It doesn’t matter what the reasons are for choosing bottle feeding your infant, it is reassuring to know that today’s formula milk is produced to resemble breast milk as closely as possible. Getting organized and keeping safety in mind will help make bottle feeding an enjoyable experience, especially for the dads 😉
What is the success for happy feeding?
Holding your baby close, gazing into their eyes and talking to them in a gentle soft way while they feed from the bottle, you will feel close and bond with them.
Keep bottle-feeding a loving occasion by
- Getting close; Your baby will be close to your chest and will be able to hear your heart beat.
- Never leave your baby with the bottle propped in their mouth, not only can they choke, but they need your affection.
- Stop the feed when your baby had enough; they will know when they had enough so never force them to finish a bottle.
Some baby bottle feeding techniques.
- Warm your baby’s formula milk before giving it to them; you can use a bottle warmer or put the bottle in warm water to heat it up. Never give the bottle before testing it! You can test by dripping several drops on the back of your wrist to be sure that it is warm, but not too hot.
- Keep the bottle tilted so that milk covers the teat and that they don’t suck in air. Air can cause winds and discomfort for your baby.
- Tilt your baby slightly in your arms, if she/he lies flat they might find it difficult to swallow and they may even gag.
- Wind them when they had enough. You can put them on your shoulder and gently rub them on their back, remember to wind a baby doesn’t mean beating them 😉 an upright position will release the air anyway.
How many feed will be sufficient?
The best way to determine whether your baby has enough feeds is to treat bottle feeding the same way as breastfeeding. Don’t be too worried about the amounts, but offer the bottle whenever they seem hungry. If you formula feed your baby, then your baby will be satisfied for longer as opposed to breastfed babies, so they may feed every 3 to 4 hours. Some babies, however, will take less more often.
Cleaning the bottles
It is important to “sterilize” clean your baby’s bottles! This will prevent your baby from getting ill. You will need to clean and sterilize your baby’s bottles after every feed, this is to kill the bacteria from old milk. Use a brush to clean the inside of the bottle and a smaller brush to clean the teat. You will then need to sterilize the bottle and teat. Here are a couple of ways to sterilize your baby’s bottles:
- Boiling water kills bacteria; you can place your baby’s bottles and teats in a boiling pot of water; Boil for about 10 minutes.
- Sterilizing tablets; put the feeding equipment in a large container with sterilizing tablets or fluid and leave this for about 30 minutes to soak. A known product is Milton.
- Steam sterilize your baby’s bottles; there are electric steam sterilizer’s on the market and is so convenient to use.
Sharing the joy of parent hood
– Introducing your baby to bottle-feeding not only allows you to take a break, but also allows your partner to share in the joy and closeness of feeding his baby…