How do you stretch the time b/w feedings?

bwm2bmw · November 2009

And how do you know when they really do need to eat again sooner than normal due to a growth spurt or they didn't get enough at a previous feed?

Since DD eats pretty much every 3 hours then when she gets super fussy at say 1 hr I try to stretch her a bit longer with a paci and by soothing her (and diaper change etc) and it usually works. But how do you know if they really just need to eat earlier than normal or if they're just being fussy? If she's truly inconsolable then I do offer her the boob...I'd hate to think I'm starving her if it's just that she just needs to eat more.

beckytr · November 2009

if ds acts hungry and it's been 2 hrs, i feed him. if it's less, i'll give him a paci. if he falls asleep- he was tired. if not, i feed him.

KrystalD7 · November 2009

I dont. If she is acting hungry and the paci doesn't help, I feed her. Might be a growth spurt, go with it.

bim38106 · November 2009

ditto beckytr. I also try to burp her, change her diaper, and bicycle her legs first. If nothing works, then on the boob she goes

PAmiler82 · November 2009

We just try other things first before going straight to eating again. He loves being walked around outside or playing "airplane" with Dad. If neither of these works we'll try the paci. If the paci doesn't calm him down, then I know he's hungry and I feed him.

bwm2bmw · November 2009

beckytr:
if ds acts hungry and it's been 2 hrs, i feed him. if it's less, i'll give him a paci. if he falls asleep- he was tired. if not, i feed him.

Ok thanks that's exactly what I've been doing...I know just because she likes to eat at 3 hrs doesn't mean it may not be possible she's hungry at 2 so I've been using 2 hrs as my guideline.

MrsJenniferS · November 2009

If nothing else soothes her, she might be hungry. At this age, it's trial and error. Offer the boob/bottle. If she eats, you know she was hungry.

Babies will not eat if they're not hungry. They are pretty intelligent about knowing when to start/stop eating. You can't overfeed her.

Brownie_222 · November 2009

bwm2bmw:
beckytr:
if ds acts hungry and it's been 2 hrs, i feed him. if it's less, i'll give him a paci. if he falls asleep- he was tired. if not, i feed him.

Ok thanks that's exactly what I've been doing...I know just because she likes to eat at 3 hrs doesn't mean it may not be possible she's hungry at 2 so I've been using 2 hrs as my guideline.

At 1 month, my LO never made it 3 hrs! He still doesn't sometimes. I agree with pp, you can't overfeed her.

juliane2004 · November 2009

beckytr:
if ds acts hungry and it's been 2 hrs, i feed him. if it's less, i'll give him a paci. if he falls asleep- he was tired. if not, i feed him.

This. Except I'll try waiting 3 hrs (though it's only 2 hrs after she eats, since it takes an hour to eat :S)

meg1974 · November 2009

I look for the typical signs of hunger (rooting, putting hands to mouth, turning head to side, etc.). If I give her a paci and she is content with that, it means she isn't hungry. If she is making hunger cues and doesn't want the paci, she is hungry.

If you feed on demand vs. force a schedule, you should be able to tell when there is a growth spurt.

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How do you stretch the time b/w feedings?

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