Bottle Feeding your baby

Here are some tips to make bottlefeeding easier, more trouble-free and more rewarding for you and your baby

 

• Soothing Mood. Feeding your baby is an important comforting and bonding time. Get comfortable, and hold the baby so that the two of you can look at each other. Hold your infant securely, but not tightly.
• Pay attention to temperature. Babies have individual tastes: Some like their bottles the same temperature every day, and some don't care if you feed them warmed formula one day and chilled formula the next. If yours fusses when the temperature varies, keep it constant.
• Keep formula consistent. Mix your formula precisely the same way every time. Never dilute the formula any more than recommended on the label, because your child will end up being shortchanged of necessary nutrients.
• Boil new nipples. Brand-new nipples can have a plastic taste that your baby may not like. To get rid of that new taste, boil the nipple in water before using it.

 

• Consider the hole. It's important that the size of the hole in the nipple is neither too big nor too small. If it's too large, formula will pour through too quickly and your baby may choke, and if it's too small, your baby may become frustrated trying to get enough formula. Check hole size by turning the bottle upside down and watching the formula drip out. If it comes out in a stream, buy nipples with smaller size openings. If formula won't come out until you squeeze the bottle, buy nipples with larger holes or make the hole bigger.
• Hold on to the bottle. A parent with a million things to do may want to prop up the bottle so the baby can eat on her own. But babies need the cuddling and closeness that's a part of feeding. Also, a baby left alone with a bottle can choke if milk runs down her throat and when a baby lies flat on her back to drink, milk may come back up into her throat possibly causing an earache or ear infection.
• Get the right tilt. Start holding your baby's bottle at a 45-degree angle, and raise the end as the baby feeds. Watch the neck of the bottle and keep it tilted so you don't get an air bubble.
• Alter positions. If your baby tends to spit up more than once during feedings, a change of position may help. You need to try out various angles until you find one that agrees with your baby. The best position depends on each baby's esophagus and gastrointestinal tract.

 

• Go with the flow. Don't expect your child to drink a full bottle at noon today just because she took a full bottle at noon yesterday. Appetite varies from day to day.
• You also shouldn't live by the clock. If it's a half hour before your baby's usual eating time, and he's fussing and seems hungry, feed him. Or if he naps past his usual feeding time, let him sleep and feed him when he awakens.
• Clue in to the signals. Your baby should be the one to decide how much he eats. When a baby stops sucking vigorously or starts squirming or looking around the room, that should signal the end of the feeding. Never urge the rest of a bottle on a child who doesn't want it. It's better to throw formula out than to have your baby overeat.