Feeding Baby on a Schedule

There are two schools of thought when it comes to feeding a baby. Feed on demand or feeding baby on a schedule. This article will give you tips for feeding baby on a schedule and give you general guidelines, by age, how many feedings your baby needs.

Newborns

12 Month Boy Clothes

At birth, the hospital will tell you that your baby needs to eat at least every 3 hours and you may even have to wake your baby to make sure he is getting enough. Keep in mind that breast milk digests faster than formula, so you will need to keep this in mind when you are considering feeding baby on a schedule. If you are a breastfeeding mom, your baby will need to eat every 1 to 3 hours. If you are a formula feeding mom, you will need to feed your baby every 3 hours.

Feeding Baby on a Schedule

3 to 6 months

Feeding a baby on a schedule at 3 to 6 months can still be challenging because they are starting to roll and move around more, but are not eating many solids, if any. The AAP recommends delaying solids until between 4 and 6 months. Breastfed babies may still be eating every 2 to 3 hours and formula feeding babies can eat every 3 to 4 hours.

7 to 12 months

Once you start solids, it can get a lot easier feeding baby on a schedule. Most breastfed babies can now go longer between feedings and formula fed babies are still eating every 3 to 4 hours only now they are also eating solids with their milk or formula.

Tips for feeding baby on a schedule

• Keep track of feedings and your baby's schedule, so you can monitor progress and find the best schedule for your baby as all babies are unique. You might want to keep a breastfeeding or formula log and consider using baby schedule tracking software for easy tracking and reporting. It makes it easy to see the forest through the trees.
• If your baby is struggling with going long enough between feedings, try stretching your baby slowly by waiting just 15 minutes longer between feedings and not jumping too quickly to the exact schedule you want long-term.
• If you've started solids and your baby does not have the patience to try new foods, try offering 1/2 of a bottle or nursing session and then offering the solids and then the rest of the bottle / nursing session. This will help curb your baby's appetite allowing her to have more patience to try something new.
• If your baby does not have the patience to wait for the second half of the bottle / nursing session as mentioned above, try giving the whole feeding and then offering solids half-way between the two milk / formula feedings.

If feeding baby on a schedule is very difficult, try taking a break and try again a few weeks later. Babies change a lot during the first year and it will go fast. Try not to stress too much about it. Some babies thrive on a routine and schedule while others tend to make their own. It will all come together in the end!

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Nicole Johnson is a sleep coach and the owner of The Baby Sleep Site™ ( http://www.babysleepsite.com ) specializing in baby sleep products and consulting services. She is also the President of Babble Soft ( http://www.babblesoft.com ), a premier baby software company, in order to further help new parents. Nicole is a wife and the mother of two boys. With a B.A. degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Ohio State University, Nicole has also received an honorary degree in "Surviving Sleep Deprivation," thanks to her son's "no sleep" curriculum. She has become an expert on infant and toddler sleep and has made it her mission to help other parents solve their child's sleep problems, too.

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Sexy Holiday Maternity Dresses

October is already underway and Holiday Season is fast approaching with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. For many of us who are expecting, the holidays means finding a holiday dress for a number of social occasions. In addition to family and friend get togethers, many of us also have holiday office parties to attend which may require a more formal dress. So, whether your maternity dress needs are casual, slightly upscale or formal, now is the time to start looking before it is too late! Here are few suggestions in your quest for the perfect maternity dress for the holidays:

Unless you are shopping for a full out formal affair, it is easy to find a maternity dress that is super versatile for not only Thanksgiving and Christmas parties for other outings as well. The wrap maternity dress style is the perfect bridge from a nice dinner out to holiday party. Solids are a good choice in shopping for a maternity dress you plan to wear more than once as it is not quite as memorable as a print - especially if you might run into the same people on more than one occasion. Burgundy is a popular color out this holiday season and definitely suits the occasion from Thanksgiving to Christmas to even a classic office dress or nice day-wear outfit. Wrap dresses are one of the best body styles on the market for expecting women as they are so easy to wear, flattering to many body types and adjustable to your changing shape. Both Japanese Weekend and Maternal America (check out their Front Tie Keyhole Maternity Dress) have some super wrap and sash tie dresses out this season in burgundy, ruby and black.

If patterns are more your style, look for a print that does not say "holiday" all over it but can be worn throughout the season for a variety of venues. The Maternal America Beaded Safari Dress is based upon their bestselling style from last Fall/Winter which was a hit during the holidays. This year's style is a one of a kind earth print with a beautiful blend of safari earthy colors brought together in the front with attractive ruching with a centerpiece of chunky beading in earth colors. This dress can be worn for a formal occasion or a dinner out with friends. The colors are great for Fall, Winter, and even Spring with ¾ sleeves and light stretchy fabric. The Safari dress stretchy front ruching style plays up your curves and shows off all the best about your ever changing maternity shape.

If you have a truly dressy occasion to attend then your best option is maternity formal wear. Black is always a great choice and of course slimming and sexy for all body types and skin tones. There are a variety of styles that work very well in maternity formal dresses. Showing a little skin up top in either the sleeveless bodice or tube dress is always flattering. If you feel more comfortable with straps you can opt for a sleeveless or strappy dress to show a little shoulder or a deep V neck variety with short sleeves to show off your enhanced cleavage!

This season the full length formal dresses are very much in style on the red carpet and always a flattering and easy to fit style for expecting women. Particularly if you are further along in your pregnancy, a full length maternity gown gives some balance to a large blooming belly so the eye sees you in your entire dress from head to toe and your belly is not the sole target focus of everyone's attention. Olian Maternity has a number of beautiful and classic full length formal styles in formal dresses including the Kora Maternity Evening Dress, which is a pretty black sleeveless style, and an elegant Black Sash Evening Dress in Black with a contrasting cream Sash and neckline accent.

If you opt to show off a little leg, then a black cocktail maternity dress style is always a great bet for the Holidays and any formal or dressy occasion. Olian Maternity has a number of great styles for choose from in sexy black cocktail dresses including the Beaded Neck Cocktail Dress with a high circle neck style in beautiful beading and elegant draping pleats which hits above the knee. Olian also has a tighter fitting Silk Bodice Dress that is fitted across the bust in a silk satin finish and bra friendly. Both of these cocktail maternity dresses are sexy, classic and stunning, particularly if you can still safely pull off a black heel to complete the look!

Some great choices for other sleeveless varieties in the burgundy-maroon color family for above the knee dresses include Maternal America's Tulle Dress. This was another style which was a bestseller last holiday season in an espresso color and has returned this year in a stunning maroon color as well as a black variety. This dress has a pleated Grecian feel with a V neck leather empire waist accent that hits above the belly. The design and cut work well for all stages of your pregnancy and there is plenty of room in the belly and bust with no tenting or excess fabric. For a super buy, check out Theality's Party Dress which is a simple tube style with bra friendly straps and fitted across the bust. This easy to wear and versatile cocktail party dress is available in both burgundy and black solid.

So whether you are looking for full out formal or versatile knee length maternity dresses for the Holidays, your best bet is to shop as early as possible. To get the most wear out of your holiday maternity dress, look for styles with enough belly room and stretch to last you a number of months and colors or prints that can also be worn for other occasions. If it's chilly, just add a wrap and you are good to go!

Amy Jarman is owner of the maternity clothes and nursing clothes store Tummystyle, a leading online retailer. TummyStyle has a wide selection of maternity dresses for you pregnancy by designers such as Japanese Weekend, Majamas, Maternal America, Olian Maternity Clothes, 1 in the Oven, and Bravado.

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