Feeding on demand, or responsive feeding, means feeding your baby whenever they signal that they’re hungry rather than according to a set schedule.
On-demand feeding doesn’t mean your baby is being demanding, it means you’re feeding them according to their hunger and their needs. New babies have tiny tummies (the size of a walnut) and need to eat frequently.
Feeding on demand: How it works
Breastfeeding on demand and bottle-feeding on demand are similar. With either method, you’ll look to your baby’s hunger cues to know when it’s time for a feeding, keeping in mind that newborns need to eat often.
In the first few weeks of life, you’ll probably feed your baby about every 1.5 to 3 hours, or around 8 to 12 times a day. For formula-fed babies, the time intervals might be a little longer because formula takes longer to digest than breast milk.
These time frames can give you an idea of how often you’ll be feeding your baby, but time shouldn’t be the rule. It’s more important to feed newborns when they show signs of being hungry (more on that below).
Feeding on demand is recommended, especially in the early weeks, because:
- Responding to your baby’s hunger cues will result in better feeding sessions and healthy weight gain for your baby.
- If you’re breastfeeding, frequent feeds will signal to your body to make breast milk and will boost your milk supply.
- Responsive feeding helps your baby develop good eating habits and learn to self-regulate their eating. It may lower the risk of obesity later in life.
- Learning your baby’s hunger cues helps you connect and bond with your little one, which has far-ranging benefits. One study even showed that feeding babies on demand was associated with better cognitive and academic outcomes when they were older.
Scheduled feedings for newborns have been linked to poor weight gain. And they may contribute to early weaning in breastfed babies, since they can lead to reduced milk production.
How to read your baby’s hunger cues
It can be confusing as a new parent to know what your baby needs. Are they hungry? Uncomfortable? Need a diaper change?
As you get to know your newborn, you’ll start to understand why they’re crying and recognize their hunger cues – signs your infant will give you before they get to the point of crying to be fed.
Here are the early baby hunger cues to watch for:
- Moving their mouth; making sucking sounds or motions
- Smacking or licking their lips
- Bringing their hands to their mouth
- Sucking on their fingers or fists
- Clenching their fists
- Rooting. Rooting is a newborn reflex – babies turn their head toward anything that touches their face and open their mouth, looking for a nipple.
It’s best to feed your baby as soon as you notice them making any early signs of hunger, before they’re fussing or crying. You’ll have more success feeding them before they cry. Once they’re crying, you may need to calm them down before they’ll successfully latch to a breast or bottle and get a good feeding.
While being responsive to your baby’s hunger cues is important, also be aware that some very young babies don’t yet have the strength to wake up and demand to be fed. Sometimes a premature, jaundiced, or sick baby is too small and sleepy to cry, conserving energy for growth and recovery instead.
If your baby’s hunger cues are slight or nonexistent, be sure to wake them at least every three hours and encourage them to nurse or take a bottle. A newborn who regularly sleeps longer than three to four hours at a stretch needs close monitoring to make sure they gain enough weight.
How to read your baby’s fullness cues
When feeding on demand, it’s also necessary to know when your baby’s had enough. Don’t push them to eat more when they’re full.
Signs a baby is full include:
- Unlatching from the breast
- Starting and stopping feeding often
- closing their mouth or turning away from the breast or bottle
- slowing down and falling asleep
- seeming content and happy
- hands going from a clenched fist to open and relaxed
If your baby acts like they’re done eating, but you’re not sure that they’ve gotten enough, try burping them and waiting a minute before offering more. If they still don’t want to eat, stop feeding.
You’ll know if your baby is getting enough to eat if you hear them gulping and swallowing during a feeding, they’re gaining weight as expected, and they’re having enough wet diapers (two to three per day at first, then five to six per day). Here’s more specific information on how much breast milk or formula your baby needs, and how to tell whether they’re getting enough.
What if my newborn is constantly hungry?
It’s normal to feel like your newborn is constantly hungry – at first, they do little besides eating, sleeping, and pooping.
During the early weeks of breastfeeding, you may feel as though you’re nursing all the time. That makes sense: If you’re nursing every two hours, and each nursing session takes 30 minutes, you’ll only have an hour and a half between sessions. (This is just an example, because how long a newborn nurses varies).
Bottle-fed babies will need to eat frequently, too.
If your baby seems hungry soon after eating, go ahead and feed them again. Keep in mind, too, that babies are just hungrier on some days than on others and will want to eat more than usual. These days are called “frequency days” and are thought to precede growth spurts.
During growth spurts, your baby will probably want to cluster feed. Cluster feeding is when your baby eats frequently, sometimes even 30 minutes after they last ate.
Feeding your baby on demand can be taxing for you, especially on frequency days when they cluster feed. Try to take care of yourself by asking your partner or another family member or friend to help out.
If you’re breastfeeding, you can introduce a bottle once breastfeeding is well established and ask your partner or a loved one to do some of the feedings. (You can pump breast milk or supplement with formula.) Others can also help by changing or soothing your baby, and helping with household chores and other tasks while you take opportunities to nap or rest.
When should I stop feeding on demand?
It’s most important to feed on demand during the newborn stage – the first weeks of your baby’s life. This is to ensure they get accustomed to eating and gain weight properly.
As your baby gets older, probably around 2 months old, they’ll naturally fall into more of a predictable schedule. They’ll also need to eat a little less frequently, usually every 3 to 4 hours.
However, sickness, transitions, and growth spurts may throw off your baby’s typical schedule and they may want to eat more frequently during those times.
You don’t have to stop feeding on demand if it’s working for you and your baby. However, usually you’ll both develop a more structured routine. You won’t need to look to hunger cues to see when it’s time for a feeding, because you’ll know your baby’s patterns and preferences.
When your baby starts eating solid foods regularly, they’ll gradually need fewer nursing sessions or bottles throughout the day. Between 8 and 12 months old, they’ll start having three regular meals and snacks – and start to eat what the rest of the family is having.
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