Feeding Baby: Introducing the Bottle... Contd

Add as a preferred source on Google

How do you feed your baby from a cup?

Hold your baby upright in one arm and bring the cup to his mouth.

Tilt it gently to allow a small portion of the milk, formula food or juice to flow into your baby's mouth.

He may begin to lap it up and then drink.

But, drinking from a cup can be time-consuming and messy. Use a spill-proof cup. Or use a hollow spoon to pour the milk into his mouth.

Keep most of the earlier principles in mind when introducing your baby to the cup. Start early and introduce the cup gradually. Try to start with the experiment a couple of weeks before you head back to work.

How much is right?

If you bottle-feed your baby, it's hard to determine how much is enough. Actually, it's not a simple matter. The right amount of formula food depends on your baby's age, weight and the combination you are feeding him.
Follow the feeding instructions on the formula food packet. The general rule of the thumb is to mix formula powder and milk in exactly equal quantities.
Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Your pediatrician should advise you about the amounts that are suitable for your baby as he grows.
Your baby will also let you know if he's getting enough or not. He'll finish feeding quickly and look around for more food.
Make sure that you don't automatically give a bottle to your baby every time he or she cries. Learn to read your baby's actions and figure out whether he or she is hungry or wants attention.

Wean off formula gradually

The solids your baby will eat at first won't be enough to meet his or her growing body's nutritional needs. So continue giving your baby breast milk or formula milk, even as you introduce him or her to solids.

Avoid juice, which doesn't offer the nutritional value of the formula it replaces.

Types of nipples

Nipples come in a wide array of options - more than formulas. They also come in different sizes (according to the age and flow rates). The formula or breast milk should drip steadily out of the nipple - if it pours out in a stream, the hole is too big and the nipple should be discarded.

Check nipples periodically for signs of wear, such as discolouration or thinning, and replace worn ones, which could break and become a choking hazard.

Choosing bottles

Bottles come in several shapes and sizes. Perhaps you could start with a smaller size, for a newborn will not be able to drink more than 60 to 80 ml at one feeding. Later, graduate to using the larger size.

Preparing formula

Before you use bottles or nipples for the first time, sterilise them by submerging them in boiling water for about five minutes. Then allow them to dry on a clean dry towel.
Many parents sterilise the water used to mix formula food for newborns in the early months. Save time by boiling enough water in the morning to last the whole day.
There is no health necessity that your baby should be fed only warm milk, though the baby may personally prefer it so.
Ensure that your baby is drinking comfortably from the bottle. If there are a lot of noisy sucking sounds, he is probably swallowing too much air. Tilt the bottle so that the nipple and the neck are always filled with water. Hold your baby up at a 45 degree angle.
Never prop a bottle. It can cause choking.
Hold or cuddle your baby close to you while feeding - whether it is breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. This is the time over which you can bond with your baby.