Bottle-Feeding Tips For Your Baby – Part 1

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Bottle-fed babies generally need to be fed less frequently than breastfed ones. This is because formula takes a longer time to digest and contains a little more protein, and thus delays hunger longer. A four-hourly schedule of six feedings a day seems to suit most bottle-fed babies after the first two or three days, while breastfed babies will possibly take seven feedings a day. A newborn baby will perhaps not take much over 2 fluid ounces (60 milliliters) at each feeding, but as he grows he will take fewer and larger feedings.

Never feed your baby according to the clock; let him decide when he is to be fed. He will let you know rather plainly with cries when he is hungry. Your baby’s appetite will differ, so if he seems contented, permit him to defer what he does not want. Don’t feel that your baby has to complete the bottle at each feeding. He will only get overfull and spit it up; or worse, become overfed and fat. On the other hand, if your baby is still hungry, give him some more from another bottle. If this happens often, start to make more formula for every bottle.

Night feedings: Your baby will require a feeding at least once during the night, and this break in your sleep on top of all the other things that you have to do to take care of him may make you very tired and tense. The question isn’t so much the number of hours of sleep that you forego, but more the way in which your sleep patterns are disturbed over long periods. For this logic it is important that you get adequate rest, day and night, and because you are doing most of the feeding, try to get your partner to take on some of the other jobs.

Reducing night feedings

At first your baby won’t be able to snooze for more than two to four hours at a time without waking with hunger. Once he reaches a weight of about 11 pounds (5 kilograms), try to stretch the time between feedings until you are receiving about six hours of undisturbed sleep at night. Though your baby will have his own schedule, it’s rational to try to time his last feeding to coincide with your own bedtime, which should be as delayed as feasible. You may find that your baby will still wake up and insist the early morning feeding, no matter how hard you try. If this happens you’ll just have to be tolerant and look forward to when he drops it.

Overfeeding

Chubby babies can be cute, but fat cells, once formed, can’t be removed, and a fat baby may grow into a fat adult, with all the attendant dangers to health. Unfortunately, it is easy to overfeed a bottle-fed baby. The reasons for this are dual; first, it is tempting to put extra formula into the bottle, but you should always respect the instructions exactly; otherwise, you’ll be giving the baby surplus calories. Second, in your concern to feed him “properly” you may want to see your baby complete every last drop of his bottle, but you should always let him choose when he’s finished. Introducing solids too early and giving sweet, syrupy drinks also result in overfeeding.

Underfeeding

This is rare in bottle-fed babies. Your baby should be fed on demand and not at set period; demands may differ from day to day. If your baby consistently seems fussy after he drains each bottle, he may well be hungry. Present him an extra 2 fluid ounces (60 milliliters) of formula. If he takes it, then he wants it. If your baby demands numerous feedings but doesn’t take much, the nipple hole may be too small, so that he is having difficulty sucking the formula and is exhausted before he gets enough.

Spitting up

If your baby tends to bring food right back up – some babies never do – you may question if he’s keeping enough down. Babies commonly spit up because of a standard gastroesophageal reflex, which is more pronounced in some babies than in others.

Overfeeding can also cause spitting up, which is another incentive to avoid insisting that your bottle-fed baby complete his bottle. Forceful or projectile vomiting, especially if it occurs after some meals, should be reported immediately to your doctor; vomiting is very dangerous in a small baby because it can quickly lead to dehydration.

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