FF on demand??

[tea4two321]

Do you formula feed your little ones on demand like you would if you were Breastfeeding? Or do you "watch the clock"? How do you know how much formula to offer?

[ferrferr]

On demand. If I had to watch a clock we all would have been in trouble. :giggle:

[bean3]

Do you formula feed your little ones on demand like you would if you were Breastfeeding? Or do you "watch the clock"? How do you know how much formula to offer?

The last one I formula fed was nearly 13 years ago, but I never watched the clock. I remember feeding him when he "asked". The only mistake I feel I made was putting rice in his bottle early and continually cutting the nipple opening bigger, because that's what everyone around me told me to do. I remember being told to do thiis as early as 6 weeks! I honestly don't remember when I started doing it. If I had to do over again under the same circumstances, I would again feed on demand but hold off on the rice, especially in the bottle of formula.

[evamyster88]

on demand

When she is hungry I will fix 4 ounces. Sometimes she will eat it all but sometimes she will only want an ounce then go back to playing.

[fostermomcchr]

on demand-it is very rare that a baby will overfeed, by feeding on demand you are teaching your baby to listen to his/her own body.

[Katherine]

Totally on-demand. You get a feel for how much they'll prob. take after a bit. I don't know what age you're inquiring about, but if it's a newborn, then just prepare 2 ounces at a time, unless you know the baby should be really hungry. A little older baby, fix 4 ounces. You can always make more, or have mixed bottles waiting. I would make larger bottles when it was def. time for dd to go to sleep - that way she could eat uninterrupted until she fell asleep.

[ashleykaymay]

On demand. If I had to watch a clock we all would have been in trouble. :giggle:

:yeahthat: :laugh:

[Bridym]

I always fed on demand and kind of just guessed as to how much they wanted. If my dd usualy drank 5oz and she was always emptying the bottle I would then start offering 6oz.

[lotsuvlittles]

I'm a "watch the clock" for the most part, but after a few weeks my babes are in a nice sleep, eat, wake routine and it just works out that they wake at about 3hrs from their last feeding.
When they start waking at 2-2.5hrs after the last feeding because of hunger I add another ounce of formula to their feedings.

[Dena]

On demand I guess if that is what you want to call it which is like 2 hrs on the dot anyways sometimes :giggle:, I feed him and all of them when they are hungry. As newborns they started at 2 oz then up to 4 and that is where we are now at almost 3 mths. You will find the babes cues when they want more, like when you are done with a bottle and have burped and they still go crazy for the bottle fix another 2 oz and see how that goes.

[Lorie]

I feed on demand but I have learned about when DS will be hungry again so I am looking for the demand (I was going to type cry but he really doesn't cry for it he sort of yells). I tried in the first month or so to feed by a schedule only because DS was sooo very cranky (almost colicky) and I thought it would help but it didn't.

[Roseplummer]

On demand except my reflux baby. We had to schedule her feeding cause she would eat and vomit constantly otherwise.

[3Xblessed]

I was a watch the clock ... but...that being said..I never denied my kids if nothing else made them happy (ie...checked the diaper, checked the nappage etc). My twins were waaayyyy scheduled to keep me sane. My little one is so regular that even at 2 1/2 she poops 2 times a day at almost the same exact time.

I always over filled my bottles... I was told very early on that they should never finish a bottle ..that there should be some left over.

[girl920]

We've been feeding our 5-wk-old DS on demand. Right now, he goes 2-3 hrs between feedings, although sometimes during the night it is 4 hours until he starts asking for something to eat. He usually eats around 4-5oz per feeding. Man, formula is expensive! (sorry, just had to throw that in there)

[girl920]

I always over filled my bottles... I was told very early on that they should never finish a bottle ..that there should be some left over.

I've never heard that before - what's the idea behind that? So far I've been preferring to go under, and the I can always make him more if he wants it; I hate to waste formula with it being so expensive.

