element for all aspects of infant care—parental assessment (PA), an
acquired confidence to think, evaluate and respond to real need, not just
react moment by moment. The following analysis will demonstrate why
parental assessment is absolutely necessary for your baby’s welfare.
Comparative Analysis of Feeding Philosophies
At present, three feeding philosophies dominate Western culture:
Child-led feeding (also known as cue feeding, demand feeding,
response feeding, ad lib, and self-regulating feeding)
Clock feeding (also known as scheduling)
Parent-directed feeding (PDF)Theory in Practice
(^) 1. Child-Led Feeding: Feeding times are guided strictly by the single
variable of hunger cues. The baby’s hunger cue is a variable because
feeding times are random. Three hours may pass between feedings, then
one hour, followed by twenty minutes, then four hours. The constant of
time is not considered, because the theory insists that parents submit to
the baby’s hunger cue regardless of the lapse of time.
- Clock Feeding: Feeding times are guided strictly by the constant of the
clock. The clock determines when and how often a baby is fed, usually on
fixed intervals. The critical variable of a hunger cue is not considered.
The parents’ role is to be submissive to the clock. - Parent-Directed Feeding: Both the variable of hunger cues and the
constant of time guide parents at each feeding. The parents’ role is that of
mediating between both the cue and clock, the variable and constant,
using parental assessment to decide when to feed based on actual need.