Squish was exclusively breastfed (EBF). What that means is, she was getting the worlds easiest to digest food, and therefore was ready to nurse about every 3 hours. Well, there you go you say, every three hours. So you wake, play, eat, sleep, every 3 hrs like Baby Wise says. WRONG. Babies hit growth spurts, and as a breastfeeding mother, supply has to catch up with demand, that being said, she would have to nurse longer and more frequently in order for my glands to get the message. Pulling her off because we'd met a prescribed amount of time, or refusing to nurse because a certain amount of time had not passed, was not an option. How would my milk have ever been sufficient using this method?  Also, type B me says as an adult, I'm hungry...when I'm hungry.  There is really no set time.  There is a general time, but I'm not the type to say "Oh,it's 12:01, time for lunch". Nope.

A babies nutritional needs can vary day to day, just like us. Some days she was super sleepy, others super hungry, but no matter which, I let her decide when she wanted to nurse, not the other way around. Besides, shoving a nipple at baby who is not hungry is the second best way to piss them off. The first best way is to take away the food when they are hungry.

While I can definitely see the merit in knowing when baby will be hungry, and planning accordingly; days don't really fall in to line like that until about month 3. I don't know if that's when I finally got better at being a mom, or if that last trimester being over allowed baby to be better at being a baby. What I do know is, the only planning I did the first few months was to say "Ok, just nursed baby, we should have two solid hours to do something before she needs to eat again".  That was the extent of soothsaying I was able to do.

Not everyone EBF's, but bottle feeding is no different. A mother that is exclusively pumping, or formula feeding, has a baby that has the still biological needs of the breastfed baby.  Growth spurts still pertain.  Baby will be hungrier, and sleepier, and fussier (so good luck playing) during these times.

What about cluster feeds? Marathon feeds? There are too many variables to sum up feeding a baby that young on a schedule.  I say relax, and let baby give the cues.  There is nothing wrong with feeding on demand if it makes crying baby like just shut up for like 3 seconds so you can stop feeling like you're going crazy! :::deeeeeeeep breeeeaths:::