When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

Just wondering when you made the switch? Does it happen naturally or do you have to somehow "make it happen" ?

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

DD never really gave me any hunger cues so I BFed her every 3-4 hours from about 4 weeks on. It was actually great having her on a "schedule" bc I felt more free to do things.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

DD pretty much set her own schedule. It was around 4 months that I realized she was eating every 3 hours and around the same times. We started a schedule from then on.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

DS is almost 10 months and we still feed on demand, somewhat. We feed him every 3 hours, demand or not, but if he's crying for food at 2.5 hours we will feed him. It's a loose schedule, and if we are, say out shopping then it is usually longer than 3 hours, depending.

To answer your other question, DS doesn't have a set bedtime either. He is never tired at the same time every day - things like late naps, missing a nap, etc. factor in. He usually goes down from 6:30 to 7:30, and I base his evening eating schedule on that so that he can have a 6 to 8 oz bottle before bed. So if 3 hours from his last feed is 5 p.m. I'll just give him a jar of food so he'll be hungry in 2 hours to take his bottle and fill his belly before bed.

Since you LO is still really young, I would just let her eat when she's hungry and sleep when she wants to sleep. She will wake up and lyk when she is hungry. Waking her up to have her on a schedule isn't a good idea IMO b/c she will wake that time as a habit even if she's not hungry.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

I swtiched him to a schedule at 6 weeks. He was eating every 2 hours and I needed a break. I got him to every 3 hours by doing the eat, play, sleep routine. He started sleeping longer at night also. STTN at 10 weeks and was on a solid schedule when I went back to work at 12 weeks.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

I EBF on demand, but set more of a schedule for her solid meals.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

I have bee formula feeding on demand since my lo was 2 months and he is 6 months now. I give him solids on a schedule. My lo isn't a big drinker so a schedule doesn't work for us.

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

i let DS guide me - by 4 months i noticed he was eating aroudn the same times and i just started to write it down and then kept to the schedule. i always let him guide the schedule

Re: When did you go from feeding on demand to feeding on a schedule?

I always just fed on demand with all 3 of my babies. Eventually it fell into sort of a "routine", but never a set 'schedule". There were hungry days, and not so hungry days, cluster feeding days, and days when they would eat and eat all day.