BW - Feeding Summary

The authors of the book recommend not even looking at a clock for the first week to ten days.  Simply feed your baby when she is hungry.  In the book there are scenarios given that demonstrate two types of feeding philosophies; feeding strictly by the clock and feeding strictly when the baby shows signs of wanting to be feed.  The Baby Wise plan suggests combining both philosophies and adding the parent's assessment or judgment.  They call this plan Parent-Directed Feeding.

The Baby Wise plan focuses on three main activities that are repeated throughout your babies day; Eat, Wake, Sleep.   Here's my take on the Baby Wise plan - Feeding.  Basically you feed your baby every 2.5 to 3 hours to begin with.  They do suggest establishing a time for your first feeding and sticking to it.  This becomes your babies wake-time every morning.  Wake your baby during the day if needed to feed every 2.5 to 3 hours.  Waking Farrah from a nap is very hard for me.  But, I feel like Farrah has learned to trust me and that I am going to make sure she has what she needs by doing this.  It seems to me that your baby never really has to let you know that she is hungry (with the exception of the middle of the night feeding and during growth spurts).  You make sure your baby is fed before they get so hungry that they let you know.  The Baby Wise plan suggests NOT waking her after your late night feeding.  Our late night feeding was at 10:00 p.m.  After this feeding, let your baby tell you when she is ready to eat again.  It is okay to have a combination of 2.5 and 3 hours between feedings throughout your day.  So far, all of our schedules have been combination schedules.  I work around times that are bad for us to need to feed Farrah.  The Baby Wise plan just suggests not feeding your baby any sooner than every 2.5 hours and no later than every 3 hours during the newborn stage.  I did cluster feed Farrah for her last few feedings which resulted in her eating sooner than every 2.5 hours.  I fed her at 5:00 p.m, 8:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.  Check out this blog post for more information on cluster feeding.  There are also several different reasons listed in the book for feeding your baby sooner than 2.5 hours. 

• If your baby seems hungry sooner
• Low milk supply if you are nursing
• The 45 minute intruder
• Medical reasons
• The dreamfeed
• To get your schedule back on track.

This is why they suggest not using only the clock as a resource for when to feed your baby.  You also have to consider your babies hunger cues and use your own judgement.  Here is the link to the homepage of the blog I sent you to for more information on cluster feeding.  It is a MUST HAVE RESOURCE for anyone implementing the Baby Wise plan!   Chronicles of a Babywise Mom