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Getting your baby to sleep well at night can be challenging enough without factoring feedings into the mix. But what about when your baby’s feeding schedule is the root cause of the constant nighttime wakings? What about when your baby feeds constantly at night and not much during the day – how are you supposed to solve THAT problem?
Never fear – we can help. Read on for details!
Reverse Cycling: What It Is, and Why Some Babies Do It
Speaking of ‘baby breastfeeds constantly at night and not much during the day’ – there’s a term for that. It’s called reverse cycling. Pretty simple, right? Well, the “why” behind why some babies reverse cycle is a little more varied. Babies may reverse cycle for the following reasons:
How Reverse Cycling Affects Your Baby’s Sleep
Obviously, if your baby is breastfeeding every hour or two at night, then she’s not doing much sleeping…and neither are you! Now, some babies are pretty efficient “reverse cyclers” – they will wake often to eat, but they’ll generally nurse and then go right back to sleep. This is especially true for babies who know how to self-soothe and fall asleep independently – these babies generally don’t have strong sleep associations with nursing, and so will sleep well between feedings.
However, other babies are fairly awake between feedings and spend far more of their nighttime hours awake and alert. This is especially true for babies who are napping too much during the day, in addition to not nursing frequently. It is also true for newborns who are struggling with day/night confusion and who sleep much of the day.
Reverse Cycling Isn’t All Bad – How Reverse Cycling Can Actually Benefit Working Moms
Now, obviously, many of us find reverse cycling absolutely exhausting and are looking for ways to correct it (more on that in the next section). But there are situations in which reverse cycling actually works in your favor, and makes a lot of sense to continue.
Specifically, we have found that for moms who are working full-time outside the home and who are pumping benefit from reverse cycling – it helps to keep their milk supplies up, and allows for that special, cuddly bonding time with baby that those moms miss during the day. Moms in this situation often tell us that they make up for lost sleep by going to bed fairly early, and napping on the weekends.
Miriam Chickering, a Baby Sleep Site® sleep consultant who also has a background in lactation consulting, summarizes the pros and cons of reverse cycling this way:
“Reverse cycling is great for moms who enjoy sharing a room or bed and aren’t disturbed by night feeding. Some moms can sleep through most of a feed and report feeling more rested when sharing a bed and reverse cycling. Other moms don’t sleep well at all when bed-sharing, and for moms who get out of bed for every feeding, well – reverse cycling can be brutal!”
How To “Reverse” Reverse Cycling And Reclaim Your Nighttime Sleep
While it’s true that some parents can really benefit from reverse cycling, and may prefer to keep it going for a period of time, we know most of you likely see reverse cycling as a problem and are looking for ways to solve it. Not to worry – we can help with that and help you night wean! Check out our suggestions below for coping with and gently solving your baby’s reverse cycling:
“When reverse cycling is related to a baby being distracted we want to encourage the baby to take more calories during the day. Many babies will feed very well about 15-20 minutes prior to a nap. Mom can try wearing a nursing necklace and talking/playing with her baby during the feeding. Another option is to nurse in a dark room using white noise and providing some rhythmic motion like rocking.”
It’s also a good idea to remember that things in your environment may be distracting your baby – like the noise of the TV, or the noise of other family members – so do your best to eliminate any known distractions during feeding time.
If you’re separated from your baby for large chunks of time during the day, due to work (or something else), Miriam has these tips to share:
“For babies who reverse cycle due to separation from mom during the day, it’s important for child care providers to provide frequent feeding opportunities. You may be able to cluster feed in the afternoon and offer 2-3 feedings during the night with one 5 hour sleep stretch for both mom and baby. Then you can offer a feeding or two before work, depending on when you need to leave for the day. With my youngest son, I often would wake him for a feeding before I headed out the door at 5 am. It can take a week or two to find the option that works best for you and your baby, and you may have to try a few different things before finding the right balance of night feeding and daytime feeding, but it’s important to keep trying.”
As for actual bottle-feeding technique – this Kellymom article offers great tips on how to offer a breastfed baby a bottle in a way that simulates breastfeeding and helps you avoid some of the complications of bottle feeding.
Personalized Solutions To Gently End Reverse Cycling – Yeah, We’ve Got Those!
Truth be told, reverse cycling can be tough to “reverse” if your baby is doing it out of a strong nursing association. That’s because you have the double difficulty of trying to sleep coach (and that’s tough enough by itself), plus you have to make sure you’re not compromising your breastfeeding relationship with your little one. Tricky indeed! Tough situations like these are best handled with the help of a sleep consultant. Your sleep consultant will craft a Personalized Sleep Plan® that not only lays out sleep coaching recommendations and a step-by-step plan that are breastfeeding-friendly.
