Responsive feeding is essentially the process of a parent recognizing their babies cues around feeding and responding appropriately. Responsive parenting in general is advised as it is believed to promote healthy growth and development in infancy, feeding responsively is an extension of this approach.
Responsive feeding is sometimes referred to as ‘baby led feeding’. In this post we will outline why it is important and what it looks like.
Why is responsive feeding so important?
As mentioned earlier, responsive feeding is believed to be beneficial for babies’ development. Providing appropriate responses to babies’ cues has been associated with improved social and behavioral outcomes in children. There have also been some links with early feeding responsivity and infant weight and appetite that suggests this approach can help babies develop healthy appetite control.
Responsive feeding is important regardless of how baby receives milk, although some research has shown that babies fed via a bottle may exhibit fewer hunger and fullness cues than breast fed babies. This means that babies who are fed via a bottle may require more sensitive responsivity around feeding.
When breastfeeding, responsive feeding is an important part of milk supply management. Research shows that mums who self-reported breast feeding responsively were more likely to breastfeed for longer than mums who fed baby on a schedule. This is because breasts produce milk in response to baby’s individual feeding patterns, therefore feeding responsively helps to regulate your milk supply based on what baby needs.
Research also suggests that responsive feeding is more common when mums and babies had more physical contact (e.g. via baby wearing).
If you are struggling to know how to improve your feeding responsivity, try wearing your baby, having contact naps (following safe sleeping guidelines) and making time for skin to skin. Read on for more information on what responsive feeding should look like.
What IS responsive feeding:
Feeding your baby responsively means that you are offering a feed to your baby whenever they first show cues that they want to feed.
Over time you will learn which behaviours indicate that baby needs a feed and which indicate they need something else. If you are breastfeeding, bringing baby to the breast can help to soothe many of their needs, so start there if you are unsure.
Below are some of the cues you might notice when baby is communicating that they would like to feed:
- Licking and smacking their lips and generally moving their mouth / tongue.
- Bringing their hands to their mouth.
- Turning their head from side to side.
- Stretching and becoming active, moving their hands and head.
Beyond being responsive to their initial cues, it is important to remain responsive as the feed progresses:
If you are breast feeding:
- Always offer the second breast, let baby decide for themselves how much they drink.
- Avoid taking baby off the breast before they have done so themselves.
Let them feed at their own pace and decide for themselves when they are finished and when they want more. - If you notice feeding cues soon after baby has fed, don’t deny them the breast. Cluster feeding can be important for milk supply and your baby’s development. Try to relax and get comfy during cluster feeds, they are a normal part of breastfeeding.
If you are bottle feeding:
- Take your time with feeds, pace feeding will allow baby the opportunity to take breaks when they want to.
- Hold baby so that their torso is upright, rather than reclined, and hold the bottle so that it is parallel to the floor (but keeping the teat filled with milk). This helps to slow down the flow of milk and encourages baby to suck and show signs they want more.
- If baby stops sucking, remove the bottle and observe them. If they want more they will let you know.
Responsive feeding also includes responding to baby’s signs that they have had enough. Sometimes these cues are subtle, and they can be easily ignored or missed, especially if baby is bottle fed.
Look out for the below signs to ensure you are picking up on your baby’s signs that they have had enough:
- Falling asleep.
- Letting go of nipple or teat or pushing it away.
- Body becomes heavy and relaxed, hands unclenched and slowing or stopping sucking.
- Arching back or becoming upset.
What IS NOT responsive feeding:
Responsive feeding is all about recognizing baby’s cues and responding accordingly, it is important to follow baby’s lead. Below are some examples of behaviours that do not support responsive feeding.
- Trying to implement a feeding routine. Babies may naturally create their own feeding schedule, but they should be allowed to dictate this themselves. Breast fed babies especially need to create their own schedule as they must communicate to the breast when they need more or less milk.
- Delaying or putting off a feed when baby shows feeding cues. Of course, it is not always possible to respond to baby’s cues immediately, however, it is important not to get in the habit of making them wait or delaying a feed.
- Using a dummy or pacifier to ‘tide baby over’. Using a dummy to settle baby disrupts responsive feeding as it can mask or silence their feeding cues. Settling baby with a dummy can be useful but be sure not to leave it in their mouth for extended periods of time, and never respond to feeding cues with a dummy.
It can be challenging to relax into the mode of responsive feeding as we have all been programmed to celebrate routines and structure. Try to let go of the expectations we place on how babies should sleep and feed, every baby is different and feeding responsively will allow you to respond to their individual needs.
References
Black, M. M., & Aboud, F. E. (2011). Responsive feeding is embedded in a theoretical framework of responsive parenting. J Nutr, 141(3), 490-494. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.110.129973
Eshel, N., Daelmans, B., de Mello, M. C., & Martines, J. (2006). Responsive parenting: interventions and outcomes. Bull World Health Organ, 84(12), 991-998. https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.06.030163
Little, E. E., Legare, C. H., & Carver, L. J. (2018). Mother⁻Infant Physical Contact Predicts Responsive Feeding among U.S. Breastfeeding Mothers. Nutrients, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091251
McNally, J., Hugh-Jones, S., Caton, S., Vereijken, C., Weenen, H., & Hetherington, M. (2016). Communicating hunger and satiation in the first 2 years of life: a systematic review. Matern Child Nutr, 12(2), 205-228. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12230
Worobey, J., Lopez, M. I., & Hoffman, D. J. (2009). Maternal behavior and infant weight gain in the first year. J Nutr Educ Behav, 41(3), 169-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2008.06.005
