently, making sleep training more frustrating for everyone.
• Optimizing daytime intake helps us better distinguish between a hunger wake and a habitual wake, allowing parents to respond appropriately.
It’s also important to remember that every baby is different. Age, weight gain, medical history, breastfeeding or bottle feeding, and your pediatrician’s recommendations all play a role in determining whether night feeds are still developmentally appropriate.
Sleep training should never mean ignoring a baby’s nutritional needs.
When babies are well-fed during the day and developmentally ready, they’re often in a much better position to learn independent sleep skills. That’s one of the reasons I spend so much time looking at the whole picture before ever discussing bedtime strategies.
A well-fed baby is often a better-rested baby and that’s where healthy sleep habits have the best chance to flourish. 🤍