What is responsive feeding?
Nursing moms are often pummeled with Do’s and Don’t to maintain a healthy nursing relationship. There are times when baby needs to be fed when mom is away and it can be stressful for moms to filter through conflicting information. They are faced with questions and terms such as:
How soon should they introduce the bottle?
What pumping schedule should I follow?
What is the best baby bottle?
What are best practices for bottle feeding a breastfed baby?
How to avoid nipple confusion?
What are the best baby bottle for breastfed baby?
What are good baby bottles for newborns?
What are best practices for introducing a bottle to breastfed baby?
What to do when breastfed baby is refusing bottle?
How to combine breastfeeding and pumping?
When to start bottle feeding expressed breast milk?
Do I have to pump every time baby gets a bottle?
Often times moms come across a technique called “Pace Feeding”. It’s a term nursing moms hear about when they research bottle feeding a breastfed baby and it's claimed to mimic breastfeeding.
Pace feeding was a feeding technique used for medically complex and premature babies so they could bottle feed without aspirating milk into the lungs. It is parent-led and controls the milk flow. This technique gained popularity even among term infants despite their ability to manage the milk flow (with the right technique) and advancements in the market for nipple flow, nipple types, and bottles. This feeding technique involves limiting the milk flow.
Have you heard the term “responsive feeding”?
Responsive feeding is child-led and allows the baby to set and regulate their own sucking pace while parents respond to their baby’s hunger and fullness cues. It is interactive between baby and caregiver and often a very positive experience.
What are the benefits of responsive feeding?
Encourages child to self-regulate their milk intake and set their own pace for feeding
Develops trust when responding to your baby’s feeding cues
Supports a loving relationship with caregiver
Helps baby develop healthy eating habits
Positive experience
Bottle feeding can be a positive, loving experience that develops trust and does not threaten a healthy nursing relationship. Check with your pediatrician to ensure there are no special circumstances around feeding.
To learn more about the difference between “pace feeding” and “responsive feeding” check out this article from the Fed Is Best Society
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