Baby Wise: Scheduled Feedings vs. On-Demand Feedings

Photo: Mary DeCrescenzio

When I was pregnant with my first baby, a mom of twins gave me a book called Baby Wise, which I read eagerly and then re-read once my baby was born. Little did I know the controversy between moms that schedule feed their babies vs. moms who feed on demand.

Baby Wise Principles:
1. Use a basic schedule for feeding your infant, with feedings every 2.5-3 hours.
2. Try to ensure your infant gets a full feeding each time he/she eats.
3. Keep your infant awake for a little while between each feeding cycle during the day.
4. The purpose of a good daytime schedule is to help your baby to sleep better at night.
5. Use your parental instincts to adjust your baby's feeding schedule as appropriate.

These principles did not seem controversial to me, but I noticed a lot of mixed reviews on Amazon because some moms disagree with the idea of a feeding schedule. On-demand feeding and scheduled feeding can actually look very similar in practice if your baby eats well for each feeding because likely he/she will not be hungry again for a few hours. But if your baby cries and you nurse him for 5 minutes, he likely will eat again soon.

Some on-demand feeding moms stated they disagree with scheduled feedings because it leads to infants not gaining weight. That would only be the case if you are not feeding your baby enough volume each day. Obviously, if your baby's 2-week checkup shows he/she is not gaining enough weight, the doctor will have you increase your baby's milk/formula intake. Remember that the first few weeks, your baby will eat often--sometimes every 2 hours.

Using scheduled feedings for my children did not cause any lack of weight gain. Actually, my son's weight increased from 7 lbs at birth to 15 lbs at 2 months. One benefit of the feeding schedule and daytime wake times for my babies was that they slept through the night by 2-3 months.

Mom's Advice for new moms:
1. Baby Wise has some good ideas and is worth a read.
2. Use common sense when feeding your infant. It's your motherly instinct.
3. Do what works best for you and your family even if it is different than everyone else.
4. Follow your doctor's guidelines and call the lactation nurse for extra advice.
5. Consider breastmilk only for the first 6 months. Don't give up too soon on breastfeeding your infant even if it painful or difficult the first few weeks.
6. Don't compare your baby to others because each child is different. Just because your cousin's baby slept through the night at 1 week does not mean yours will. Some babies latch well immediately and others take a few weeks to learn. Some babies are never good sleepers.