Feeding on demand

[kcj748]

My little boy has started demanding food every hour and a half. I'm pretty certain he eats plenty at each feed and at night he is able to sleep for 3-4 hours without waking to eat. I have been trying to space things out but he seems desperate after an hour and a half of not eating. He also often falls asleep at the breast so I think he maybe is using it to soothe himself even if he's not hungry. He is still very young so I don't want to leave him to cry but am I setting myself up for a fall letting this behaviour continue? Does anyone have any tips that might help?

How old is he? He sounds quite new still (congratulations!). I would feed him tbh. It could be a growth spurt, he could want the comfort, it could be all sorts of things. But you're not going to do any harm by feeding him (and it will be less stressful for you both!).

My 3 boys all did this at times. I have a diary of when I fed DS1 and honestly it was every 1 1/2 to 2 hours for about 3 months. I wasn't so anal as to make a note of it with the other 2 but I remember Christmas day at our house with 6 week DS3 and I fed him every hour!

It won't last forever, really, so I would go with your baby.

If he's very little (I'm thinking weeks to a couple of months) then every hour and a half seems fairly normal.

If he's having a growth spurt then he'll want more too :)

You'll not be setting yourself up for a fall feeding him when he's hungry, don't worry.

Feeding him when he asks for it will ensure you produce enough milk for him (supply and demand). If he is very young he will have a small stomach and get full quickly (and so often drop off to happy sleep) but it gets digested quickly too, so he'll be hungry again soon.

And even if he is sucking to soothe himself, that is no bad thing for a young baby in a big confusing world who wants to make sure he keeps close to the safest him he knows ie you!

Honestly I wouldn't try and space out feeds, its no fun for anyone if your baby is getting distressed and it may mean he begins waking more often at night for milk.

DS is three months and I still feed him this frequently when we're at home (he goes longer out and about when he has stuff to look at). I did try and space it out for a while but we both got stressed out by it, so now I go with it. He likes to bob on and off every 90 minutes or so - it's no hardship.

Sounds like a growth spurt. I remember feeling like a walking milking machine every six weeks or so when DD wanted more frequent feeding. It was frustrating - but I eventually sussed it was just her trying to get more milk / increase my milk flow as shortly afterwards, she seemed to have grown out of yet another set of clothes!

Developmental Leaps also make them more sucky/clingy for a week or so (ours varied twixt 3-10 days; see the book Wonder Weeks for reassurance). Again I felt like I was being driven mad or wondering where my normally sweet natured baby girl had gone - but low, shortly after the fussy phase, I'd notice that she'd have a new skill and things would settle beautifully again.... Until the next growth spurt/developmental leap/new tooth. Hmmm.... Coming to think of it, she's been an angel lately... I must be due the next fussy stage soon.

It will improve. Go with it while they're very little & where you can, take a step back afterwards to see what's changed so you can recognise the signals next time. (annoyingly I only sussed teething when she only had two more to cut...)

Exactly what Shipsladyg said.

They have tiny tummies, they are very active, they are growing rapidly, they need to eat frequently. Heavens, most adults nibble something every few hours. What's wrong with your baby wanting comfort too? It's utterly instinctive for a vulnerable baby to what to feed and snuggle with it's mum. All pack animals do it, and countries that encourage separate sleeping and strict routines have much higher ADHD and autism rates. Babies need to bond.

I started demand feeding but because of a feeding problem and severe weight issues that landed her in hospital at one month old (dropping centiles). The upshot was I ended up on a routine of feeding instead for some months until she caught up. It was either that or they were going to keep us in until she gained weight. It was every 2 hours in the day at first, every 3 at night. In the early weeks get the prescribed number of feeds in 24 hours, I even had to set my alarm and wake and feed her in the night, she was very very thin at one point.

Anyway I tell you this because although it was not my original plan to be routine orientated (I'm not that kind of a person really!) and yet in the end I found regular spacing of feeds and an eat-activity-sleep routine had advantages, because she would then not easily get drowsy on the breast and feed to sleep (she had just woken up and was not tired) and would be more likely to take a full feed and was waking hungry because of the gap between feeds. Weight wise it really worked too, in 4 months she went back from the 9th to the 98th centile (she is 99.6 for height, so 9th for weight wasn't a good place to be for her). If I did it again without the weight issues, I would probably demand feed but, do an eat-activity-sleep routine.

I fed on demand until 6.5 months - I would literally just whip my boob out for anything - hunger, soothing, getting baby to sleep, wanting some quiet time in a cafe, when on the phone to the council, you name it! Very convenient :)

Once my daughter was on three meals a day (around 6 months) I started making note of the feeding times and trying to cut them down. Now we just do four feeds during the day and two (but hopefully just one soon, and then none) during the night.

I don't think you're "setting yourself up for fall". Babies are very quick to adapt so your baby will only take a few days to adjust to a new routine when YOU are ready.