The following quotes are taken from the current edition of BABYWISE, which
corresponds to the current, fifth edition of Preparation for Parenting.
BABYWISE (Multnomah books, ISBN 0-88070-775-5) is now being mass marketed
and may well be found at your local bookstore. -Lisa Marasco
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On 'The Benefits of Order'--- (p43) "Chelsea's mom follows the principles of
PDF (Parent directed feeding): As a result, her interaction with her baby is
both predictable and routine. ...... Marisa's mom is following a
demand-feeding approach. As a result, her interaction is very predictable
(Marisa cries and her mother responds), but it is not routine. ....... it is
very erratic. The erratic nature of the demand-feed (or free-feed) theory
negatively impacts Marisa's metabolism.
"In contrast, Chelsea's mom understands the benefits of routine, and she
appreciates the accompanying sense of security. Her baby shows by her
positive response to routine that she has an inner need for an outward system
of structure. Although in utero nutrition continually passes on to the baby,
there are spikes-- peak periods-- of nutritional consumption. Those times
correlate with the mother's basic three-meal-a-day routine. Outside the womb,
a basic feeding routine provides structure that encourages the natural
rhythms of a child to synchronize with those of the rest of the family."
Advantages of PDF (p45)
1) Chelsea's metabolism is stable, since parental interaction is regular and
predictable
2) Chelsea's digestive system will have fewer problems with colic-like
symptoms when compared with her demand-fed cousin (Marisa).
3) Chelsea's nighttime sleep cycles will be stabilized. Between the third and
eighth week, her mom can experct her to begin sleeping 7 to 8 hours straight
through the night. Chelsea will probably sleep ten to twelve hours per night
by week 12. By that time, her cousin Marisa will still be waking up twice in
the middle of the night for a snack, and is apt to continue in that pattern
for the next two years.
4) Chelsea doesn't have to be manipulated to sleep. When bedtime comes,
Chelsea's mom and dad place her in her crib an she falls asleep. If there is
any fussing, it's usually very limited. Marisa's mother, on the other hand,
tries to nurse her to sleep, but the ordeal sometimes takes hours. As soon as
she puts Marisa in her crib, she is likely to wake up, an her mom is forced
to start the process all over again. This style of parenting grows old very
quickly."
6) Chelsea moves naturally from dependence to independence. The nature of the
PDF program fosters *relational* security. That is, a baby's security depends
on his or her developing relationships, not on proximity to the baby's
mother. In contrast, mothers who are constantly attentive by way of baby
slings, shared sleep, and demand feeding, all in hopes of fostering security,
too often accomplish the opposite. That statement is easily proven. Just
remove the child from mom at any point and observe how secure he or she
appears. It's disheartening for a parent to see her child in a state of
hysteria over being confronted with a need for independence, while other
children the same age are maturing appropriately in their independence.
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