updated, April, 2026 – To help newborns and infants with reflux, we need to first understand what reflux is and then find comfort techniques. Our team of night nannies presents advice to help here, with 6 Easy Tips to Help Your Reflux Baby.
While the only true remedy for reflux is time, there are some techniques to help keep your baby comfortable during and after feeding. Let’s take all the reflux questions one by one:
What is reflux?
Reflux is a backward flow of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus that causes heartburn. It is one of the most common conditions newborns face and is often caused by the esophageal sphincter valve not being fully developed. This causes milk to come back up the esophagus through the throat and causes baby to spit up and vomit. When the contents of the stomach come back up, it is usually mixed with some stomach acid, which creates a burning sensation. Learn the specifics of Spit-Up, Reflux and GERD in Newborns so you’ll know if baby is exhibiting symptoms of any of these issues.
How can I reduce my baby’s reflux?
Keep your baby upright during and after feedings for 20-30 minutes, burp frequently, offer smaller, more frequent meals and use paced feeding. Wearing your baby in an upright carrier also helps gravity keep stomach contents down, reducing discomfort and spitting up.
Why is burping important for reflux babies?
Burping removes air swallowed during feeding, which can push milk back into the esophagus. Frequent burping keeps the stomach less pressured and helps your baby feed more comfortably.
How do smaller, more frequent feeds help reflux?
A full stomach can increase pressure on the esophageal sphincter, forcing milk back up. Feeding smaller amounts more often reduces this pressure, prevents overfeeding, and helps your baby digest milk more comfortably.
What is paced feeding and how does it help reflux?
For bottle-fed babies, paced feeding lets the baby control milk flow. Hold the bottle slightly reclined, let them pull the nipple in and take breaks as needed. This prevents overfeeding and reduces air intake, keeping reflux and discomfort minimal.
Here’s how to pace-feed:
Keep baby in a slightly reclined position so that the bottle isn’t pouring down and your baby can control the flow of milk/formula.
Let baby pull the nipple into his mouth. Once latched, keep the bottle just above horizontal.
Continue feeding this way. This allows baby to control the flow of milk better without taking in air. This also helps your baby to feed at their own pace, which keeps them more comfortable.
As Jordan Stubblefield, CLC says, It’s not so much air intake, as it is pacing the baby! Pace feeding helps to not overfeed by allowing baby to take breaks when they want, and following babies cues.
What should I do to reduce reflux if I’m breastfeeding?
If you’re breastfeeding, La Leche League recommends trying to have baby nurse at one breast only at each feeding. This avoids two strong milk ejections, therefore reducing overfeeding and excess swallowing of air. Also, leading sources in breastfeeding including LLL and KellyMom agree that in general spicy foods do not contribute to infant reflux.
Can wearing my baby reduce reflux?
Yes, upright baby carriers help gravity keep stomach contents down. Being snugly carried also helps babies relax their muscles, reducing tension and making feeding and digestion more comfortable.
Are preemies or twins more prone to reflux?
Premature babies and twins often have immature digestive systems, which increases reflux risk. The same feeding and comfort strategies work, but extra attention may be needed to keep them comfortable. Additionally, preemies who have spent time in the NICU may have other issues compounding digestive challenges.
Does gripe water help reflux?
There is no evidence that gripe water helps babies with reflux. However, some babies have trouble digesting lactose in milk which can lead to bloating, gas and discomfort and some medications can help under the direction of a physician.
The only cure for reflux is time, as newborns and infant systems may need a few months to fully develop. However we have more tips on keeping baby comfortable at 10 Ways to Calm a Fussy Baby. And you can always ask our team of night nurses and postpartum doulas any questions on Reddit.
If your reflux baby is keeping you up all night, you don’t have to manage it alone. Let Mommy Sleep’s night nannies and registered nurses are experienced with reflux, GERD, and colic — they handle the overnight feeds, upright positioning, and monitoring so you can sleep. Find overnight reflux care near you.
Baby speech milestones follow a general pattern across the first 18 months. By 6 months most babies babble, and by 12 months most say mama and dada with intention. By 18 months, most young toddlers have 4-10 words and can point in order to communicate needs. Here is what to expect at each stage from birth to 18 months.
