Feeding schedule?

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chickybuns
chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
So I was visiting my friend the other day who has a 5 week old baby, and she has him on a feeding schedule. She woke him up while I was there to feed him. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it would be really nice, but on the other hand, it feels kind of mean to wake up a sleeping baby. Just wanted thoughts from moms and moms to be :)

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  • mellynat
    mellynat Posts: 345 Member
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    Never wake up a sleeping baby to feed them unless they are underweight and your doctor/pediatrician told you specifically to feed them on a schedule. That;s my opinion. I never woke my kids up it makes them cranky. They need their sleep. They won't starve if they go a few hours longer without eating... Even as newborns... Just my thought. I don't see the point unless they are underweight and have to eat a certain amount each day...
  • bluegirl10
    bluegirl10 Posts: 695 Member
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    I plan to put baby on a feeing schedule just so that it is easier to get into a routine... However, if he is sleeping I will just leave him and feed him when he gets up. I don't expect the schedule to be exact everyday, but for the most part some sort of routine would be good.
  • snowgrrl83
    snowgrrl83 Posts: 242 Member
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    LOL - never wake a sleeping baby. Most people know that...if they are hungry enough, they will wake up on their own ;)
  • jamie31
    jamie31 Posts: 568 Member
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    I know a few ppl that do that too. I think if you plan to be home with the baby for a little while then just feed them when they are awake. I think most moms that wake the baby up are doing it to get them on a schedule where they can be fed at specific times to coordinate with a work schedule. Like the feeding will be at 8am before work, then during the day by the bottle and the next one the mom can make is 5:30 and so on.
  • FaugHorn
    FaugHorn Posts: 1,060 Member
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    I've read that to get them into the right feeding/sleeping schedule that a lot of people do that. I think (like everything) it will be what works for your schedule. I'd rather be able to breastfeed when I'm there to do it instead of him having to have a bottle because I've gone to work. I'll have time to work into that schedule though and I think I'd only be a stickler for certain times, not that it would HAVE to be every 4 hours or anything like that, just the morning and last feeding to make sure he's waking up and falling asleep at around the right time for our schedules.
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    I never woke up my daughter to feed. I would wait until she woke up and wanted to eat. She slept throughtout the night from day one (only would wake up 2x a night to feed) so I just let her be. She was growing very well and never had problems.
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    Never wake up a sleeping baby to feed them unless they are underweight and your doctor/pediatrician told you specifically to feed them on a schedule. That;s my opinion. I never woke my kids up it makes them cranky. They need their sleep. They won't starve if they go a few hours longer without eating... Even as newborns... Just my thought. I don't see the point unless they are underweight and have to eat a certain amount each day...

    i agree 100% :)
  • PanteraGirl
    PanteraGirl Posts: 566 Member
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    I've always been told never wake a sleeping baby to feed unless there is a health issue or they are underweight. Babies will let you know when they are hungry....sleep is also important for them. :)
  • Jillsie11
    Jillsie11 Posts: 249 Member
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    I woke up my baby- following the "Babywise" scheduling system- but that was because I was going back to work and I wanted there to be consistency in her schedule. Putting her on a schedule was amazing for us. Not only did she sleep entirely through the night at 7 weeks, but I think it's still good for her as she doesn't fight naps as most toddlers do. But it's all what's best for you and your baby!