Transitioning from Feeding on demand to or schedule

[Redkite11]

I am a first time mum with a 17 week boy. I currently feed on demand but I now see the draw backs to this. He snacks off and on throughout the day and is also very fussy at feeding. He is on Gaviscon for his reflux and sometimes he does regurgitate if there is too long a gap since the last Gaviscon (hence better to have one big feed than several smaller ones). I also notice that he latches and feeds better when he's hungrier. I have read that schedule fed babies are more likely to sleep through the night and my little boy struggles to sleep for long periods after 4am.

How do you transition into schedule feeding? I can't imagine there being a 2 or 3 hour gap between feeds. I have tried making him wait but all that happens is that he refuses to nap and I have to feed him for ages, thereby delaying his nap and making him over tired. This is particularly challenging as I worked hard to get him to self soothe and I don't want him to become reliant on feeding to sleep again.

Also, when people say they feed their baby every 3 hours, is that 3 hours from the beginning of the feeds of is that the length of the gap between the end of the last one and the beginning of the next one?

Is your baby BF or FF? I think that makes a difference in how long they can go between feeds.

My FF 19 week old baby is on a schedule. He feeds at 6am, 10am, 2pm then 6pm as the bedtime feed. Im not totally rigid on this and sometimes fall an hour either side of these times. I feed on demand at night because id rather he tell me when he wants to drop a feed than me keep giving it to him if he doesnt want it. This isnt something ive forced on him though, he kind of fell into this himself and I sort of nudge the day along to stick to it because it works well.

Hate to break it to you though, even though he's fed on a schedule I have the same 4am problems.

I only started moving to a schedule at 6 months when I started weaning. But feeds did start naturally spacing out more by then.

Speak to your HV but general feeding on demand is what is advised so your baby doesn’t get too much or too little food.

Do you eat on a schedule? Exact times between meals and snacks? Same times and amounts every single day? Or do you eat when you're hungry, move meals to suit your appetite and have more or less depending on how you're feeling?

The answer to those questions should let you know whether you should be feeding your baby when he wants to eat or forcing him into a schedule.

He is BF and so I gather that he will need to feed more often than FF.

Bitchinkitchen- yes, I do eat at regular times as do most people. I'm not trying to force him into a strict rigid schedule but I do think spacing out his feeding will help him. Lots of people feed their baby according to a schedule and have happy babies and so I don't think I deserve such judgement.

My 13 month old is still breast fed on demand but I think I’m just too lazy to sort a schedule. It seems easier this way!

You need to feed on demand especially in this hot weather when your baby will be more thirsty. Breast feeding is about more than been hungry or thirsty.

Schedules are not even recommended for ff babies. Your baby will eventually settle into more of a schedule as they get older.

I have never quite understood scheduled feeding. You feed a baby who doesn't need fed and starve them when they do need fed, all because if the time?

OP, breastfed babies can be fed to a schedule, my dd was 4 hours at this age.

Normally around 3.5 hours she would start to whinge a bit, so i would try and distract her to get her closer to the 4 hours, then a feed then normally a nap.

Maybe try for every 2 hours for the first week or so, and build up to a longer gap. Make sure you are putting baby down on a mat etc to play, if he is cuddling you he will go for the breast so put a bit of space between you. You need to be prepared to be strong and to let baby cry abit.

Ignore the rude posters, if you want more of a schedule then you do it. Your baby will adapt, and if the constant feeding is getting in the way each day then change it.

Ignore the rude posters,

On demand is how babies naturally feed. He's very tiny. Babies rarely sleep through the night before 6 months and many (including mine) don't sleep through until they are toddlers, they need their parents. Don't rush, they are only tiny for a short time.

And remember the milk is also a drink in this hot weather (assuming you are in England not sure where the weather changes) I'm certainly drinking more than once every 3-4 hours

OP the way I did it was note down each time my baby fed everyday, from that I noticed he'd pretty much set his own schedule (+/- an hour or so). He wakes at 6ish, and has a bottle soon after this. He feeds reliably every 3 or 4 hours (FF), so I found there was naturally the same rhythm every day.

Does your baby feed every 2 or 3 hours predictably? You might find theres a natural schedule. If hes totally erratic still I wouldnt worry about a schedule just yet

This is one of the things I found so hard about breastfeeding, @Redkite11 - it does feel relentless at times! I found that DD naturally started leaving a bit more of a gap between feeds at around 4-5 months but I moved to formula around this time so I'm not sure what would have happened if I'd carried on BF (I had to start taking medication that meant I couldn't breastfeed anymore).

I honestly don't think it's something you can push - I'd rather just feed a hungry whingey baby than try to placate/distract them for another hour.

I also think babies find their way with most things, whether it's sleep, feeding etc. and we just have to go with it!

Sorry, that's not much help - it's really hard

I think scheduling and breastfeeding don’t always go hand in hand. I also don’t think it affects sleep as both my DC fed on demand and one was a super sleeper and other not so much. I think it’s also helpful to remember that bf is not just about nutrition and babies bf for lots of reasons other than hunger/thirst which is why I think scheduling doesn’t really work - it’s more than a meal! Having said that, after 2-3 months mine started to fall into a natural routine, and once they started weaning even more so. It’s so relentless at first but as they grow it becomes so much easier.

My 20 week old EBF baby just naturally went from feeding on demand to more of a schedule. She now goes on average 3 hours between feeds. The timer starts from the beginning of the feed, so if she feeds for 30 mins, the reality is only a 2.5hr gap until the next feed). However, I am not rigid to the schedule and if she want to feed feed sooner (normally in hot weather) I will give it to her.

I actually did a combi feed of both BF & FF but didn't do a schedule. It seems too rigid and I don't eat or drink to a schedule myself so a baby wouldn't (even if you do OP). Feed on demand and your baby will be a lot happier and healthier for it. They will get their own schedule eventually.