A Deep Versus Shallow Latch: What it Means & When it Matters
If you’ve been feeling unsure about whether your baby’s latch is deep enough—and what that actually means—you’re not the only one.
Feeding can feel confusing, especially when it comes to things like deep vs shallow latch. It’s hard to know what’s normal, when to be concerned, or if the latch is part of what’s making feeding harder than it needs to be.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the difference between a deep and shallow latch, how to know what kind of latch your baby has, and when it actually matters (and when it doesn’t).
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On the surface, the difference between a deep versus a shallow latch seems pretty straightforward.
A shallow latchmeans your baby mostly has just your nipple inside their mouth.
A deep latchmeans they’ve got your nipple plus some of your breast or chest tissue inside their mouth.
But in reality, it’s more confusing than that. A latch isn’t like a light switch where it’s either deep or shallow—it’s a spectrum. On one end, there’s a very deep latch. On the other, a very shallow one. Most babies fall somewhere in the middle.
Baby with a deep latch—the mouth is open and has both the nipple and areola in their mouth.
This baby has a shallower latch. The nipple is inside, but it covers much less of the areola.
Baby with a deep latch—the mouth is open and has both the nipple and areola in their mouth.
This baby has a shallower latch. The nipple is inside, but it covers much less of the areola.
This baby has the shallowest latch. The mouth covers only the nipple, with no areola inside.
All the ways a latch can be “more shallow” or “more deep” is what makes it feel tricky—especially since your baby’s latch can vary from feed to feed. And that’s okay. Your baby doesn’t need a perfect latch every time they feed.
But sometimes it feels like the latch is a report card on how well you're doing—and that can leave you feeling anxious all the time.
No matter what kind of latch your baby has, it’s just information. It’s a clue about what’s going on inside their mouth in that moment.
That said, if your baby’s latch is always on the shallow side—every single time—it may be a sign that something isn’t working quite as well as it could.
Causes of a Deep vs. Shallow Latch
This is one of my favorite things to talk about—because so many parents think it’s their fault. They feel like they just don’t know how to latch their baby “the right way.”
And while it’s absolutely true that how you hold, support, and position your baby can make a difference, whether your baby gets a deep or shallow latch is about much more than just how you’re holding them.
How deep or shallow your baby’s latch is during any given feed is really just their way of showing you how well the muscles in their mouth are working together in that moment.
It helps to reframe the latch as something that happens—not something you do. Once you’ve set your baby up for success, the latch is just the outcome. Instead of blaming yourself when it’s shallow, you can get curious: What might help next time? Why might this be happening consistently?
Three Key Factors That Impact Latch Depth
Positioning – How your baby is positioned during feeding is crucial. A good position helps your baby take in more tissue and opens their mouth wide enough for a deeper latch.
Mouth Opening (Gape) – For a deep latch, your baby needs to open wide. The size of that opening—what we call their “gape”—determines how much they can take in.
Muscle Coordination – A deep latch also depends on how well your baby’s tongue, jaw, and lips are working together. They need to be able to coordinate those movements to create a strong latch and vacuum.
Why a Shallow Latch Matters
When your baby has the deepest latch they can, it makes feeding easier for them. The more tissue they have inside their mouth, the more easily they can use the muscles in their tongue and mouth. When those muscles are working well, your baby creates a vacuum that helps milk flow from your body into theirs.
This makes feeding more efficient, effective, and comfortable.
But when your baby only has your nipple in their mouth, many of those muscles can’t make contact with your tissue to help remove milk. Their ability to use their tongue to create a vacuum becomes limited. Instead, they have to suck to create that vacuum—and that’s much harder.
Just like when you try to drink a thick milkshake through a straw and your mouth muscles get tired, your baby’s mouth muscles can feel tired too.
And instead of distributing the force from their strong jaw muscles onto your less sensitive chest tissue, that force gets focused on your very sensitive nipple.
This can cause a whole lot of pain and damage, and it can also make it harder for your baby to remove milk—kind of like if you were pinching that same straw while trying to drink through it.
A shallow latch also makes it harder for their lips to form a solid seal around your tissue. That lets air in, which makes the vacuum less effective—just like a straw doesn’t work well if it has a hole in it. It can also cause your baby to swallow extra air, which can leave them more gassy and uncomfortable.
And over time, if a shallow latch keeps your baby from draining milk well, your supply can start to go down too.
Pay Attention If
It causes pain. If you feel soreness or discomfort during breastfeeding or chestfeeding, that could mean a shallow latch—especially if it feels like your nipple is being sucked on without enough areola in your baby’s mouth.
It affects milk transfer. If your baby’s latch is shallow, they may not be able to transfer milk efficiently, which could affect their weight gain and your milk supply.
It happens all the time. If no matter what you do, your baby consistently has a shallow latch, that’s a sign things may not be working as well as they can.
When a Shallow Latch Doesn’t Matter
Not every latch has to be your baby’s best latch. Sometimes your baby wakes up frantic and hungry, and you just want to get your nipple into their mouth as fast as you possibly can.
