How r u planning to feed...

[Dee83]

R u planning to feed baby on demand or at set times?

I was thinking that on demand sounded best as i don't like the idea of waking my baby up to give him a feed just because 'it's time'. However, i've just been lent a book that is all for feeding by a set schedule and says that if you follow the guidelines u could have baby sleeping through the night by the time they are only a couple of months old. It also says that feeding on demand can sometimes make baby take more milk and therefore put on excess weight.

I don't know what to do for the best so thought i would ask your opinions

I'm bottle feeding by the way.

Thanks,

Dee xxx

 

[nikki8092]

I fed my 2 little ones on demand and plan on doing same with this one when he/she arrives x

 

[nikki8092]

And my little girl slept through from 6 weeks old x

 

[excited]

Oh my god!! Yet another thing that I havent even thought about! No wonder my little one is refusing to come out - mummy is far from ready - eek

 

[Dee83]

That's good to know thanks nikki. Do u have any tips on how to get it to work so well? Do u just feed them when they are crying but u know that it's not for another reason, like them needing a nappy change etc?xxx

 

[Dee83]

Oh my god!! Yet another thing that I havent even thought about! No wonder my little one is refusing to come out - mummy is far from ready - eek

Don't worry hun, i imagine that alot of people just play it by ear and see what works best for them and baby at the time. I'm a serial over planner tho, i feel anxious if i don't have a plan

 

[ISH]

That's a very good thread - I haven't even given it a shadow of a thought so far. But I had planned to get a routine going as soon as possible so baby might have a day/night rhythm and sounds like I'm going to feed him at set times.

 

[flexilexi394]

Sorry to crash! But I breastfed on demand and my LO slept through from 3 weeks old very rarely waking for a feed at about 2 am then straight back to sleep. Shes 9 months now and sleeps through fine xx

 

[jomc]

Im planning on demand. My midwife spoke to me about it and apparently its what my hosp suggests. Its also how everyone in my family has done so im just following that really!

 

[jojo_2012]

I fed on demand but when they're tiny I plan not to go more than 3/4hrs until my breastfeeding is well established. But I'll still play it by ear.

 

[Lulabell]

I have no idea... something I havent really thought about. I have also heard that on demand can lead to increased weight gain so I don't know. I was a chubby child and remained that way all my life. I wouldnt want my child to be like me. I got teased so badly. xx

 

[Rachaellius]

Good thread, yeah I'm thinking I don't like the idea of waking the baby up for a fed. If baby is hungry surely they would wake up. But then again obviously I wouldn't let them go too long without a feed xx

 

[Hunnie]

I hadnt even thought about this! I think I'd like to have it so I feed on demand but in a kind of routine, just not specific times but generally around the same times every day

 

[Lisa_85]

Im going to feed on demand, and hopefully Crumpet will settle into his own routine. He should only feed what he needs.

x

 

[Dee83]

As far as i am aware my hospital advises to feed at set times, i'm still not sure what to do.

So, to those who have fed their LO's on demand before, do u just wait until they cry to feed them - obviously checking that theyre not crying for another reason first?

 

[gingerxmas]

Oh no, another thing to decide??? I had never even thought of feeding at set times, my logic was you fed them when hungry, same as you do with an adult!

 

[nikki8092]

you kinda fall into your own routine hun, you will get to know what a hungry cry is rather than an uncomfortable one. x

 

[Niknak]

Waking them up to feed them really isn't that bad! You can do it in a very cam and quiet way, especially at night - most of the babies I have looked after have been in set routines and would get fed amounts and timings depending on how old they are. Dreamfeeding is great - you get the baby up but only with lights on low and not much noise then they feed almost in their sleep which makes it pretty easy to settle them again, this way you have fed them before they wake up starving! I only ever did this at 10pm feeds as was the nanny not the mother!
HOWEVER I am not saying at any point that on demand feeding doesnt work - I think its much easier to do a routine if you are bottle feeding as you know exactly how much food your baby has eaten, so if for example the baby didnt finish his/her last bottle then you know why he/she is screaming an hour later! That is much harder to judge when you are b'feeding as it is so hard to tell how much they have eaten.
Both ways have positive and negatives so I think that staying open to a bit of trial and error is the way to go - try on demand to start with as its so much more natural then if you are struggling with knowing what the baby wants and with sleep try imposing a bit of routine and see how that goes, maybe even combine the two!
Sorry - just realised how long this post is - didn't mean to rant!

 

[1986princess]

not even thought how to feed, what would be easier with twins? god im clueless

 

[nikki8092]

i think with twins it would be better for a timed routine otherwise you will get times where they are both screaming to be fed. Not sure tho as im not mum of twins x