Infant speech and communication development varies from child to child, and can also be influenced by family dynamics such as having older siblings or even being a twin. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides general guidelines parents can use to gauge their baby’s development and start conversations with their pediatrician if parents have concerns. The milestones below reflect behaviors that 75% or more of children demonstrate by a specific age, a standard established in the 2022 CDC/AAP update that replaced the older “may begin to” language with more actionable benchmarks.
These milestones apply to full-term babies. For twins, multiples, and premature babies, use adjusted age when tracking development.
Birth to 5 Months: Early Communication
Cooing, vocal sighs and vowel sounds such as “ahhh”
Laughter, crying and fussing as communication
Reacting to loud sounds and familiar voices
Quieting or smiling in response to being spoken to
What you can do with baby: Simply talk to and around your baby! Narrate diaper changes, describe what you see on walks or at the grocery store. You can sing too. These early conversations build the neural pathways for language even before baby can respond.
By 6 Months: Babbling Begins
Babbling strings of consonant-vowel sounds (“bababa,” “mamama”)
Taking turns making sounds with a caregiver
Responding when their name is called
Beginning to gesture or use actions to communicate
What you can do with baby: Practice what a Princeton study calls “serve and return,” meaning to respond to every babble as if it’s a real conversation. Taking turns where you talk, baby responds and you respond back, teaches the rhythm of communication.
By 12 Months: First Real Words
Says “mama” and “dada” with meaning — referring to the actual person
Vocabulary of 1-3 words beyond mama and dada
Responds to simple requests like “come here” or “wave bye-bye”
Points to objects or people to get attention or request something
Imitates sounds and words heard in conversation
What you can do with baby: Label everything out loud. Point to the dog and say “dog.” Point to the cup and say “cup.” Repetition of labels is an effective way to help your child’s language skills in the short and long term.
By 17 Months: Vocabulary Expanding
Vocabulary of 4-6 words used consistently and intentionally
Understands and follows simple two-word directions
Points to familiar objects when named
Uses gestures alongside words to communicate
May refer to themselves by name
What this looks like: Your 17 month old might say “more” while pointing at their plate, or “up” while reaching toward you. Single words combined with gestures count as intentional communication.
speech milestones for infants and toddlers
By 18 Months: Functional Communication
Vocabulary of 10 or more words
Adding new sounds; animal sounds and environmental sounds are typical
Pointing and gesturing to answer simple yes/no questions like “Are you hungry?”
Beginning to combine two words (“more milk,” “daddy go”)
Using words more than gestures to communicate needs
When to talk to your pediatrician: If your 18 month old is not yet saying at least 10 words, is not pointing to things of interest, or has lost words they previously used, mention it at your next well-child visit. Early intervention for speech delays is most effective when started early.
A Note on Typical Variation
There is a wide range of typical development in babies and toddlers. Children with older siblings sometimes reach milestones slightly later because older kids “speak” for them, and that is normal. Children surrounded by older family members or peers often communicate earlier than expected. Twins and higher order multiples sometimes develop their own communication shorthand that supplements conventional speech.
What matters is the trajectory, steady progress over time, rather than hitting every milestone on an exact date.
Tracking Baby Speech Milestones
The CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app lets parents log developmental progress across all categories including communication, movement, and social skills. Our night nurse team finds it especially useful for parents of twins or babies born close in age where tracking multiple children’s development simultaneously can get overwhelming.
A Rested Parent Is a More Present Parent
The language-rich interactions that support speech development such as talking, reading, singing, responding to babbles require energy and presence. If you’d benefit from overnight newborn care, Let Mommy Sleep is here for you.
Since the Back to Sleep campaign began in 1994, it has become widely known that babies sleeping on their backs instead of their bellies helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). ABC’s of Safe Sleep is an easy way to remember how to help newborns and infants sleep safely.
An example of what a safe sleep environment looks like can be seen here on the National Institute of Health’s website. A good summary however is to also remember the ABC’s of Safe Sleep: Alone, Back, Crib. Let’s break down each of the ABC’s:
Alone
It’s recommended that baby share a room but not a bed with parents for the first year of life.
No toys, pillows, blankets, crib bumpers or other loose items should be in baby’s crib.
Once baby is rolling over or taking off their swaddle blanket, it’s time to remove the swaddle blanket, or exchange it for a sleep suit that will keep baby warm.
Back
Put baby to sleep on their back, also called the supine position, for sleep.
If baby falls asleep in a carseat or stroller, it’s okay to stay there for short stretches. Place the carseat in an area where you can observe, or ideally put baby in the crib.
