The purpose of feeding with artificial or breast milk is one – to provide the child with nutrition. However, these two models of feeding are different from each other – for each method, its own rules. Consider the important principles of feeding a baby with formula milk.
Choosing milk formula
Let’s start with the fact that the food is selected together with the pediatrician. Parents can choose the manufacturer and type of mixture, but the final decision is made by the doctor. The pediatrician, approving the choice, is guided by the health of the child and recommendations from the maternity hospital. Manufacturers of baby food offer parents a wide choice – on the market there are mixtures for premature and debilitated babies, with the addition of probiotics and based on soy.
Having made your choice , after the first few feedings, pay attention to the reaction of the young organism, symptoms such as constipation, loose stools and a rash indicate intolerance to any ingredient in the composition. In this case, you need to visit a doctor and make a replacement. If the child eats according to the instructions indicated on the package and at the same time gains weight poorly, contact the pediatrician before increasing the norm proposed by the manufacturer. It is not recommended to reduce the amount of the mixture in case of allergies, this will lead to beriberi and developmental disorders. How to feed a baby from a bottle if there is none? 
We turn to the choice of such an important capacity.
Choosing a bottle
A huge assortment causes some difficulties in choosing. Color and material are not of paramount importance. The bottle must be easy to wash and have divisions. Capacity depends on age – a bottle of 120-150 ml is suitable for the first month of life, 250-260 ml for children older than 3 months, and 300-330 ml after the first half of the year.
As for the material, here the choice is determined at will. Plastic bottles are very successful, because. they are light and do not break. The downside to plastic is that it scratches easily, and scratches can harbor bacteria. The glass does not scratch, but it is heavy for the baby’s hands and there is a risk that the bottle will break when the parents are not around. Both types can be sterilized.
There are interesting solutions from manufacturers of children’s accessories:
- Anti-colic bottle – technology minimizes the baby’s swallowing of air during feeding.
- A bottle with handles is convenient for developing independence.
- With anti-slip bottom – thanks to it, the container is stable on various surfaces.
- With temperature sensor – a certain part of the bottle changes its color if the temperature of the liquid is more than 37 ° C.
Choosing a bottle nipple
The nipples vary in shape and are adapted to the age of the child. The best option would be an anatomical shape that repeats my mother’s breasts. When choosing an anatomical or standard nipple, pay attention to the packaging, where the age is indicated. If the flow of milk is too fast, the baby may choke or swallow excess air, and if it is too slow, he will act up due to difficulty sucking. When the baby switches to liquid cereals, you can use the variable flow nipple.
They also differ in material. Silicone is transparent, durable and more rigid than latex. Such nipples require some effort on the part of the baby to receive nutrition, which trains the muscles of the mouth and tongue. Orange latex nipples are softer than silicone and are suitable for feeding weak babies, but latex quickly loses its shape and cracks over time.
We observe hygiene
To bottle feed a baby, it must be thoroughly washed and sterilized, which will protect the fragile immune system from potentially harmful microbes. The spoon involved in the preparation of the milk mixture is also subject to sterilization. Before dilution of milk, hands are washed with soap, after feeding, the remaining food must be disposed of, and the bottle is cleaned under warm running water. The special washing brush does not serve any other purpose.
After cleaning, do not wipe the bottles with a towel or wipes. If children’s dishes are washed in the dishwasher, make sure that the detergents are safe for children in their first year of life. Until the child is 6 months old, food items must be sterilized. The simplest form of sterilization is boiling in a vessel reserved for this purpose for 10 minutes from the moment of boiling.
The devices created for this purpose greatly facilitate sterilization. For example, an electric steam sterilizer that holds up to 6 containers at a time and completely disinfects in 8 minutes. The microwave oven sterilizer is smaller than the electric one, the maximum sterilization time is 6 minutes. Cold sterilization is convenient when traveling – the bottles are disinfected for about 30 minutes in a special solution that kills all germs.
We take quality water
For the preparation of milk formula, low-mineralized water approved by the Institute of Mother and Child is used. The opened bottle should be stored in the refrigerator. The use of tap water is prohibited – it contains substances that can be harmful to health.
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We feed the baby
Finally, we have reached the main answer to the question of how to properly bottle feed a newborn. Milk should be warm, but not higher than 40°C, temperatures above this destroy probiotics, vitamins and minerals. Before feeding, take the baby in your arms, so you will not only satisfy his hunger, but also satisfy the need for closeness with his mother. The head of the crumbs should be slightly above the elbow bend, and the legs should be located below its level. Hold the bottle you are feeding at a right angle.
If you hold it horizontally, the nipple will not fill completely with milk, which will lead to air swallowing and colic. However, even with the best pacifier, the baby will still swallow a small amount of it. So that the child does not subsequently suffer from pain in the tummy, after feeding, hold him in an upright position for about 8 minutes, excess air will burp and the baby will sleep peacefully.
Feeding is done on demand, but keep in mind that the baby is crying not only from hunger – it can be a sign of colic, malaise or discomfort. Try to calm the baby if less than 3 hours have passed since the previous feeding. Sometimes, pediatricians insist on feeding by the hour, this opinion is justified, because. formula takes longer to digest than breast milk and there is a high risk of overfeeding.
Store milk formula
The finished milk mixture is used within 30 minutes after preparation, after this time the milk is disposed of. In the refrigerator, milk is stored for no more than 2 hours. If the child has not finished drinking milk, it should be poured out, because. it contains saliva, where bacteria multiply rapidly. After opening the package, dry milk formula is stored in a dark place at a temperature of 15-25 ° C for 7-14 days (the exact shelf life is indicated by the manufacturer on the package). Ready meals cannot be frozen.
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