Demand vs. scheduled feedings for premature infants.
To compare the effects of demand and schedule feeding in premature infants who weighed less than 2500 grams at birth and who were appropriate for gestational age, 36 premature infants were studied. Premature infants were assigned randomly to either demand (N = 18) or scheduled (N = 18) feedings in a regional NICU in a metropolitan hospital. Infants that were allowed to feed on demand took amounts of formula and calories similar to those infants who were fed specified amounts of formula every three or four hours. Demand-fed infants were bottle-feeding well enough to be discharged earlier than schedule-fed infants, required fewer feedings per day, and needed fewer gavage feedings. No complications related to feedings were seen in either group.