Feeding Philosophies

Demand-feeding. Hyperscheduling. Cry feeding. Breast-feeding and

bottle. Feeding baby should be easy. Your baby needs food and you have
it. So why all the confusion? One reason might be the overabundance of
parenting theories. With so many options it is no wonder parents get
confused. For example, during pregnancy you may have been encouraged
to demand-feed your baby and warned not to follow a schedule, especially
if you intend to breast-feed. Maybe you heard about a demand schedule or
a self-regulating schedule.
Perhaps you were told to consider natural feeding for the baby or to
avoid hyperscheduling. Of course, hyperscheduling is rigid, and rigid
feeding is not as good as cry feeding. However, the latter is less desirable
than cue feeding, which is similar to responsive feeding. And last but not
least, is bottle-feeding. Where in the process might this fit in?
When it comes to feeding baby, it isn’t any wonder many moms
resort to simply winging it. Who can decipher all the terms and
techniques? Certainly, establishing good feeding habits should be the
easiest feature of child training. That’s because the drive to obtain
nourishment is one of the strongest drives in all living beings. However,
much more is happening during feeding time than just filling up a little
tummy. How you choose to feed your baby will have a profound effect on
your child’s hunger patterns, sleep patterns, and basic disposition.

Defining the Terms

Prior to this century, common sense, not theoretical concepts, was most
critical in raising children. Mothers nursed babies when they were