Reverse Cycling

No, this isn't a setting on your washing machine. Reverse cycling is when your baby starts taking in more calories at night, displacing their daytime feeds.

Let's take a look at some reasons why reverse cycling occurs and what you can do to break the pattern.

1. Newborns and Day/Night Confusion

Newborns have underdeveloped sleep-wake cycles. For the first 3-4 months of their lives, they struggle to differentiate between day and night. To support the development of their circadian rhythm, you can offer certain predictable cues during the day. Nap them in a dark room, expose them to natural sunlight, and engage with them during playtime. If they nap for extended periods and miss feeds, you might want to consider waking them from monster naps. At night, maintain a cool, dark, and calm environment and minimise stimulation during night feeds.

While we still expect your newborn to need multiple feeds overnight, following a feed-play-sleep routine and ensuring they feed every 3-4 hours during the day can help encourage their longer stretches of sleep to occur overnight.

2. Feed-to-Sleep Associations

Feeding your baby to sleep is a very natural and preferred settling method for many parents. However, this can inadvertently lead to reverse cycling, especially if your baby wakes up frequently during the night (noting that not every wake is due to hunger). Babies are very goof natural calorie counters, balancing their intake over a 24-hour period. So, if they're feeding back to sleep frequently overnight this can impact their appetite during the day causing fussy or missed feeds. The cycle then continues with the majority of the feeds occurring overnight.

To prevent a strong reliance on feeding to sleep, you can create a settling tool box by exposing your baby to a variety of different settling techniques. This might include rocking, patting, or even encouraging your partner to help settle. Over time, encouraging independent settling can also be beneficial. This way you won't feel stuck in a position where feeding back to sleep is your only option every time your baby wakes and will help you find a happy balance between daytime and nighttime feeds.

3. Distractible Babies

From about 4 months old babies can become very distracted during feeding times. They might be far more interested in interacting and exploring the world that having a good feed gets pushed down their list of priorities, Even though we want to encourage their curiosity, we also don't want them skipping feeds that will need to be made up for later (cue the extra night feeds when there are no distractions).

To keep a busy baby or toddler interested in their day feeds, stick to a predictable routine. If you do this from an early age it helps to regulate their appetite and they are more likely to want to feeds at certain times.

If your baby is prone to popping off the breast or bottle at even the smallest sound or movement in order to get a good look at what's going on around them, take them somewhere quiet and free from distractions when it's time to feed.

4. Feeding Issues

Some babies may have underlying health issues that impact their ability to feed well. In some cases babies with reflux, lip or tongue ties, intolerances, allergies etc. may form a feeding aversion due to pain associated with feeding. This can be very concerning if you are struggling to feed your baby, especially if they are flat out refusing the breast or bottle. Often the only way to feed a baby in this situation is when they are very drowsy or asleep. So, in order to thrive, most feeds will likely need to occur during the night when your baby is relaxed.

Working with your baby's medical team to resolve the underlying feeding issue is the first step. Once your baby is able to feed well, you can then gradually shift the majority of their calorie intake to be during the day and reduce overnight feeds.

5. Working Mums and Breastfeeding

Some working mums may accidentally find themselves in a pattern of reverse cycling, while others may actively pursue this pattern of feeding in order to preserve their breastfeeding relationship. A breastfed baby who is separated from their mother during the day may refuse being fed or may only take the bare minumum with another care giver and make up for those missed calories when they are reunited with their mother.

If you know you are going to be returning to work while your baby is still breastfeeding, plan ahead. Allow your baby plenty of opportunity in the months leading up to your return to work to practice feeding from a bottle or a cup in your absence. When possible, offer a full feed before you leave and upon your return, and have realistic expectations. Once your baby is established on solids, they may be fine with just a morning and evening feed without needing extra feeds overnight as well.

In any situation where you are trying to change a reverse cycling feeding pattern, remember to do it gradually. You can't simply stop offering feeds overnight without compensating for those calories during the day. Depending on your baby's age, offer additional milk feeds, snacks, or increase their meal portions and allow a few days of their appetite to adjust to the change.