What to Know About Responsive Feeding for Babies

Written by Wendy, IBCLC

It’s common to have tons of questions about baby feeding when you’re first starting out. You might want to know how often to feed your baby, how much to feed them, and what the best feeding schedule is for a baby. But what if there aren’t really concrete answers to these questions? What if the best advice is simply to follow your baby’s lead when it comes when and how much to feed them? Enter the idea of responsive feeding.

WHAT IS RESPONSIVE FEEDING?

Responsive feeding is a term to describe an approach to feeding where you rely on your child’s cue’s determine when feeding should happen, how much to feed, and when feeding should end. It’s similar to the idea of “breastfeeding on demand” or “feeding on demand.”

Although this blog post centers around responsive feeding for babies, the term “responsive feeding” isn’t just applied to babies. It’s used to describe feeding toddlers and older children as well. Responsive feeding is recommended by the Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP), UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and researchers who study infant and children’s feeding patterns and their overall impacts on health and well being.

WHAT RESPONSIVE FEEDING IS AND ISN'T

It can be helpful not just to understand what responsive feeding is, but also what it isn’t.

Responsive feeding is:

Noticing signs that your baby is hungry and feeding them then
Watching your baby while they eat for signs that they need breaks or may be done eating
Ending a feeding based on your child’s cues and not the clock or number of ounces consumed

Responsive feeding isn’t:

Having the caregiver determine the schedule of eating
Measuring feeding by a set number of minutes of breastfeeding or ounces in a bottle
Deciding for your baby when they are done or requiring them to eat more than they seem interested in eating

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF RESPONSIVE FEEDING?

Responsive feeding is a powerful way to teach your baby good eating habits from the get-go. It also has lifelong benefits. Here’s what to know.

SHORT-TERM BENEFITS OF RESPONSIVE FEEDING

When it comes to breastfeeding and bottle feeding, responsive feeding has numerous benefits, such as:

When establishing breastfeeding, encourages baby to determine mother’s milk supply to ensure they have a robust supply and to avoid oversupply of milk
Bottle-fed babies are less likely to overeat
When bottle-feeding a breastfed baby, feeding them responsively means less wasted breast milk, less bottle dumping, and greater ability for baby to transition between breast and bottle
Encourages caregivers to connect with baby during feeding
Encourages caregivers to get know their baby’s specific feeding cues and their feeding personality

LONG-TERM BENEFITS

Establishing a responsive eating pattern when your child is a baby sets up them for long-term health and wellness. Long term benefits of responsive feeding include:

A child who’s less likely to overeat
A child who eats more intuitively
A child who doesn’t feel forced to finish what’s on their plate
A child who’s able to maintain a healthy weight for their body
A child who feels listened to about their hunger and their needs
A child—and adult—who experiences confidence, autonomy, and trust in themselves and their body

HOW TO DO RESPONSIVE FEEDING WITH BABIES

You can do responsive feeding with your baby, whether you breastfeed them or feed them with a bottle. Here’s how.

READING HUNGER CUES

It all starts with understanding their feeding cues. Feeding cues can vary from one baby to another but usually looks like:

Rooting (turning head when anything touches their face and opening mouth)
Licking lips
Open mouth and making sucking motions
Sucking on a finger or fist
Fussing
Crying (but this is usually considered a late sign of hunger and it’s best to attempt a feed before your baby gets to crying)

FEEDING YOUR BABY

The idea is to start the feeding process as soon as any of the above signs are seen. This is regardless of how recently the baby has fed, because sometimes babies are hungry quite frequently, such as during a growth spurt.

During the feed, you want to look at your baby as much as possible, and notice how they are behaving. It’s normal for babies to drink for a while, take a break, and then eat some more. Whenever possible, try to be on “baby time,” not rushing your baby, and letting them steer the feeding.

ENDING THE FEEDING

With responsive feeding, you look at the baby rather than the clock. Usually you can tell that a baby is full because their whole body starts to relax. If their hands had been clenched, you might see them open up. If you try to offer your baby the breast or bottle at this point, they may turn their head away. Babies will often get drowsy and may fall asleep with a full tummy.

ADDRESSING ANY CONCERNS

When it comes to embracing responsive feeding, it’s common to feel hesitant at first. You may wonder if you’re spoiling your baby by answering every fuss or whimper by offering the breast or bottle. You may wonder if you will be feeding your baby enough if you stop when they seem uninterested. Or, you may wonder if you are feeding them too much, if you offer them food whenever they seem interested.

First of all, you can’t spoil a baby. Really – you just can’t. In most cases, responsive feeding means that your baby will get just the right amount of food for their body, because their body knows what they need. That being said, if you have any concerns at all about your baby’s weight gain, you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician.

If you have any further questions about responsive feeding or feeding your baby in general, please seek support—from a pediatrician, lactation professional, a trusted friend, or any baby feeding and care expert.