Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

Ella's a snacker. She often will take an oz or 2, then take a break, and come back for more later on.

I feed on demand, and havent tried to get her on a schedule. But I can see the advantages of a schedule, and I'm wondering HOW I would create one.

I've tried to keep her feeding for longer periods so she eats more at once, but she's stubborn. When she's done, she's done and when she wants food, she wants it NOW.

I see people talking about feedings every 3 or 4 hours, and its such a foreign idea over here (unless she's napping/sleeping)...lifting my shirt evey 15 minutes gets old fast, so she often gets expressed BM or formula during the day.

She seems to take more at once from a bottle than boob (she just took 4 oz from the bottle and went to sleep), but I don't really know if thats true since I don't know how much she's getting when she's nursing.

(she's 9.5 weeks, and has created somewhat of a schedule for herself at night - she's generally in bed 9pm-9am and sleeps 6-8 hours at first, and then is up every 2-3 hours after)

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

I have always pretty much fed DD on demand, but she has basically scheduled herself. I have never said "Oh, it's been 4 hours...time to feed her". She just starts looking to eat about every 4 hours during the day. If she doesn't look to eat for 4.5 or 5 hours then I don't feed her. On the other hand, if she seems really hungry after 3 or 3.5 hours, I feed her then.

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

I always fed my DS on demand too and it was always much more frequent than 3 or 4 hours. The entire time I breastfed him (unti he was 7 months) he would rarely go longer than 2.5 hours.

His pedi used to insist that he could and should go longer between feedings... I think he said that he should once he hit 4 months.. b/c their stomachs are bigger and can hold more. Although my DS didn't most babies will start stretching out feedings as they get older.

So I wouldn't worry too much for now considering she is still so young and you are breastfeeding.

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

I always fed Noah on demand and he was always a snacker, which worked for us, however I always wondered why som any people were scheduled with BF'ing and bottle feeding. I, you see, am WAY too lazy to work on a schedule. BUT once Noah hit around 6 months and sarted eating 3 solid meals a day, it was much easier to space his bottles farther apart. I think if it works for you to have the baby snacking on small amounts of milk, thats absolutely fine! You can wait untils he is older to pu her on a schedule when it really matters!

hope that helps...or is vaguely interesting!

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

At 9.5 weeks we were still on demand...I would say though that when she started going to the babysitter is when it started to get more of a schedule. Daycare is good in creating a schedule -- whether that's a good thing or a bad thing...

My sister's daughter is 6 months, is EBF, and is still on demand -- eating anywhere between 1-2 hours apart. I think for breastfed babies it's even harder because the milk doesn't hold them over as much since it's not as heavy as formula.

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

I wasnt able to get DS on a schedule until he was 3 months. I BF the first 6 weeks and I also felt like my shirt was always up and my DH didnt understand why I was always in my PJ's. I then switched to formula and still fed him on demand and he would eat every 2 hours. Then oneday I was able to put it to 3 hours and increased it by an ounce and then he kinda created his own schedule. He sleeps from 630pm to 6:30am, durning the day he eats 7oz every 3 hours. She is still little and eventually I think will eventually evolve into a routine without you realizing it. That is what happened with me anyway.

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

DS is 5 1/2 months and I still feed on demand. At 9.5 weeks there was still no pattern to it and he definitely ate more often than every 3 hours. As he got older the feedings became more spaced out and now it is usually about every 3 hours, but sometimes more and sometimes less.

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

DD fell into her own "schedule" but it was on demand....does that make sense?

I'd feed her when she was hungry and it ended up being at the same time/same time intervals (every 2 1/2 hrs) but she'd take a whole bottle

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

thank you! its nice to see she's not the only one

Re: Feeding on demand vs. scheduled...

My DD is 7 mths tomorrow and still feeds on demand...she has been EBF since birth and in the beginning I felt like I just sat there with my shirt up but I was told that with BF babies that was life....that their tummies are small and to not even think about her stretching out until she was 3 months...

Eventually they do start to stretch out...my DD can go 3 hours now but she still feeds during the night 2/3 times....

Hang in there