Crib
The terms “crib” and “bassinet” are regulated terms meaning that in order for a product to use those terms they must meet strict safety standards. Baby should not sleep in products called infant swings, beds, sleepers, napper or couch.
A crib with a flat, firm mattress should be used
Use a properly fitted sheet on the mattress.
And one last tip -as NationwideChildrens.org reminds us the “S” in ABC’S can stand for smoking…newborns “exposed to smoking, either while in the womb or after birth, have a higher risk of SIDS than infants who have not been exposed.”
Getting Baby on a Schedule and Sleeping Through the Night is a step-by-step plan to help your baby or twins naturally transition into sleeping longer stretches overnight. This plan should only be used once your pediatrician agrees it’s appropriate. In this article we define “sleeping through the night” as sleeping 6-8 hours without waking.
This is the same infant sleep framework our newborn care providers, night doulas, and night nurses (RN/LPN) use when parents ask:
“How can I get my baby on a schedule?”
“When and how do we start sleep training?”
There are a lot of right answers when it comes to care of an infant, and we don’t endorse a single parenting style. What we do offer are practical, medically-informed sleep training steps, created by our Registered Nurses and Night Nannies with guidance from our Medical Advisory Board.
Preparing to Help Baby Sleep Through the Night: Why the 4 Month Well Check Matters
The pediatrician visit around 4 months is often the right time to discuss sleeping through the night because:
By this age, most full-term babies take 4–6 ounces per feed, meaning they can go longer between feedings.
**Remember though, 4 months old is still really little!** While it can certainly happen, it shouldn’t be expected that an infant sleeps through night this early. We’re only citing this milestone as the time to begin the conversation and to possibly begin gently and gradually adding more food intake during the day to encourage sleep overnight.
Sleeping Through the Night
4 Steps to Sleeping Through the Night
Get Pediatrician Approval: Confirm your baby is ready to sleep 6-8 hours without needing overnight feeds.
Establish Consistent Daytime Feeds: Aim for 4 scheduled feeds of 6–7 oz during the day, plus a “dreamfeed” of 2–3 oz around 10 p.m. This provides about 28 oz total—enough for many babies to sleep long stretches.
Wean Overnight Feeds Gradually: While increasing daytime calories, reduce nighttime bottles by ½ oz every 2–3 nights. Pacifiers can help with comfort during this transition.
Introduce Formal Sleep Training: Once hunger is no longer a factor, begin structured sleep training (such as the one we like, Slingshot Method, below).
These 4 steps might take 2 weeks or more to implement and that’s okay! Every baby develops at their own pace. Don’t rush it, the goal is steady progress, not perfection. Infant Safe Sleep should also always be practiced for babies age 0-1 year old.
A Note About Naps: There are different opinions out there but our team of night nannies agrees that there’s no need to change anything regarding naps when you are helping a baby to sleep through the night. Once a child is consistently sleeping through the night, their naps will also become easier. Baby Sleep: Naps Decoded has more info on successful naps.
Consolidating Feeds: The Key to Longer Sleep
A crucial step to getting on schedule and sleeping through the night is ensuring infants are taking larger, consistent feeds during the day. This means giving 4 consistent feeding sessions (milk every 4 hours) with one last “dreamfeed” around 10:00pm.
Babies sleep best when calories are shifted to the day. The goal is four predictable daytime feeds (about every 4 hours), plus the dreamfeed.
Morning feed: Offer a full bottle as soon as baby wakes.
Subsequent feeds: Gradually stretch toward every 4 hours. In the beginning, it’s fine if you can only make it 3 hrs 15 min for a few days. The numbers don’t matter so much as some kind of progress.
Timeline: Expect at least 5–7 days before a true 4-hour schedule emerges, and 1–2 weeks for the full transition.
Pacifier: After giving less in the overnight bottle, it’s okay to use a pacifier. This way baby gets the soothing without filling their tummy.
During this period, babies will most likely still wake at night; not necessarily from hunger, but from habit. Reducing night feeds while building daytime calories teaches the body the difference between day and night.
With four daytime feeding sessions of 6–7 ounces each, plus a final “dreamfeed” around 10:00 p.m., most babies are taking in about 28 ounces in a 24-hour period. For many infants, this amount of milk is enough to sustain them overnight without additional calories. (again, the reason why we need the docs input).
