Baby's feeding schedule

A new born baby depends on his parents to meet all his needs. The new parents explore their baby's every single movement and try to give their best for them. The baby does not come with any standard protocols for feeding. He completely leaves that responsibility to his parents to make the best decision for him. Babies should be fed on demand, or every two hours, or whenever the baby wets. The frequency of feeds must be increased if the baby has diarrhea or fever to improve their hydration.

The mom to be should be taught prenatally to understand the baby's feeding schedule. Otherwise, the first time parents may find certain things new and difficult. Most mothers and all doctors advice breast feed as the best feed for babies. Babies must be exclusively breast fed for the first six months preferably. If the mothers milk is inadequate for six months, formula feeds can be started along with breast feeds from the third month onwards.

Each baby will follow different schedules. The time and frequency of feeds is determined by the baby from the beginning. The feed lengths can be fairly long for certain babies and so do the intervals between each feed. This is called baby-led feeding or demand feeding. This is normal and it is common in the first few days of baby's life. This gives an excellent opportunity for the mother to rest. As the milk volume increases, feeds become more frequent and a little shorter. Some babies take very little feeds on demand and fall asleep when they are being fed. In such cases, the baby should be woken up at the end of two hours and be fed.

If the mother opts to bottle feed the baby, the schedule is made more perfect because you will know the amount of feeds the baby takes each time and when to give the next feed accordingly. Here, both the mom and dad can be involved in feeding the baby. Though bottle feeds are not advised these days, some conditions like mother's ill health or work status may lead to use of bottle feeds. It's better to use expressed milk (if no contraindications)as far as possible than cow's milk or other formulas to avoid allergies and problems with digestion.

Once your baby has reached four or six months, you can still continue with breast or formula feeds and start trying semisolid foods. This is called the period of weaning. You can start with something like rice cereals or oatmeal which is easy for him to swallow. He should be able to grip the spoon with his mouth and exhibit swallowing action. Initially most babies tend to suck or push the food out using their tongue. This is normal and soon they will learn to eat.

At six to eight months of age, the baby is ready to try different food items. He will be teething and will want to bite anything he gets in his hand. This is a good time to start soft solids and slowly solid foods too. Breast feeding and formula feeding should be continued. Half boiled vegetables and fruits can be tried now. Give enough time while introducing new foods each time. Check for his likes and dislikes. Do not force any food, feed them only when they are hungry.

By eight to twelve months, your baby will be ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will now know his routine. Start with baby's first feeds at eight months and second feeds by ten months. This is available in markets under the labels 'baby's first foods' or 'baby's second foods'. If he is used with your regular meals like pasta or rice, provide him separately a plate and spoon with food and make him sit and eat with you. Though there will be spilling and wasting, he will learn the technique and ethics of eating from his parents and sibling. See that you don't give him any solids which is hard for him to chew and swallow. This is the best time to stop breast feeds or formula and start with full strength cow's milk.

When he is one, he will eat one-third of everything you eat. He will start asking you to buy everything he sees in a shop to eat. Some children might not eat more but now they are big enough to tell you they are hungry when they are really hungry. Never force them to eat unless they have not gained adequate weight for their age.

If your baby is not following this schedule still it is normal. Individual babies develop their own unique pattern of feeding and, provided the baby is thriving, there is no need to change it.