pc@hplabsb.UUCP (Patricia Collins) (12/08/83)
We would probably be a lot farther along in our attempt to solve the health problem of obesity if we would let children stay in touch with their own knowledge of when they are hungry. My son has been fed "on demand" for his first 9 months. This has amounted to offering him food at reasonable intervals and being aware of his indications that he's had enough. I had the advantage of nursing. Since you don't know how much your baby has had, you can't be tempted to force just one more ounce simply because you put 8 ounces in the bottle. Often when I pick him up from his day care center, I notice a message "bottle offered 2 PM" which means that he wasn't hungry/thirsty then. Normally, my son will eat a sizeable meal, but occasionally is uninterested. He is a very healthy, average-size baby who has learned that he can eat when he's hungry and need not feel COMPELLED to eat. One note: a few months ago, Adam began waking up at nights again. He would yell for me and would only settle down if he nursed. I was fairly sure that he was NOT hungry, but wanted my attention. This was a problem because I was getting up about once an hour! We began a process suggested by our pediatrician: We went into Adam's room when he awoke and got him to lie down, told him he needed to go to sleep and that WE needed to sleep too. We would repeat that we would see him in the morning and leave the room. If his crying continued, we would go back in 10 - 15 minutes. The first two nights were very long, but before long Adam began to learn how to put himself back to sleep. He would wake up happy and rested in the morning. WE would wake up happy and rested in the morning. The pediatrician explained that after a baby is about 7 months old, s/he really is old enough to understand this process. It is important to return to the baby's room to provide reassurance (the baby wakes up and is actually anxious because Mom and Dad are not there). As the pediatrician pointed out, the child is a citizen of the household with rights and responsibilities. A good parent wants to do what s/he can for the child, but this must be in the context of what is good for the whole household. Some parents are willing to give up their bedroom privacy for a few years and that fits in with what's good for their household. Some parents are willing to get up all night long for an indefinite period of time. SO I GUESS THE SAME THING HOLDS FOR FEEDING. CONSIDER THE CHILD AND CONSIDER YOURSELF. Patricia Collins hplabs