Feed on demand or by schedule?

If you have a newborn and bottle feed (either breast milk or formula), do you feed on demand meaning, wait until your LO cries for milk or do you go by a schedule - every 2, 3 or 4 hours?

Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

We fed on demand. Ds was a chow. He was eating like every hour. Had I waited a certain amout of hours we all would have been miserable.

Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

At that age, on demand.

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We fed on schedule during the day (unless he demanded more earlier) - and on demand at night.

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on demand
BUT never letting it go more than three hours during the day

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for the first 2 weeks every 3 hours ( only for the e first week we woke her at nght) now its on demand

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On demand and I breastfed both (first one for 9 months, second one for 8 weeks until she needed to go on Neocate). Once my second went on Neocate, I did do more of a schedule.

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At first it was on demand with both my boys.\

DS#1 was FF. But after a few weeks I did have to keep and eye on clock too because he started using hte bottle as a comfort item and wanted it every 1.5 hours...and he wouldnt take a paci.

DS#2 was 95% BF/expressed bm until 8 weeks (now was are about 50/50) and I fed on demand. Around 8 weeks he kinda fell into a 2.5-3 hour routine on his one. (but there were times he nursed or wanted a bottle every hour and I gave it to him - with BM)

Message edited 6/27/2011 4:07:59 PM.

Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

Every 3 hours right now, because he is so tiny ( under 6 lbs).

When he gets a bit bigger, I think we'll do on demand at night, but never more than 4 hours during the day.

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We fed on demand when DD was a newborn

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on demand.....never really went more than 3 hours in the first few weeks anyway....after a while I had the 2hr rule....had to be at least 2 hrs before I fed her again.

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we did formula and our doctor told us to do every 4 hours. luckily, that was pretty much DSs schedule anyway so it worked out. also, we knew he was hitting a growth spurt or not feeling well because he would change his eating habits and keeping him on a schedule helped us monitor that

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Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

I breastfed and bottle fed BM and I was on demand..but tried to push it to the 2 hr mark...if it was sooner than that!

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I did on demand for awhile. My supply came in late and I was so worried DD wasn't eating enough because I couldn't pump more than an ounce, if that. Figured out supply was fine just stink at pumping. My understanding though is that by doing on demand initially you can build your supply so you prodruce enough milk for your LO. If your supplementing your body won't know to make more milk. GL!

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Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

On demand but sometimes on schedule if she doesn't cry and/or I have to wake her during the day. The longest I let it go is 3 hours.

Re: Feed on demand or by schedule?

I was told by nurse, that with bottle feeding, try by schedule during the day. At night, try not to feed unless there is demand. This will help the baby develop good sleeping habits. I've also read that when babies take feeding every 4 hours its when they are ready to STTN, because its assumed at this point they are taking enough at each bottle. I think newborns need more like 2-3 hours usually.

And always keep a log of when and what the baby is eating and when they poop, because it will help you make a schedule later on.

Message edited 6/28/2011 9:36:01 AM.