# Feeding on demand or on a schedule

**Should we feed the baby on demand or on a schedule?**

Whether you feed the baby whenever they show hunger cues, on a loose rhythm, or by the clock. Newborns are usually fed in response to cues, so this mostly matters as babies grow.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Fully cue-based; Cue-based with a loose rhythm; Parent-directed schedule (Babywise); Strict clock. Evidence: well established. Guidance and evidence agree. The real question is whether you'll follow it. Best settled: around the birth.

- Area: Feeding the baby
- Evidence: Well established
- Best settled: Around the birth
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/feeding-the-baby--feeding-on-demand-or-on-a-schedule

## Feeding on demand or on a schedule: what are the options?

1. **Fully cue-based**: You feed whenever the baby shows signs of hunger, day or night.
2. **Cue-based with a loose rhythm**: You follow the baby's cues while keeping a rough pattern to the day.
3. **Parent-directed schedule (Babywise)**: You feed at times you set, as in the Babywise books.
4. **Strict clock**: You feed at fixed times on the clock.

## Feeding on demand or on a schedule: what does the evidence say?

**Well established.** Guidance and evidence agree. The real question is whether you'll follow it. (Settled for the early weeks)

AAP: feed on hunger cues; a parent-directed program was associated with poor weight gain and early weaning

Sources:

- [AAP News](https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/article/14/4/21/17282/Babywise-advice-linked-to-dehydration-failure-to)

## What else is worth knowing?

Young babies feed often and irregularly, and health bodies advise responding to hunger cues in the early months. As babies grow, feeds naturally space out and a pattern emerges. The question is how much you shape that pattern.

## Questions to ask each other

- Do we picture feeding by the baby's cues or by the clock?
- What would we do if the baby seems hungry far more or less often than expected?
- Who will we ask if we are worried about how much the baby is eating?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=feeding-the-baby&topic=feeding-the-baby--feeding-on-demand-or-on-a-schedule