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Mommy & Baby: Feeding Philosophies
 Category |
: Parenting |
 Times Read |
: 53 |
 Date |
: 22 April 2008 07:00 |
by: Kirsten Hawkins
This should be easy, right? Your baby is hungry, and you feed him. Whats the big deal? The big deal is that there are so many philosophies that are thrown at moms regarding this topic. See if any of these sound familiar:
- Demand-feeding
- Hyper-scheduling
- Cry feeding
- Demand schedule
- Self-regulating schedule
- Rigid feeding
- Cue (responsive) feeding
- Parent-directed feeding
Confused yet? Most moms are and thats why they wing it. There are groups that will promote a particular type of feeding based on a political agenda (did you know that how you feed your baby is a politically-correct hot button?) and philosophy. There are others who will condemn you for even considering feeding your child formula, regardless of your reasons.
Im not going to condemn anyone here or even talk about what to feed your baby. I just want to make you aware of your options and suggest that parent-directed feeding (PDF) is good for babies, mommies, and families in general.
How you decide to feed your baby will have a profound effect on your childs hunger patterns, sleep patterns, and general disposition. When I talk about PDF, Im not talking about letting the clock rule when you feed your baby, but using a flexible schedule. This generally serves both baby & mother and takes much of the guess-work involved in feeding and parenting out of the equation. Its my experience that both mommy & baby do better when the babys life is guided by this flexible schedule.
PDF is a middle-ground between hyper-scheduling (letting the clock rule your feeding routines) and demand-feeding (every time your baby cries, you feed him). This method is child-oriented (not child-centered or mother-centered); the mother cooperates with her babys needs, and her baby learns to cooperate with his mothers guidance.
Much of parent-directed feeding requires some common sense and a commitment to not be ruled by the clock and The Rules. No one who practices PDF will tell you that you should not feed your baby if he is hungry; your role as a mommy is to meet his needs, and that includes adequate nutrition. Additionally, no one who uses this method will tell you that you must let your baby wait if hes hungrythats being a slave to the clock, and not being responsive to your babys needs. Instead, you will meet your childs needs without being enslaved to them or someone elses ideas of how you should feed your baby. Thats the freedom that PDF can bring to your life and the life of your baby!
About The Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.
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