It’s OK to do that.
I call this the “in case of emergency, break glass” latch.
This is a wonderful tool to have in your toolbox because, in the real world, babies don’t behave like textbooks. And the reality is—some feedings are just hard.
When you use the “emergency” latch, it’s going to be shallow—and that’s OK. You knew it was going to be shallow, and you picked it anyway.
A shallow latch is a problem if you’re doing everything you can to help your baby get a good latch, and no matter what you do—they still end up shallow.
A Shallow Latch Isn't a Problem if
It doesn't happen all the time… and
It’s not hurting you… and
Your baby is getting the calories they need to grow and thrive… and
You can feel they’re draining your breasts or chest after feeding
If these things are true, then a shallow latch isn’t a problem. It’s just your baby doing the best they can in that moment—and that’s enough.
Helping Your Baby Get a Deeper Latch
If your baby’s latch feels shallow no matter what you do, that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it usually means something’s getting in their way.
A deep latch depends on how easily your baby can use the muscles in their mouth and body to stay calm, open wide, and move with coordination. And sometimes, little things can make that a whole lot harder.
What Gets in the Way?
Hunger – If your baby is frantic or overtired, it’s harder for them to stay calm and organized.
Tension – Tense muscles can’t move easily, and that can keep your baby from opening wide or coordinating their latch.
Discomfort – If something doesn’t feel right in their body, they may arch, fuss, or pull away.
Restricted movement – If your baby can’t move symmetrically or get into a good position, it makes it harder to latch well.
What You Can Try
Feed a little earlier – Try offering the breast or chest when your baby is showing early signs they’re ready to eat. The calmer they are, the easier it is for them to use all their muscles well.
Switch up positioning – Try different nursing or feeding positions—sometimes just a small shift in how you’re holding them makes it easier for them to get a deeper latch.
Wait for the wide mouth – Let your baby lead. When their chin is tucked in and they’re using their own reflexes, they’re more likely to open wide and get on deeply.
Get support if needed – If you’re doing all the right things and your baby still ends up shallow, that’s not your fault. A qualified lactation consultant can help figure out what’s going on beneath the surface.
The most important thing to remember is that your baby’s latch is not a reflection of how good of a parent you are, or how good you are at feeding them. It’s just information—about how well they’re using all of their feeding muscles in that moment.
And unless it’s hurting you or keeping your baby from getting the calories they need, a shallow latch is simply an opportunity. It’s a chance to experiment, make small adjustments, and figure out what works best for you and your baby.
When you figure it out, their latch will tell you.
Nobody has ever latched your baby with your anatomy before—and it’s okay not to know how to do everything just right in the beginning. Latching and feeding your baby is a learning experience. And if you can’t figure it out on your own, there are lots of amazing professionals who can help you get it just right—whatever that looks like for you.
Prefer to Watch Instead? Same Content, Different Format.
➤ What a “good latch” really means
➤ How latch works like a slope—not a switch
➤ Why your baby’s body position impacts latch depth
➤ How to tell if your baby is gaping wide enough
➤ What’s happening inside the mouth during feeding
➤ What to look for—and what to adjust—if latch still feels off
Click for sound
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Have More Questions?
The most important step in fixing a shallow latch is figuring out why it’s shallow to begin with.
If your baby isn’t opening their mouth wide enough, then the first thing to try is adjusting your positioning—especially how you’re holding your baby during the latch. Sometimes just changing angles or support can help the latch start off deeper.
But if your baby does get a deep latch and then consistently shifts to something more shallow (even when you’re doing everything “right”), that may be a sign there’s something going on inside your baby’s mouth. In those cases, it can be helpful to have a professional take a closer look and assess what’s going on functionally.
Yes, a tongue tie can absolutely contribute to a shallow latch. When a baby has a tongue tie, their tongue doesn’t move as freely as it should inside their mouth.
Babies are clever—if they can’t lift their tongue well, they often adjust by taking a shallower latch so they can use the front part of their tongue more easily to suck.
That said, a tongue tie isn’t the only reason a latch might be shallow. Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to look at positioning and make sure your baby is lined up well before they latch. Sometimes small adjustments in how you're holding your baby can make a big difference in how deep the latch feels.
If your baby isn’t removing milk well because of their shallow latch, then yes—over time, that can lead to a drop in supply.
But not every shallow latch causes problems. Plenty of babies with a latch that’s more on the shallow side still do a great job draining your milk. I’ve seen lots of feeding relationships thrive even when the latch isn’t textbook-deep.
The biggest risk for supply issues tends to show up when:
Your baby has a shallow latch and
They’re not removing milk very well and
Feeds start getting spaced out—especially if you’re dropping night feeds
That’s usually when I start to see supply dip for parents with a baby who latches more shallowly.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Avery—an IBCLC and educator with over twenty-five years of experience, and I'm so glad you're here. I started this blog because I know how overwhelming it can feel when feeding doesn’t go the way it’s “supposed to.”
After working with hundreds (and hundreds) of families, I wanted a space to share what actually works—clearly, compassionately, and without all the noise.
