What is a Good Baby Feeding Schedule For Your Infant?

!±8± What is a Good Baby Feeding Schedule For Your Infant?

One of the biggest challenges new parents face is developing a schedule of when, how frequently and how much to feed their new family member. A good baby feeding schedule is one that is in tune with the needs and demands of your own individual child. The age and size of your child coupled with food fed will dictate the frequency of feedings.

Initially, in the first weeks home, new babies require feedings every two to four hours. Parents will quickly recognize their babies hunger signs and develop a corresponding routine. For breastfed babies, the time between feedings is typically shorter than that of a formula fed baby. Breast milk is highly digestible resulting in more frequent feedings. At this developmental stage, devising a good baby feeding schedule for your child typically depends on the method of feeding. The ability to anticipate your babies hunger, based on a well planned schedule, will result in the happiness of all family members.

As your baby ages, additional items such as a single grained cereal will be introduced into your infants diet. Working with a pediatrician or other healthcare professional, a new feeding routine will be developed and implemented. Dietary additions will dictate tweaks to an existing meal schedule. With your baby aging, you will find the frequency of feeding diminished and a more concrete meal schedule evolving.

Similar to adults, children have unique needs regarding the frequency of feedings. While many parents want to develop rigid feeding schedules, with children, flexibility is paramount. In the early months, many professionals recommend maintaining a rigid feeding schedule. If this works for your child, excellent! Alternatively, should your child be happy sleeping and receiving feedings upon waking, know that you are responding favorably to your children's individual needs. Ultimately, while maintaining a good baby feeding schedule is ideal, it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure their childrens needs are being addressed.