Put another way, if you and your pediatrician agree that your baby is thriving on about 28 ounces per day, you can feel confident that nighttime waking is no longer about hunger, it’s about simply not having ever done nighttimes any other way. Your baby may still wake during the night, but you can rest assured they are not waking because they’re hungry. That peace of mind makes it easier to move forward with gentle night weaning and sleep training.
While you are transitioning to feed only during the day, remember:
the full transition time will take a week, maybe 2
we have not yet addressed formal sleep training where baby learns to sleep for 6+ hours
you’re still doing the normal overnight feeds but gradually giving less and less overnight. Don’t worry though, these ounces are being taken in during the day. So you’re not feeding less overall, just less overnight.
It’s important to understand that we are not reducing your baby’s daily nutrition. Instead, we’re shifting those ounces from overnight into the daytime. By filling the belly more consistently during the day, baby’s body naturally adapts to resting at night. This is the normal biological shift from the newborn “round-the-clock” rhythm (eat a little, sleep a little) to the more structured pattern of daytime feeding and nighttime sleeping.
tl:dr Gradually reduce the amount in your baby’s bottle by about ½ ounce every 2–3 nights (or longer, if needed). Once the bottle is down to just 1–2 ounces total, you can offer a pacifier instead. This allows your baby to enjoy the soothing effect of sucking without actually filling their tummy.
Once we know baby does not physically need milk overnight, we can address…
Sleeping Through the Night
One of the key factors in sleeping through the night is teaching a child to fall asleep on their own at bedtime, typically around 7:00–8:00 p.m. Putting baby down awake but drowsy gives them the tools to get back to sleep if they wake during the night.
A key component to helping baby get ready for bed and in the “drowsy but awake” state is to instill an average of a 30 minute wind-down routine. It doesn’t matter what the wind down is; just that it is the same 2-3 quiet things before bed every night so he can switch gears and can physically and mentally wind down for sleep. Baby cannot fall asleep using anything outside of his control. No pacifiers, no rocking, and no feeding to sleep because these are all controlled by the parent, not the baby. Baby needs to control how *he* gets himself to sleep.
When baby wakes for a bottle during the first night waking window, the Slingshot Method of sleep training can be very effective. This method, where a parent stays in the room while baby learns to fall asleep independently, is often the least jarring. Other methods can absolutely work too, depending on what you and your baby prefer.
How to do the Slingshot Method of Sleep Training
How to use the Slingshot Method:
This gradual approach helps baby feel secure while developing the self-soothing skills they need.
First few nights: Stay next to the crib, offering comfort with your voice and touch. You can pat or sing, but avoid picking up baby when they fuss. Baby needs to learn to fall asleep independently while feeling supported.
Next few nights: Sit a little farther from the crib and soothe with your voice. If baby continues fussing, briefly reassure with touch, spacing out interventions gradually.
Following nights: Move even further away, near the doorway, eventually sitting just outside the room. The goal is a slow, gradual shift so baby adapts comfortably.
Use the Slingshot Method for night wakings too. Night wakings are any wake times between 10:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Once baby can fall asleep independently at bedtime, they will generally be able to self-soothe during night wakings. If baby wakes at 6:00 a.m. happy and rested, that’s likely their natural wake time.
Consistency is Key
The most important thing to remember in helping a baby sleep through the night is consistency. If you are sure, and the pediatrician agrees, that baby is able to sleep through the night without waking to feed, the only way sleep training works is to see it through. For example, if baby cries for 10 minutes and you give a bottle, they learned that crying for 10 minutes = bottle.
Getting Baby on a Schedule and Sleeping Through the Night: Twins and Schedules for Older Babies
Twins sharing the same room should be kept together for sleep training since they will need to learn to sleep through each other’s wake ups. In the beginning however, if one twin wakes and needs soothing you might try to comfort both so their sleep cycles stay aligned. Consistency helps both adapt faster.
To help with this transition from dependent to independent sleep, you can make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible by incorporating dark blinds and shades and a small nightlight in the room. Calm activities during the afternoon will also help pave the way for a calm bedtime. Below is a sample schedule for a 4-6 month old, based on an average 7:00 awake-for-the-day time. If baby wakes at 6, simply adjust back 1 hour.
There will be 3 “blocks” of 4 hours. The last block includes only a short nap since it is close to bedtime.
