Most younger babies fall asleep when feeding, either at the breast or at the bottle. This is perfectly natural, and nothing to be concerned about. In fact, when baby falls asleep after a good feeding, she is more likely to stay asleep for longer periods of time. Most of the time when baby wakes up during light sleep periods, it is because she feels a need of some sort, and quite often the need is that she is hungry. Since newborn infants stomachs are so small, they can seldom go more than two to four hours between feedings. When your baby falls asleep after a good feeding, she is considerably more likely to stay asleep for longer periods of time. Some parents even find it helpful to gently try to wake baby up if she did not eat much before falling asleep.

When your baby gets a bit older, and can start to take some solid foods, giving a small feeding of gentle solids like rice cereal right before nap or bed time can help him stay satisfied for longer periods of time, eventually even helping him to begin sleeping through the night. The reason your baby will be able to sleep longer is, quite simply, that solid foods don’t digest as quickly, and your baby’s tummy will feel full for longer periods of time, so when he does go through periods of light sleep, hunger isn’t as likely to wake him up.

One trick that some parents have used with babies to good effect when they are just starting on solid foods is to mix in just a tad bit of rice cereal in baby’s bottle. Often, babies are unwilling to try new things when they are tired, and trying to spoon feed them only makes them fussier, making it harder for them to relax and fall asleep. But, putting a very small amount of the rice cereal in the bottle will cause the meal to be slightly more filling, and can help your baby feel full longer, thereby extending his sleep periods. Don’t put too much rice cereal in the bottle, though, as this will cause the formula to become too thick, and your baby will have a tough time getting the formula through the nipple. You can test the bottle when you are testing it for heat to make sure that the formula still flows freely.

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