If you feed on demand

starlingrose

Do you find your lo eats often? I have never really kept track of his feedings, if he shows signs of being hungry I feed him. I am tracking it today out of curiosity and it seems he eats every 2hrs or so. I have an fast let down and he gulps away very quickly and it usually takes him no more then 5-8min to eat a 'meal'. Do you think he is snacking? He seems fine, mostly sttn, I dont have a problem with it so I dont think I should change anything.

Also, he seems to eat much more often if Im around, If Im out he can last 5hrs without eating or complaining.

AMYfromKY

I have a crazy letdown too.  Henry can eat up to 7 ounces in about 8 minutes (I know because we did weighed feeds).  Henry usually eats every 2.5-3 hours from 5ishAM-8PM

AMYfromKY

Oh and I don't mind either so I don't see a reason to change it.  

Luv4Minnesota

My son is the same way...except he does it through the night most nights too.  Maybe he's snacking, but it doesn't bother me so I don't worry about it.  I figure he knows when he's hungry and he'll eat as much as he wants and through that I'm teaching him a lifeskill regarding food. 

ncbelle

Kiddo was definitely a frequent nurser at that age - but it worked for us.  I've also found that he will want to nurse more when I'm home and will go without when I'm away.

Quazel

DS is the exact same way, still!  He doesn't sttn but as far as the timing of feedings and frequency, exactly the same.  When he was younger and people would ask how often he ate, I also replied "Whenever he is hungry" and then felt guilty that I didn't have a clue how many times a day he really ate.  I found in a Dr. Sears book something about how that is very common with many AP parents because we are baby watchers, not clock watchers.

MamiJam

That sounds like what DS did at that age. I have a fast letdown too and DS has always been done in 10 min or less. I think it's pretty common for LOs to want to nurse more when mom is around.

aglenn

Same here.  Occasionally someone will tell me she's "just snacking and that's not good for her," but I think eating when one is hungry and stopping when full is a pretty good idea.  Aren't all the diet gurus trying to get us adults to eat more frequent, smaller meals?  So I don't worry about it.

LizB214

DS eat about every 2 hours when we're together. During the week DS takes 3 bottles at daycare, but on weekends, he def eat more than 3 times during the same 9 hour period. At first I was a little insecure about how much he ate- because most of DH's family was FF and made snooty comments about how he "can't be hungry again"- but it doesn't bother me anymore. The only thing that's become a problem is almost constant eating from 2am until 5am...

EcoBaby

DS ate every two hours up until he was about 10 months old! Maybe even a little older. His patterns still change depending on if he's teething, sick, etc., but typically he can go about 4 hours now without nursing.

NYCEsq.

That's my story pretty much exactly: fast let down, quick feeds, every two hours.  When she was under 4 months, during growth spurts, she'd be eating every hour.  In the past few weeks, she's been stretching out feedings to every three hours or so during the day.   She still eats overnight, but those intervals really vary.   Sometimes it is serious eating, sometimes, frequent comfort nursing.  The phases kind of come and go.  

 I think the longest she ever went was one seven hour stretch was she was around 3 months.  I woke up and was so confused.   

ChiShanona

Yup, I had pretty much the same thing with DD.  I keep a log from time to time and at 5 mos she was doing exactly that.  She nursed for anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes or sometimes as long as 13, but no more than that.  She had her own schedule of feeding every 2 hours, unless we were out shopping or running errands.  Then she was preoccupied with looking at everything around her, or taking a nap in the car, so she could go 3 or 4 hours before another feeding.

DarcyLongfellow

Doesn't sound like snacking to me. 

DD ate every 2 hours, all day long, until she was 6 months old.  So, that part sounds normal to me!

Also, 5-8 minutes isn't a particularly short feeding.  I mean, it's not super long either, but it doesn't sound like a snack.  A 5 month old is pretty efficient -- 5 to 8 minutes is plenty of time to get in lots of ounces!!