Nap #3 in the late afternoon will disappear in month 7. You will see the nap become shorter and less reliable for about 3-4 weeks until the last nap eventually drops altogether.
Each block begins with milk and the last block ends with milk. So feeding times are at: 7am, 11:00am, 3pm and 6:30pm. There will obviously be some adjustment time where the schedule is not perfect. This transition time it will likely last 5-7 days.
Sample Schedule for a 4-6 Month Old
7:00 wake up, change
7:15 or 7:30 5/6 oz. milk
8:30 solids: grain or grain + fruit
9:30 wind down
10:00 nap
4 hour cycle repeats upon waking up
11:30 5/6 oz. milk
12:30 solids: grain or grain + veg (when lunch is introduced)
12:00 – 1:00 activity
1:00 – 1:30 wind down for nap
1:30 – 3:30 nap
4 hour cycle repeats again upon waking from nap, but with a third short nap*-
3:30 5/6 oz. milk
3:30 – 4:30 quiet play, try to stay around home and stick to calm activities
4:30 – 5ish nap
5:30 dinner of solids (This is appropriate whenever you begin an evening meal. We’re including it so you can see what it looks like to have a 3 meal per day schedule)
6:15 – 7:00 5/6 oz. milk, bed
Last thing… the Dreamfeed
The 10:00pm Dreamfeed as the last feed of the night and baby does not have to be fully awake for this. It is just a small 2-3 ounce feed to “top baby off” for the night. You don’t have to wake baby, simply hold the bottle to their lips and they’ll instinctually take in what is needed. When finished, there’s no need to burp but you may opt to do a quick diaper change at this time. Learn more about why this works in What is a Dreamfeed?Remember this schedule is only a sample, it might not work for you and that is perfectly fine!
Vaccine notifications pouring in from our Night Nurses & Nannies, January 2021
As the pandemic emergency is officially over on May 11, 2023, this post is no longer being updated. We are keeping it up as an archived post for those interested in how the company handled COVID19.
COVID19 and Newborn Care Best Practices for our Night Nurses and Postpartum Caregivers working in the family home have been updated as the coronavirus pandemic evolves. Vaccinations are now widely available and covid19 testing easily accessible, so we’re able to service more families while still remaining vigilant with safety. Below is a breakdown of our COVID19 safety and ongoing best practices:
Updated, Nov 20 2021 – Yes, we are all vaccinated including the booster. We understand some folks have big feelings about the vaccine however, as an evidence-based newborn and postpartum care company we’re following the advice of the CDC, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and the AAP.
Updated, Jan 11 2021 – Our Nurses and Newborn Care Providers are now receiving the 2nd round of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. We still wear masks because it’s possible for a vaccinated individual to transmit the virus. We also want to protect those in the household too young to receive immunization or those who are immune-compromised.
Update – Dec 1, 2020 We’ve prided ourselves on using the highest vetting and safety practices possible since we began in 2010. As a company dedicated to evidence-based care, we lean on the recommendations of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other primary sources. Specifically we follow the AAP statement that vaccines are “ethical, necessary and just” to protect vulnerable populations. Too young to receive vaccines themselves, newborns and infants are considered vulnerable.
COVID19 and Newborn Care Best Practices
Coronavirus has caused us to examine and refine our practices even further. Here is an overview of current Let Mommy Sleep practices:
What we always do:
Wash Hands – Caregivers wash hands upon arrival into the family home and continue handwashing and sanitizing through the night and before and after all contact with baby.
Remove Shoes – upon arrival into your home.
Masking – Masks are required unless the family and caregiver mutually agree that they are comfortable without masks.
Vaccinate – We follow evidence-based science. We remain updated on all vaccinations to minimize the risk of illnesses to which newborns are vulnerable. These include influenza, pertussis (MMR), TDaP and COVID.
Continuing Ed – Provide free continuing education to all staff. This ensures we’re following the most recent safety, health and care guidelines.
Err on the side of caution – Staff is kept home at any sign of illness, even if symptoms might be “just allergies.”
What can we do together to minimize exposure?
Please leave sanitizing wipes or other household cleaners out for our team to use periodically through the night. While we can’t always practice social distancing when caring for babies, we can wear masks, handwash and clean, clean, clean!
We can’t wait to see you again and remain thankful and privileged to be in your homes. If you’d like to learn more about us and our practices, please visit this page.