Once you select your package, you’ll immediately receive an email with your Helpdesk login credentials. From there, you can set up your account, complete a profile of each child in your family, outline your sleep issues as well as any particulars about breastfeeding, and send them straight to your consultant. Within a few days, you’ll receive your Personalized Sleep Plan™, and will work closely with your consultant to implement it.
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For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night.
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 45 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
For those persistent toddler sleep struggles, check out The 5 Step System to Help Your Toddler Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your toddler sleep through the night and enjoy a better daytime schedule.
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For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night.
Learn More About The 3-Step System
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 45 sample sleep schedules and worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
Learn More About Mastering Naps
For those persistent toddler sleep struggles, check out The 5 Step System to Help Your Toddler Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your toddler sleep through the night and enjoy a better daytime schedule.
Learn More About The 5-Step System
Join our VIP Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, and more. As a VIP member, you'll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant.
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Katie says
Hello,
I have a 6 month old who is reverse cycling due to my return to work. What are reasonable nap expectations as her afternoon nap is a struggle since she is hungry.
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Katie, thanks for writing to us. I’m sorry to hear your daughter has been struggling since you’ve returned to work. That can be quite an adjustment for our children, but hang in there! She will figure it out eventually and will hopefully improve on taking the bottle from whoever is taking care of her during the day. I don’t have any specific advice but an idea that comes to mind would be to maybe give the caretaker something that smells like you to hold with your baby while they feed her the bottle? Such as a swaddle blanket, stuffed lovie, your tshirt, etc, but I would also start using it yourself when you nurse or bottle feed her as well so she associates that object with feeding.
Hang in there! I hope things get better soon and she adjusts quickly so you can all get the rest you need. If you find things are not improving and you need more help, I’m confident our sleep consulting team would be able to help you and create a step by step plan of action for your family. If you’re interested you can read more about that too: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Thanks again for visiting the Baby Sleep Site!
Julie says
I have a 7 month old. He doesn’t mind a bottle or breast, but fights both unless he’s ready to sleep. He goes to daycare 4 days a week. He will only eat about 8 ounces there. He mostly will eat solids at daycare. I went back to work when he was 4.5 months. He will not breastfeed when i get home from work for several hours, even when I try. I usually go to a quiet room, but he latches off and on between screams until he relaxes. He has the same reaction to the bottle. His interest in either breast or bottle is only after he is so hungery he needs to eat. Lately the problem has gotten worse and he wants to feed about midnight and 3, which is too much, especially since he has such an adversion to daytime eating. He is not a good napper either. He fights it hard. We do not cosleep and I don’t sleep during feeding.
Danielle says
Hi Julie,
Thank you for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource! I’m sorry to hear you’re having so much trouble with feeding. We would really recommend checking in with your pediatrician and/or lactation consultant first thing with something like this, since some of the symptoms you’re describing could be reflux or another treatable medical condition. We definitely want to be sure your little one is gaining weight and growing appropriately 🙂 Once you rule out a medical issue, we could definitely work with you on scheduling sleep and feeding to make sure some of latching issue isn’t overtiredness. I hope this helps – good luck!
Suzanna Ploss says
My daughter is 18 months old and still constantly breast feeds. Im working now so she doesnt get as much during the day. Shes a picky eater and doesn’t eat nearly enough as she should. She screams when we try to get her to sleep and ive only lasted an hour and a half before the crying gets too much and at night she wakes up every damn 2 hours and now she just expects to be in our bed. Im at my wits end and my husband is too. I could really use some one on one help. Schedules dont always work either because my work schedule is always different and i have meetings i have to attend at nights sometimes. Please help!!!!!
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Suzanna Ploss, I’m so sorry to hear things have been such a struggle recently! We would love to help and I also think working one-on-one with a consultant would be most beneficial as well. They will give you a schedule but can certainly help you learn how to navigate when things have to change due to life and work (we often work with parents of multiples so they are use to having to work around older children’s schedules and making it work for a baby, so the same would go for you). To read more about our packages you can read here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
I know we have a ton of options, so if you’d rather please email us directly at [email protected] and we can help you pick out a package that will be the best fit for your situation and the level of support you think you’d want. Hang in there! We are looking forward to working with you.
Rachel says
I have a 5 month old with reflux who’s exclusively breastfed. He still is waking ever 1-2 hours at night, sometimes less. Sometimes he is actually hungry and eats really well, other times it’s just because he needs help falling back to sleep by nursing, and other times because I think he may be in pain from reflux. (Yes, he is medicated). I don’t ever feel comfortable letting him cry because I don’t know which problem it is… So I’m not sure how to correct the sleep association.
