Question
My five-month-old baby’s breast milk is not sufficient, but he refuses to drink formula milk. I have been feeding him on-demand, allowing him to eat whenever he wants. When I went back home, my mother said that I should feed him on a schedule and enforced this approach. I want to know which method is better for the baby: on-demand feeding or scheduled feeding? The baby weighed 6.1 pounds at birth and now weighs 13.5 pounds at five months old. Is this weight normal?
Answer
The baby’s weight of 13.5 pounds at five months is slightly low; a three-month-old baby’s weight should be twice the birth weight. For breastfed babies, it is generally recommended to feed on-demand, but this should be based on the baby’s absorption situation. If the baby has milk curds in his stool or if he has too many bowel movements, it indicates that the baby has poor digestion and can be fed on a schedule. Signs that the baby is full include: the mother’s breasts feeling full, hearing a gulping sound as the baby suckles, the baby falling asleep peacefully after feeding, and normal bowel movements. As long as there are no diseases, the growth and development will be normal.