by Kimberly Collins

Created on: May 29, 2008

A lot of people debate about when your baby should be fed. A lot of people think that they should be on a schedule but I for one think not. My daughter is 8 weeks now and has never been on a schedule and she's fine. When she's hungry I feed her. If you feed on a schedule then you are trying to feed them when they aren't hungry. I know that if I try to feed my daughter and she's not hungry she gets upset. They know when they are hungry the schedule normally does not. The other thing about feeding on a schedule is the fact that your baby might go through a growth spurt like mine. She went from eating 4 ounces every time to wanting 8. I wasn't going to let my daughter be upset because she was hungry so I fed her. I later found out at her checkup that that was totally normal and she would soon go back to her regular feedings. The only way I could even agree with having a scheduled feeding is if you could really figure out your babies eating schedule. Which I think is very hard because my daughter never eats at the same time everyday, nor does she eat the same amount every time. And if you get your child used to a scheduled feeding and you are waking them up in the middle of the night to feed them then they are going to get used to getting up in the middle of the night to eat. If you feed them a warm bottle before they go to bed then they will sleep through the night. After a while of doing this they will form the new habit, which would technically be breaking your scheduled feedings. The other reason why a scheduled feeding wouldn't work is because you never know where you'll be when the time comes to feed your baby. If your driving down the road do you really want to pull over to feed you child? Or how about the baby sitter who you think is so great, but really puts herself before your child and doesn't follow your schedule? There are a lot of options to way when you really think about having a scheduled feeding. I know I could never have a scheduled feeding but then again I never started one so who knows, she might have actually taken to it. I definitely like feeding her when she's ready because it just seems easier. And you can tell when she's getting hungry so it gives you time to make a fresh bottle or go where ever you go to breastfeed and your not rushed to get your child the food before the right time is up. The other thing that could make you lean towards scheduled feedings is if your baby eats in a scheduled pattern without you forcing it, then I would consider it but only because thats what your baby is already doing. The choice is up to the parents as for what they want to do. This is only my opinion and parents will make their own decisions.

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