During the day he eats pretty poorly especially if he’s in a room with a lot of distractions. But if I feed him in a quiet room, he falls asleep after barely eating and I have to hold him upright for 20 mins due to reflux, then if I lay him down, he wakes up crying and can’t be soothed back to sleep unless I put him back to the breast. I have tried putting him down drowsy but awake when he’s not hungry but he completely refuses to sleep and will go all day without a nap no matter how hard I try (I use white noise, dark room, everything I’m supposed to. He hates pacifiers).
Not sure where to start. But I have to do something because I’m completely exhausted! I don’t co-sleep so I’m awake most of the night, plus he barely naps. Please help 🙂
Danielle says
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for your comment! I’m so sorry to hear you’re having such a complicated time addressing your son’s sleep issues. It’s great to hear that you’ve taken steps to address the reflux, and it sounds like you’re working really hard on that. A few things I notice from your comment:
– He may be dealing with the 4 month-old sleep regression. We have help here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/4-month-sleep-regression/
– Your family may be a good candidate for a no-cry or low-cry sleep coaching method, info here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
– And our sleep consultants do work with babies with reflux all the time, so if you are feeling totally overwhelmed, having a Personalized Sleep Plan that takes his age, feeding issues, reflux, and your low-cry preference into account might really be the easiest thing: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
I really hope this helps, but please get in touch if you would like further support!
Ashley says
I have a 12 month old. He eats table food well and lots of it. He goes to day care and refuses most liquids throughout the day. We’ve tried all types of sippy cups, mam is the only one he’ll use when he feels like it. On good nights, he wakes up 2 times a night like clock work to nurse. Acts like he’s starving trying to rip my shirt off. Easy to lay back down to sleep. Other nights, like last night he’s up every 1-2 hours wanting to nurse. He seems hungry bc once he’s full, he lays back down to sleep with no issues. My partner tries to help and baby just screams bloody murder until I come in the room. I’m so tired.
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Ashley, I am so sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with your son’s sleep and that you’re the only one able to help him right now. Here is a link for a free guide to help provide some tips (if you haven’t tried them) to improve night time sleep and get him sleeping through the night: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-through-night-free-ebook/
I would also assume that if you and the daycare workers are able to somehow increase his daytime liquids that may be a help as well. I don’t know if they’ve tried giving him breastmilk in a sippy or straw cup or if he just wants it from momma? I’m so sorry you’re struggling. If nothing seems to be working, I’m confident our sleep consulting team can help. They have worked with thousands of families and many have had the same struggle and we would love to help you as well. If you’re interested you can view our Personalized Sleep Consulting packages here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
I hope this helps! Hang in there!
jess says
I have a little boy who has talipes and wear boots and bars at night we are still breastfeeding and things have just gone very wrong in the last 3 months. He is now 9 months we had 6 wonderful months only waking at 3am then again at 5am now it’s every hour or 30 minutes or if I’m lucky every 2.
I just would like 3 hours tops!
Emily DeJeu says
@ jess – Hmmm….I wonder if this is his 8-10 month regression. You can read more about it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/8-9-10-month-old-baby-sleep-regression/ It sounds to me like this is a regression, especially since he was sleeping well before. If it IS a regression, then you just need to wait it out as best you can; within a few weeks, things should be back to normal.
Clare says
I think we’re going through this now, a combination of highly distracted baby, working mum and bottle refusal! Last night was the first time we tried my partner giving her a bottle for her first wake-up, so I could get a longer stretch of sleep – no dice. We’ll keep trying though, as she has to take a bottle at child care eventually! One day I’ll get a cumulative 7 hours of sleep before work… ?
Emily DeJeu says
@ Clare – You will indeed! How old is your daughter, if you don’t mind my asking? If you share that with me, I should be able to give you a few pointers and link you to age-appropriate resources.
Kate says
Thanks so much for the article and the mentions of distracted baby. Our daughter by 3-4 months became such a distracted eater that the only way she will feed is in a dark room with white noise. Over the holidays visiting relatives we often could not find a dark quite place to nurse, and then she would be up all night wanting to feed every few hours. Now I understand that better.
Our relatives told us a baby “will eat when hungry” and implied if she needed a dark place it was us coddling her. GRRRR.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Kate – that’s hilarious, the idea of “coddling” a baby. Pretty sure babies were made to be “coddled” because they’re babies! 😉 Glad you pinpointed the nursing issue, and that you know what’s best for your little girl.
Thanks for commenting, Kate!
Emily DeJeu says
Thanks for catching this, Erica! I’ve updated the post with the link; here’s the link again, in case you don’t want to scroll back through the post to fine it 😉
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
Thanks so much for catching this, and for taking the time to reply!
Erica Perry says
The article mentions a Kellymom article with tips on how to offer a breastfed baby a bottle, but there’s no link. I would be grateful if you could provide the link tot this article 🙂