On Becoming Babywise
I finished reading the book, "On Becoming Babywise", and I said I'd let you know what I thought about it, so here you go.
I was a little skeptical about the book because I had heard that it is controversial, but at the same time I had heard good things about it as well. After reading it, I realize there are parts I'll take and parts I'll leave, but overall, I really liked it and pretty much agreed with what it said.
The premise of the book is about developing a flexible routine for the baby in order to help things run smoothly and as stress free as possible. In doing this, the book claims that most babies will be sleeping through the night by around 10 weeks old. Sounds pretty good, right?
Some people are very concerned with this method and state that it can cause all sorts of problems, including dehydration for the baby. Well, if done correctly, that's really not a possibility.
The basic plan outlined in this book is to make sure the baby gets full feedings every time he eats. If the baby doesn't get a full feeding, then he will be hungry again shortly and you will end up with a baby that is snacking every 1 to 1.5 hours, instead of one who is eating full meals every 2 to 3 hours. Newborns tend to fall asleep when eating so it's important to keep them awake and make sure they get a full feeding, followed by some awake time, and then sleep. According to the book, if you can develop this routine the baby will eat and sleep better.
It also talks about demand feeding, hyperscheduling, and parent directed feeding. Demand feeding is essentially what it sounds like, you feed on demand. Any time the baby cries, you try and feed him, and this creates babies who feed for comfort (instead of a pacifier) or who snack all day and night, resulting in an exhausted baby and mommy. In this situation, the baby is completely in control.
Hyperscheduling is pretty much the exact opposite. The clock determines when the baby gets fed. If the baby is supposed to eat every 3 hours, then he eats every 3 hours and not a second sooner. In this approach, the clock is in control, and this could result in weight loss and dehydration for the baby.
The final approach is parent directed feeding. In this method cues from the baby, the clock and parent assessment determine when the baby is fed. If the baby seems hungry and its about time for a feeding, then you feed the baby. If its not time for a feeding, you see, if perhaps, the baby may be crying for some other reason, and if you determine that the baby is indeed hungry, you need to determine why the previous feeding wasn't very successful. Maybe the baby is going through a growth spurt and just needs to eat more frequently for a few days. Or maybe your milk supply has changed for some reason. But you always feed the baby if he is hungry.
The book states that if you make sure the baby is getting a full feeding each time then they will naturally develop a 2.5 -3 hours feeding schedule, at first. The time between feedings gradually increases as the baby gets older. This natural feeding routine will help develop healthy sleeping patterns as well, and will help the baby to sleep through the night sooner.
The parent directed feeding approach seems the best to me, and while I'm sure I'll have to tweak it to fit our lives, I think it will work fine.
There you have my thoughts on the Babywise book. Hope you enjoyed reading them, and if you have any thoughts on the book, feel free to comment.
I was a little skeptical about the book because I had heard that it is controversial, but at the same time I had heard good things about it as well. After reading it, I realize there are parts I'll take and parts I'll leave, but overall, I really liked it and pretty much agreed with what it said.
The premise of the book is about developing a flexible routine for the baby in order to help things run smoothly and as stress free as possible. In doing this, the book claims that most babies will be sleeping through the night by around 10 weeks old. Sounds pretty good, right?
Some people are very concerned with this method and state that it can cause all sorts of problems, including dehydration for the baby. Well, if done correctly, that's really not a possibility.
The basic plan outlined in this book is to make sure the baby gets full feedings every time he eats. If the baby doesn't get a full feeding, then he will be hungry again shortly and you will end up with a baby that is snacking every 1 to 1.5 hours, instead of one who is eating full meals every 2 to 3 hours. Newborns tend to fall asleep when eating so it's important to keep them awake and make sure they get a full feeding, followed by some awake time, and then sleep. According to the book, if you can develop this routine the baby will eat and sleep better.
It also talks about demand feeding, hyperscheduling, and parent directed feeding. Demand feeding is essentially what it sounds like, you feed on demand. Any time the baby cries, you try and feed him, and this creates babies who feed for comfort (instead of a pacifier) or who snack all day and night, resulting in an exhausted baby and mommy. In this situation, the baby is completely in control.
Hyperscheduling is pretty much the exact opposite. The clock determines when the baby gets fed. If the baby is supposed to eat every 3 hours, then he eats every 3 hours and not a second sooner. In this approach, the clock is in control, and this could result in weight loss and dehydration for the baby.
The final approach is parent directed feeding. In this method cues from the baby, the clock and parent assessment determine when the baby is fed. If the baby seems hungry and its about time for a feeding, then you feed the baby. If its not time for a feeding, you see, if perhaps, the baby may be crying for some other reason, and if you determine that the baby is indeed hungry, you need to determine why the previous feeding wasn't very successful. Maybe the baby is going through a growth spurt and just needs to eat more frequently for a few days. Or maybe your milk supply has changed for some reason. But you always feed the baby if he is hungry.
The book states that if you make sure the baby is getting a full feeding each time then they will naturally develop a 2.5 -3 hours feeding schedule, at first. The time between feedings gradually increases as the baby gets older. This natural feeding routine will help develop healthy sleeping patterns as well, and will help the baby to sleep through the night sooner.
The parent directed feeding approach seems the best to me, and while I'm sure I'll have to tweak it to fit our lives, I think it will work fine.
There you have my thoughts on the Babywise book. Hope you enjoyed reading them, and if you have any thoughts on the book, feel free to comment.
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