[homeschoolingmama]

I use the clock as a reference to help me plan b/c we are in and out a lot through the week and I have to think about when he will need to eat so I know what to take with me when I go out :goodvibes: BUT, with that said- I totally feed him on demand. He tells me when he is hungry- it is most generally 2 1/2 to 3 hours- ever so occasionally he'll go 3 1/2 hours if he's napping when it hits 3 hours... I stay amazed that a 9 month old ff baby eats so often. He was bf for the first 5 mos- so I guess he got in the habit of eating more often and liked it that way :giggle:

When I first started ff I just guessed at how much he would need. Once I saw about what he was taking, it helped me know what to fix him. I let him eat as much as he wants though- his body is the best guide on letting him know when he is hungry.

[Bridym]

I think always offering more is a better idea then not enough.

Some time my dd would finish a bottle and get so mad that there wasn't more. And by the time I got another bottle made she was too upset to eat again, so I just waisted twice as much formula as I would have if I just made an extra 1-2oz.

[stephaniehauser]

I FF my first from 4mo on. So, it has been a few years but I fed him on demand. My mom said that I should give him say 4 oz, once he started to finish the 4 oz fix him 5, once he started finishing 5 fix 6 and so on. That always worked fo me. If you just fix one over what they eat, it gives them the option to eat more and you don't waste too much.

Now my youngest was BF and he had to be on a schedule or he would throw up...go figure!

[mistylaureena]

On demand Always. I never watched the clock ever. When Mikey cried we changed his dipes, made sure he wasn't to hot or cold and then offer a bottle. I found usually he was what seemed like always hungry. i think babies like the comfort of nursing whether that be the boob or bottle:goodvibes:

[Kels5kids]

My 3 formula fed babies were on a 4hr schedule when they were little, then it went to 5-6hrs. If they seemed hungry every 3hrs I would feed them but the 4hr schedule did fine.

[Mommy2LivandNoah]

I FF my daughter from 3 months on and I remember being scheduled, but not really by the clock. By that age she was showing me already about when she would eat, so even though I didn't make her eat every 3 hours, I kind of knew she wanted to and she usually did by then.

I don't have any FF infant experience though..

[MyLil'Mountaineers]

On demand but they put themselves on a pretty strict 3-4 hour schedule.

[3Xblessed]

I was told to overfill the bottle because that way they eat what they need and not what we are telling them to eat. They are following their bellies...not my ozs....I never did a ton over but enought that I was tossing a little

[CKMOMMA]

i feed him when he wakes up. before his morning nap. after his morning nap ( babyfood lunch) feed him before his afyternoon nap, BABY FOOD DINNER and after then one in evening then one before bed unless he wants more

[jausten]

On demand but they put themselves on a pretty strict 3-4 hour schedule.

Same here.

Now that she's 6 months old, her schedule is like clockwork, but I didn't force it.

[ReiSapphireJade]

On demand! My oldest developed her own 3 hour schedule, but this LO is different, sometimes she is hungry again after 1.5 hours, sometimes she'll go 4-5 hours. It just depends on her mood! She usually takes about 4oz at a time. Newborns start out at about 1.5oz and then move up to 2-3oz in the first couple of weeks. By 3 months they usually take 4oz and by 6 months they usually take 6oz, and so on... (At least that is what my LC told me!)

[Kris5135]

On demand. I had a reflux baby & still fed on demand. I just had to regulate the amount, so he just fed more often in lesser amounts. I've been told that if you feed on a schedule they will be confused & not learn to eat when they are hungry & don't when they are not.

[gvroach]

On demand. And she eats until she stops---sometimes its 2 ounces sometimes its 7 (that happens usually after shes been asleep at night for 4-5 hours).

[Kita]

On demand. I FF my twins, and they ate anywhere from every 1.5 to every 3 hours (usually every 1.5-2). They never got to the point where they went every 4, unless it was overnight. I just got into a rhythm where I kinda knew how much they needed. There were times when I'd feed more often, and then I'd think "OK, next time, I need to add more to the bottle."

[ajk]

On demand but they put themselves on a pretty strict 3-4 hour schedule.

The same thing with my DD. Now that she's 6 months old its pretty much 4 hours or just a little longer.