Let’s Talk About SLEEP (And Why Finn Was Up at 5AM)

Real talk with our favorite sleep expert on feeds, naps, early wake ups, and everything in between!

Jul 02, 2025

Happy almost 4th of July, friends!

Today we’re diving into something every parent I know has googled at 2am: Is my baby waking because they’re hungry? And if so, when do I feed them? And how do I make sure we all sleep through the night? And when will I ever sleep through the night again?

When Finn started waking up way too early (hi, 4:30 / 5am), we called in backup. Chloe of La Lune Consulting is a pediatric sleep consultant, and she helped us troubleshoot everything from middle-of-the-night feeds to early morning wake ups. Her calm, thoughtful advice was a total game-changer for our family, and I’m so excited to share her wisdom here.

We’re skipping a recipe this week (this post is packed enough!), but I’ll be back next week with something tasty for your little ones. Until then, I hope this brings a little more peace to your home and maybe a few extra hours of sleep. As an 8-hours of sleep kinda girl… I am eternally grateful to have these hot tips and tricks.

XO,
Gaby

Before you dive in:

Every little one is different! While Chloe is an incredible sleep guru, she’s not a doctor, and she’s not a lactation or feeding specialist. Always check with your pediatrician before making changes.

Q+A

Gaby: What’s the ideal daily feeding and nap schedule for babies 6–12 months? How does that evolve with age?

Chloe: Most of the families I work with end up finding a groove with something like this between 6-12 months:

Morning

Wake up
(2–2.5 hour wake window)
Milk feed
Breakfast
Nap 1

Midday

(3–3.5 hour wake window)
Milk feed
Lunch
Optional milk feed
Nap 2

Evening

(3.5–4 hour wake window)
Milk feed
Optional snack
Dinner
Bedtime milk feed
Bedtime

When your little one is ready to transition from 2 naps to 1 nap per day around 14-18 months, the day often looks like this:

Wake up
(4.5–6 hour wake window)
Milk feed
Breakfast
Lunch or large snack
Nap
(4.5–6 hour wake window)
Dinner
Bedtime milk feed
Bedtime

Remember to give some space before and after sleep times between milk feedings! I generally recommend implementing a 15-20 minute routine after wake-up in the morning and from naps before offering a milk feed.

Solids (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) get added in as your little one progresses in their solids journey and inches towards 12 months! Most of the littles I work with are eating three meals per day and potentially a snack or two by 9-10 months, but every baby’s timeline is their own.

Gaby: How long before bedtime should the last meal or bottle be? Does timing affect sleep quality? What about for a nap?

Chloe: Yes! Timing of feeds can impact sleep quality. Both from a feed to sleep perspective and to ensure your little one is getting nice full feeds throughout the day, which can often translate to longer stretches overnight and between feeds during the day. Aka sleeping through the night and taking longer naps.

For most littles between 6-12 months, I recommend offering their bedtime milk feed at the start of the bedtime routine. Then, move on to bath/wash-up, pjs, book, etc. With the time that all takes, you usually have a good 30+ minute gap between the end of the bedtime milk feed and when you lay your little one down to sleep. That amount of time separates milk from sleep which helps your little one dissociate milk and falling back to sleep in the middle of the night. It also gives them time to digest a bit before laying down, which can help with reflux and gas!

Gaby: Are there certain foods (or types of solids) that support better sleep? And are there any that should be avoided near bedtime?

Chloe: I’m not a doctor and there’s no real research to support this so take it with a grain of salt (no pun intended), but I have found with some clients that fattier foods can help fill little bellies better before sleep. Depending on where you’re at in your solids journey, this can include foods like high quality, grass-fed butter (yes, straight up butter), avocado, full-fat yogurt, nut butters, and so on. Ideally foods high in sugar are avoided right before bedtime!

Gaby: If my baby is waking in the night, how can I tell if it’s out of genuine hunger vs habit? What’s your advice for night weaning?

Chloe: This can be a tough one for parents to figure out! Most little ones I work with who are feeding for hunger in the middle of the night are actively awake and sucking/swallowing through a full feed. Babies who are feeding for help back to sleep, will often suck/swallow a little and then quickly fall back to sleep. But of course, make sure to check with your pediatrician to figure out how long your little one can go between feeds overnight!

I’m not the sleep consultant to tell you to reject feeds in the middle of the night, or to only offer a feed after a certain amount of hours of sleep or time on the clock. Babies aren’t robots and there’s many factors that go into why your little one is waking overnight.

Two things I find help most babies wean feeds when they’re ready: delay and feed for hunger! Just by focusing on spending a little time guiding your baby back to sleep another way before offering a feed, and then feeding while awake helps nearly every little one I work with drop feeds naturally.

Gaby: How do you recommend building a consistent bedtime routine that incorporates food without creating a feed-to-sleep association?

Chloe: I generally recommend feeding your baby at the start of the bedtime routine before moving on to bath, pjs, books, etc. Here’s an example:

Bedtime milk feed
Bath/Wash-up
Lotion/Diaper/PJs
Snuggle & story time
Turn off lights and turn on sound machine
Song/bedtime phrase
Hugs, kisses, and lay down in crib

Gaby: Any tips for managing early morning wakeups that might be tied to hunger?

Chloe: Early morning wake-ups, like nightwakings, can be caused by MANY factors. But specifically as they relate to hunger—make sure your baby’s belly is full before bedtime, they are getting nice full feeds throughout the day rather than snack feeding all day, and that you are separating food and sleep at bedtime. Depending on how many hours your baby can go between feeds, those three things are usually key to guiding them out of waking for the day too early because of hunger!

Gaby: For babies who are starting solids, does introducing more food during the day help them sleep longer at night?

Chloe: Not necessarily! More importantly for most littles you want to focus on ensuring their belly is full before sleep times. Which, when first starting solids, is likely going to come from milk. If the feeding specialists I follow on Instagram taught me anything when I was starting my own daughter’s solids journey it was that starting solids is as much about learning to chew, swallow, and maneuver food in the mouth than it was about actually filling a belly. Not to mention, most of the foods we offer first are one ingredient, not-so-filling foods anyways. As your little one becomes a master at eating, they usually naturally start taking in more food!

Disclaimers

Medical Disclaimer
The information/advice provided is not medical advice. Reliance on the advice is solely at your own risk. The advice is for informational purposes only and is intended for use with common sleep issues that are unrelated to medical conditions. The information provided is not intended nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or the health and welfare of your baby, and before following the advice or using the techniques offered. It is always best to follow sleep recommendations according to the AAP first. In no event will Chloe Fries or La Lune Consulting, LLC be liable to you for any claims, losses, injury or damages as a result of reliance on the information provided.

Pediatrician Approval
You agree to consult with and get approval from your pediatrician before following the advice or using the techniques offered.

Lactation, Formula, & Feeding
Chloe Fries/La Lune Consulting is not an expert in lactation or feeding. The information/advice provided does not address lactation, formula, or feeding concerns. Always seek the advice of your pediatrician and/or a lactation/feeding specialist regarding your child's milk and food intake, and managing lactation supply during, before, and after following advice or suggestions provided.

Thank you again to Chloe of La Lune Consulting for sharing her wisdom. You can find her on Instagram @laluneconsulting for more.