How Long Should a Newborn Nurse? Feed Length and Switching Sides

New parents often ask for a number: how many minutes on each side is “right”? The honest answer is that none of the major health sources give one. Newborns vary, and so do feeds from the same baby on the same day.

What you can use instead is a set of signs that a feed is going well, plus a sense of how often your baby should be eating. This guide covers both, along with switching sides and what to do with a sleepy baby. For feeding frequency, see our guide to how often to breastfeed.

What the major sources say

• CDC: Your baby will breastfeed about 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. The CDC says some feeding sessions may be long and others short, and that’s OK. It also notes that babies may want to eat as often as every 1 to 3 hours in the first days.
• NHS: Feed your baby as often as they want and for as long as they want. After the first few days, babies typically settle into fewer but longer feeds as your breasts start to produce more mature milk.
• AAP: In the first days, when your breasts hold only small amounts of colostrum, it is more important that babies feed frequently than that they feed for long periods. Later, the AAP advises keeping your baby at the breast as long as they’re actively suckling and letting them feed until they seem full, usually coming off the breast on their own. The AAP’s parent guidance (from its New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding) cautions that detaching a suckling baby early, or letting them fall asleep soon after starting, may throw off the supply-and-demand rhythm, and that very short, timed feeds may leave your breasts uncomfortably full.

Real feeds vary a lot. In a study of 71 mothers with exclusively breastfed babies aged 1 to 6 months, babies fed 11 times in 24 hours on average, but individual babies ranged from 6 to 18 feeds, and the amount taken at a feed averaged about 2.7 oz (76 g) with a range from almost nothing to over 8 oz (240 g). Your baby’s pattern may well be different from your friend’s, and that’s normal.

Signs a feed is finished

The NHS lists the signs that your baby is getting milk and the feed is going well:

• A few rapid sucks at the start, followed by long, rhythmic sucks and swallows with occasional pauses
• You can hear and see your baby swallowing, and their cheeks stay rounded
• Your baby seems calm and relaxed during the feed
• Your baby comes off the breast on their own at the end
• Their mouth looks moist afterward, and they seem content and satisfied after most feeds
• Your breasts feel softer after the feed, and your nipple looks about the same as before, not flattened, pinched or white

The CDC adds that babies should seem content and drowsy after feeding when they’ve had enough. If your baby seems to fall asleep before reaching the deep swallowing stage, the NHS says they may not be properly attached, so ask someone to check the latch. Our guide to how to breastfeed covers the steps.

One breast or both?

Let your baby finish the first side before you offer the second. The AAP says to keep your baby on the breast while they’re actively suckling. When the swallowing slows and your baby comes off or loses interest, offer the other side. Some babies take both, and some are satisfied with one.

The NHS says to offer both breasts at each feed and alternate which breast you start with.

Sleepy babies and the clock

Newborns, particularly in the first days, can be sleepy at the breast. The CDC suggests waking your baby for feeds with patting, stroking, undressing or changing the diaper. The AAP’s guide says a baby shouldn’t go much longer than about 2 to 3 hours in the daytime or 4 hours at night without a feed in the early weeks, and that if a baby doesn’t feed after being woken, you can wait half an hour, wake them and try again. Our guide on a baby who falls asleep while breastfeeding has more ideas.

The opposite pattern also happens, and the sources are not identical here. The CDC says some babies feed hourly at times, which is called cluster feeding, and others may sleep 4 to 5 hours between feeds, so ask your pediatrician how long your baby can safely go between feeds. See cluster feeding for how to cope.

How to tell your baby is getting enough

Feed length isn’t the best measure. The AAP lists these signs of a well-fed newborn:

• Weight loss of no more than 8% to 10% of birth weight in the first few days, then weight gain
• 6 or more wet diapers per day by 5 to 7 days of age, with pale yellow or nearly colorless urine
• At least 3 to 4 yellow, loose stools a day by 5 to 7 days
• 8 to 12 feeds in 24 hours, with the baby seeming satisfied for an average of 1 to 3 hours between feeds
• A first checkup with a pediatrician or family doctor within 48 hours of leaving the hospital

You can check diaper colors with our baby poop color chart, and our breast milk intake calculator shows how much milk a baby typically takes at different ages and weights. If you’re worried that your baby is struggling to get milk, read triple feeding for what the next steps with your care team can look like.

When to call a doctor or lactation consultant

Call your pediatrician or an IBCLC if:

• Your baby is feeding well below the 8 to 12 feeds in 24 hours described above, or is hard to wake for feeds
• Your baby has fewer wet or dirty diapers than the numbers above, or the diapers aren’t changing color as expected
• Your baby isn’t back to birth weight at the time your doctor expects, or the weight check shows loss or slow gain
• Feeds hurt throughout (see does breastfeeding hurt), or you never hear swallowing
• Your baby seems very sleepy at the breast or you can’t tell whether they’re swallowing

Our breastfeeding support page lists lactation consultants, peer support and helplines. For the bigger picture, see the breastfeeding basics hub and how breastfeeding works.