Few things are more exhausting than waking up every hour with your baby, night after night. If you’re in the thick of this, you’re likely desperate for answers (and sleep!). The good news? This is common — but it’s not something you just have to suffer through. There are gentle, effective ways to support your baby’s sleep without resorting to cry-it-out methods.

At full feedings®, we often find that waking every hour is a sign that a baby’s basic needs — both food and sleep — aren’t being fully met during the day. Let’s break down the top three reasons this is happening and how you can start improving your baby’s sleep naturally.

Over Tiredness

Over tiredness is one of the biggest culprits behind frequent night wakings. When babies stay awake too long during the day or have inconsistent naps, their bodies release cortisol (a stress hormone) to keep them going. While this might seem helpful during the day, it can cause major problems at night. Elevated cortisol makes it harder for babies to fall asleep and stay asleep—leading to those hourly wake-ups.

Signs of over tiredness include:

1. • Short naps (less than 30-45 minutes)
   • Difficulty falling asleep, even when your baby is clearly tired
   • Frequent night wakings
   • False starts at bedtime, waking shortly after they’re put to sleep

What helps?

Following age-appropriate wake windows and capping naps to prevent too much or too little daytime sleep is key to reducing over tiredness. We believe you should always help your baby to sleep so that they can fall asleep before becoming overtired. If you’re already in a cycle of overtiredness, helping them to sleep can help shorten it faster to get you back on track.

Hunger

If your baby isn’t getting enough calories during the day, they’ll wake up hungry at night. Sometimes, parents don’t realize that small or distracted daytime feeds can add up to inadequate intake over the course of the day. Babies are smart — if they’re not getting enough during the day, they’ll make up for it at night.

What helps?

Ensuring your baby is getting full, quality feeds throughout the day. A full feeding means your baby is satisfied, not just snacking. It often requires slowing down, burping frequently, and keeping baby engaged during feeds.

Half feeds get us half sleep and we want you sleeping and eating fully!

Lack of Daytime Structure

Babies thrive on gentle, age-appropriate routines. When naps, feeds, and wake windows are all over the place, it can throw off their internal rhythms. This can lead to poor daytime sleep and, you guessed it, more night wakings.

What helps?

Implementing a flexible routine that balances full feedings and healthy sleep. Routine doesn’t mean rigid; it means creating a rhythm that helps your baby feel secure and regulated.

We do not believe in strict clock-based schedules as these can make it really hard to meet your baby’s needs consistently throughout the day. However, having a routine in place makes everything more predictable and easy to follow, for both of you.

How full feedings® Can Help

Our gentle, needs-based approach is designed to meet both your baby’s feeding and sleep needs fully. We focus on establishing full feeds during the day, age-appropriate wake windows, and flexible routines so that sleep naturally improves—without leaving your baby to cry.

The beauty of our method is that, because it’s not cry it out, it can be started at any age, even right from birth.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to hourly wake-ups and hello to more restful nights, our affordable online programs can guide you every step of the way.

Explore our programs today and start your journey toward better sleep — for your baby and your whole family.