How to Get Newborns to Finish a Feeding

Whether nursed at the breast or the bottle, newborns are notorious for falling asleep without finishing a feeding. Although you shouldn't overfeed a baby if she's genuinely full, you may need to encourage your sleepy little one to wake up and eat, particularly if she isn't gaining weight well. There are plenty of strategies you can use to get your baby to stay awake long enough to eat her fill.

Instructions

General Strategies

1

Remove a layer of your baby's clothes before the feeding. Although you shouldn't strip him down enough to make him truly cold, removing a single layer of clothing will keep him from getting so cozy he falls asleep. You may also try stripping him down to his diaper and nestling him against your bare chest, as skin-to-skin contact not only awakens your baby but also increases a breastfeeding mother's milk supply.

2

Feed your baby in a dimly-lit room. Bright lights may cause a newborn to close his eyes, which will encourage him to fall asleep.

3

Touch, kiss or sing to your baby when he starts nodding off. Gentle stimulation can wake up a baby just as it does an adult. Tickle his feet, walk your fingers up and down his spine, or lightly rub the crown of his head in a circular motion, taking care to avoid the soft spot.

4

Remove the baby from your breast or the bottle when he starts to fall asleep, then burp him or change his diaper.

Breastfed Babies

5

Support your breast with the hand that isn't holding the baby. Your baby will become tired more quickly if she has to hold the entire weight of your breast with her mouth.

6

Massage your breasts during the feeding. This stimulates your let-down reflex and lets milk flow into your baby's mouth even when she isn't actively suckling, which encourages her to stay awake and eat.

7

Nurse your baby in the clutch or football hold, holding her at your side rather than across your body. This puts the baby in less contact with your body, which may make her less comfortable and more alert. If you are unfamiliar with the clutch hold, La Leche League International has diagrams of various breastfeeding positions.

8

Watch your baby as she nurses. When her sucking slows and her eyes begin to drift shut, remove her from the breast, burp her, and switch her to the other breast. Continue switching her between breasts until she is no longer interested in nursing.

Bottle-fed Babies

9

Hold the bottle upside-down before offering it to the baby to make sure the formula is flowing at the correct rate. The formula should drip out at about one drop per second. If it flows more slowly, the baby will become tired trying to suck it out and may not finish the feeding.

10

Listen for your baby's swallows as she feeds. Watch her cheeks to see whether they seem to be caving in. If your baby isn't swallowing or her cheeks are caving, she isn't getting enough milk, indicating that the nipple may be clogged or the hole may be too small for your baby.

11

Watch the bottle as you feed your baby. If you are using a bottle with a disposable liner, it should collapse as he eats. If not, you should see air bubbles appear in the formula. If no bubbles appear or the liner does not collapse, a clump of formula may have clogged the nipple, which will encourage your baby to simply pacify himself to sleep on the bottle rather than actually eating.