Bottle Feeding

There is a lot of controversy over breast and bottle feeding, with a lot of negativity surrounding bottle feeding. Due to this, there seems to be little information given regarding bottle feeding, which can be a daunting experience for parents, as I myself discovered.

This page has therefore been designed to help parents who are looking for tips and advice regarding bottle feeding. The information given is purely from personal experience, and is not based on medical facts.

There are lots of formula milks available for bottlefeeding, and its really a personal choice as to which you choose. Most Formula milks offer ready made milk in cartons, which are extremely useful to have in the house, for night feeds, and in case of emergency i.e. Lack of power supply.

When choosing a bottle, there are a few factors to consider, such as: are you planning to breastfeed and mix this is in bottle feeding? If you have already bought a steriliser, what type of bottles does it accommodate i.e. Wide Necked Bottles? Bottles which offer a range of teats with different flows are highly recommended as a newborn they will require a slow flow teat, but as your baby grows, they will require a faster flow of milk. Anticolic bottles help to control the amount of air the baby takes in when feeding from a bottle, and therefore can help to reduce the effects of Colic.

Advantages of Bottle Feeding:

* Your baby may sleep longer between feeds, as formula milk is more filling.
* Your partner can create their own bond with their baby by being close and bottlefeeding.
* You can take it in turns during the night feeds, so you can both get some sleep!
* Formula Milk has added vitamin K which helps the blood to clot.

Disadvantages of Bottle Feeding:

* You have to make the milk up, which can be quite hard work when you are tired!
* It is more expensive than Breastfeeding
* You have to make sure all the bottles are clean and sterilised

Tips on Bottle Feeding:

One big question that always loomed over us, was can you make up feeds in advance and keep them in the fridge? Whilst this is not recommended by the Health Professionals, who suggest you sterilise the bottle at the time of needing it, and then make the feed up half an hour in advance to allow the formula to cool and be at the right temperature for feeding, I personally never encountered any problems. Having spoken to many friends who have already been through the same situation, I discovered that the ideal situation would be to follow the Health Professionals recommendations, but in reality until you gain a routine for feeding, you have no idea when your baby will want their milk, so you cannot possibly anticipate half an hour in advance, not to mention even longer when having to sterilise a bottle in advance also. We bought the ready made formula milk and everyday at a particular time we cleaned the bottles in warm soapy water, rinsed, then steam sterilised them. Once sterilised we made up the feeds, and placed them immediately into the fridge towards the back of the middle shelf, and took them out as and when needed, and warmed them up to a comfortable temperature. We often placed a post it note inside the fridge with the time that they were made up, so we always knew when 24 hours had passed, so that any remaining formula feeds in the fridge were thrown away and we started the process again. ALWAYS make sure the once the milk is at room temperature, the feed MUST be used within 1 hour.

How much Formula Milk does my baby need?

As you settle into a routine, you will start to be aware of how much your baby needs and how often. They say that between birth and six months, your baby needs on average 2 - 2.5 ounces of formula per pound, per day. As a general idea, if you baby weighs 10lbs then the recommended amount of formula would be between 20 -25 ounces a day.

Newborns tend to only take between 1 - 2 ounces per feed
1 - 2 months is about 3 - 4 ounces per feed
2 - 6 months is 4 - 6 ounces per feed
6 months - 1 year is approxiametly 8 - 9 ounces per feed.

Remember babies tummys are only tiny, no bigger than the size of their fist, so smaller feeds more often reduce the amount of posset,

Making up a Feed:

This information was found on the NHS website regarding making up a bottle feed:

To make up formula feeds:

* clean the kitchen surface that you are going to use,
* it is very important that you wash your hands,
* if you are using a cold water steriliser, shake off any excess solution from the bottle and teat, or rinse the bottle with cooled boiled water from the kettle,
* stand the bottle on the clean surface, but make sure that you keep the teat and cap on the upturned lid of the steriliser, not the work surface,
* boil the water using a kettle, and after it has boiled, let it cool for no more than 30 minutes. Fill the bottle to the correct level (as specified by the formula manufacturer), and always put the cooled, boiled water fill into the bottle first,
* using the scoop provided, loosely fill it with milk powder and, using a clean knife, level it off without compacting it. You should only use one scoop of powder to 30mls (1oz) of water,
* add the milk powder to the water in the bottle,
* holding the edge of the teat, put it on to the bottle, screw the retaining ring into place, and cover the teat with the cap, and
* shake the bottle until all the powder has dissolved.

How to Bottle Feed:

* To minimise the amount of air your baby takes in, make sure the teat is always filled with milk, the best angle to hold a bottle is at 45 degrees, which allows the air to go to the bottom of the bottle.
* You may wish to switch arms at each feed.
* If your baby seems to be struggling with taken the milk fast enough, and the milk is over flowing and causing them to choke, the teat flow is too fast. If your baby seems to be working too hard to get the milk, the teat is too small.
* Don't overfeed your baby, your baby will always know when they have had enough, so dont force them to finish the bottle, this will only make them sick.
* Remember to give your baby water in hot weather, as unlike breastmilk, formula milk does not provide enough H2O in the summer months. You may also find that if they are finding it harder to pass their stools, giving them a drink of water in the day helps. Do not however, be tempted to keep offering them lots of water as it is important that they do not fill up on water and therefore replace a formula feed with a water feed, as your baby must have the recommended amount of formula each day.