Becoming a parent is no doubt a life-changing experience for anyone. The bond that any parent shares with their little one is unparalleled. As the baby conquers one milestone after another, the mother has to make sure that she is there to help her child through every hurdle. Breastfeeding is the best choice nutritionally, but it may not be practical to breastfeed the child after a period of time or due to some unavoidable circumstances. When the parent shifts to bottle feeding, they must be cautious about a variety of things. Here is a brief guideline to help parents adjust to the job perfectly.
Be careful to sterilize the feeding equipment
Babies are more prone to contract an infection through seemingly non-threatening sources. Therefore, sterilizing all the feeding equipment becomes very important. The process of sterilizing eliminates all kinds of germs that may make your baby fall sick. Bottles, feeding teats, retaining rings, etc., should be sterilized thoroughly. A bottle sterilizer can be used for this purpose effectively.
Take care of the position
The process of bottle feeding can become a little cumbersome if your little one is a slow guzzler. Therefore, your baby’s proper position during the process will help to make it a comfortable endeavor. You should fold your arm at the elbow, with the baby’s head placed in the crook of the arm. The other arm should wrap around the baby or hold the baby bottle.
The ideal position of the baby would be in a semi-upright state as feeding the baby in a supine position might cause the formula to enter the middle leading to a subsequent ear infection. Slant the bottle in such a way so that the nipple is half-full before inserting it into the baby’s mouth so that the baby doesn’t take in a lot of air.
Other points to be kept in mind while bottle feeding your baby
There is a checklist that you can keep in mind while bottle feeding.
- Only feed when the baby is hungry. Babies need to be fed multiple times during the day, so make sure you prepare small proportions of the formula. Sticking to a schedule during bottle feeding is difficult so you should keep multiple bottles handy. Learn to identify the signs of hunger that your baby shows and act promptly.
- Secondly, never force feed the baby. If your baby doesn’t look like to be in a mood to eat, don’t shove the nipple into his or her mouth. Make sure the baby is comfortable with the type of nipple you are using, and if not, change the model to something that suits your child best.
- Check the temperature of the formula before feeding. You should ensure the formula isn’t too hot or too cold, just the right amount of warmth is required.
- Prepare the formula keeping the right quantities in mind.
Bottle feeding, if done right, is the easiest way to satisfy the nutritional needs of your child. You also get to spend some intimate moments with your loved one and it definitely will soothe you down and help you relax, a welcome break from the hectic schedule of daily life.
