Breastfeeding latch and positions: how to get a comfortable latch

A good latch is one that feels comfortable and lets your baby take a big mouthful of breast, not just the nipple. Look for a wide-open mouth, a chin pressed into your breast, full rounded cheeks and a steady rhythm of sucking and swallowing. The NHS guide to positioning and attachment adds one visual check: you should see much more of the darker areola above your baby's top lip than below their bottom lip.

Latching is a skill you and your baby learn together, and small changes often make a big difference. This guide covers how to latch step by step, six positions to try, how to feed lying down safely, and when to get hands-on help.

What does a good breastfeeding latch look and feel like?

The Australian Breastfeeding Association's attachment guide and the NHS describe the same signs. Some sensitivity in the early days can be normal, but feeding shouldn't keep hurting.

Afterwards, your nipple should look much the same shape as before. The NHS page on sore nipples says a flattened, wedge-shaped or white nipple after a feed can be a sign of poor attachment.

How do you latch a baby step by step?

This is the approach the NHS and the Australian Breastfeeding Association describe, sometimes called mother-led attachment.

1. Get comfortable first. Sit, recline or lie down with your back and arms supported, shoulders relaxed. Use a footstool if you find yourself leaning forward.
2. Hold your baby close. Their chest is against you, and their head and body are in a straight line. Support their neck and shoulders, not the back of their head, so they can tip their head back.
3. Line up nose to nipple. Let your baby's head tip back a little so their top lip brushes your nipple.
4. Wait for a wide gape. Brush your nipple and the underside of your areola against their mouth until they open wide, like a yawn. Keep your fingers well back from the nipple.
5. Bring your baby to the breast, chin first. Aim your nipple towards the roof of their mouth and bring them in quickly, so they take a large mouthful from below. Move your baby to you rather than leaning your breast into their mouth.
6. Check for comfort. If it feels sharp or pinching, slide a clean finger into the corner of your baby's mouth, between the gums, to break the suction, and start again.
7. Fine-tune. Pulling your baby's bottom and legs in closer often deepens the latch. Check that an arm or clothing isn't in the way.

Re-latching as many times as it takes is normal, especially in the first weeks.

What is baby-led attachment, and when does it help?

Baby-led (or laid-back) attachment lets your baby's reflexes do more of the work. The Australian Breastfeeding Association's baby-led attachment guide suggests it when you're both learning, or when your baby is finding it tricky to attach.

1. Start with a calm baby. Settle them first if they're upset — crying is a late hunger cue (see hunger cues).
2. Lean back on pillows, rather than sitting upright, with your baby upright on your chest, ideally skin to skin.
3. Let your baby set the pace. They may bob their head, slide down, and use their hands and feet to move towards the breast.
4. When ready, they open wide, dig their chin in and latch. Support their neck and shoulders, and avoid pushing on the back of their head.

The more practice your baby gets, the better they usually become at it.

Which breastfeeding position is best?

There's no single right position — choose whichever feels stable and pain-free, and change it if it isn't working. These come from the Australian Breastfeeding Association's positioning guide and the NHS Start for Life guide to breastfeeding positions.

A few tips from both sources: keep your baby's arms free rather than tightly wrapped; if you use a feeding pillow, keep holding your baby rather than resting them on it; and watch that a pillow doesn't lift your baby too high or too low. The NHS notes the cradle hold can press on a caesarean scar. It also says it isn't safe to breastfeed while your baby is in a sling or carrier, so take them out first.

Is it safe to breastfeed lying down?

Side-lying can be a restful way to feed at any time of day. The Australian Breastfeeding Association's guide to feeding lying down suggests:

1. Lie on your side with your head on a pillow, kept away from your baby's head.
2. Roll your baby to face you, hips close to yours, nose level with your nipple. A small rolled wrap behind a young baby's bottom (not near their head) can help them stay on their side for the feed.
3. Keep your arm above and clear of your baby's head.
4. To change sides, lean over to offer the top breast, or roll over together.

It also says this is about feeding lying down, not co-sleeping — and that's the key safety point. Falling asleep while breastfeeding is very common, so plan for it.

The AAP's safe sleep guide says to put your baby back in their own sleep space before you go to sleep, and if you do doze off, to move them as soon as you wake. The Lullaby Trust says never to fall asleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby. The Australian Breastfeeding Association's co-sleeping page adds that a bed set up for safety is safer than a sofa or armchair. For full guidance, see safe sleep and bed sharing.

Why does my baby keep slipping off the breast or clicking?

Most latch problems have a fixable cause. Common ones:

• Engorged breasts. A very full, tight areola is hard to grasp. The Australian Breastfeeding Association's engorgement page suggests hand expressing a little first, or reverse pressure softening: press your fingertips in around the nipple for 1 to 3 minutes or longer until the tissue softens.
• Position drift. Your baby's head turns, or their body falls away from yours during the feed. Re-align ear, shoulder and hip, and pull their bottom in close.
• A crying or very sleepy baby. Calm a crying baby before trying again. For ways to rouse a sleepy newborn, see breastfeeding in the first week.
• Tongue-tie. The NHS tongue-tie page lists difficulty latching or staying attached, long and frequent feeds, clicking during feeds, taking only small amounts and poor weight gain as possible signs, and says the feeding parent may have sore nipples. Many babies with tongue-tie feed well; if feeding is affected, a trained health professional can assess it.
• A fast milk flow. The Australian Breastfeeding Association says some babies prefer the straddle hold, sitting upright, when the flow is fast.

If you're thinking about a nipple shield, get help from a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor first, as good attachment still matters. See sore nipples for nipple care.

When should you get help with your baby's latch?

Call your local emergency number (000 in Australia, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US) now if your baby is not feeding and is hard to wake or floppy, has had no wet nappy for 12 hours, or has breathing difficulty or blue, grey or mottled skin — these are among the emergency signs in the NHS guide to whether your baby is seriously ill. A temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher in a baby under 3 months is also an emergency.

See your midwife or GP the same day if your baby has fewer wet nappies than expected or seems hungry after most feeds — see is my baby getting enough milk?.

Get feeding support soon — from your midwife, child-health nurse, a lactation consultant or a breastfeeding helpline (the Australian Breastfeeding Association on 1800 686 268 in Australia, the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212 in the UK) — if:

• feeding hurts at every feed, or your nipples are cracked or bleeding
• pain continues even after you've adjusted the latch
• your baby can't stay attached, or feeds are very long and frequent
• you think your baby might have tongue-tie.

A supporter watching a whole feed can often spot the one change that makes it comfortable.

What's useful to note

Jot down which side hurts, when in the feed the pain starts, which positions feel better, and what your nipple looks like after feeds. That gives whoever helps you a head start.