Can a 6-month-old sleep through the night without waking?

While it's biologically possible for a 6-month-old to sleep through the night uninterrupted, this developmental milestone doesn't happen at the same time for every baby. Developmentally, most 6-month-olds may still need nighttime feeding—their stomachs are small, and prolonged hunger beyond 6-8 hours can affect blood sugar. That said, some babies do shift to 6-8 hour uninterrupted sleep blocks at this age. Two main factors matter: first, your baby gets enough calories during the day (helped along by the introduction of solids); second, the melatonin rhythm that starts forming around 4 months is becoming more established by month 6. So it's possible to hope for, but no need to worry if it hasn't happened yet—a significant portion of 6-month-olds still wake 1-2 times per night. A good sign they're ready: if your baby wakes and can fall back asleep on their own within 10-15 minutes, the system is working. If not, it may be more of a developmental regression or nighttime hunger—and that's okay.