If you have never fed a baby before, it can be a daunting prospect that you are a little afraid to try. After all, a newborn baby is helpless and relies on you completely for their every need, so what if you don’t get it right? Well, the chances are that even without help you probably aren’t going to mess up too badly, but just in case, here are some tips on bottle feeding your baby.
How to bottle feed your newborn baby
Feeding your child is supposed to be a very calming affair during which your baby and you bond and spend some quiet time together. This will not happen unless you relax and have faith in yourself that you are feeding your baby correctly. Seek to enjoy feeding time with your baby, as many mothers say this beautiful time spent with their child is over all too soon.
Most new parents are told that the optimum angle to hold your newborn baby at during a feeding is 45 degrees. This, however, is too scientific and can cause undue worry and panicking about holding your baby correctly. Parents have been putting their baby’s head in the crook of their arm during feeding for centuries and nothing has ever gone wrong. The crook of the arm is a perfectly suitable feeding position for a baby.
Check the temperature of your baby’s bottle before attempting a feed. Milk that is too hot could cause burns to your baby, and milk that is too cold may be refused or give your baby a chill. To check to see if you have the optimum temperature, simply tip a little milk onto your inner wrist. Why? Because your inner wrist is sensitive to heat spot on your body and convenient to reach.
Most parents are obsessed with not allowing air into a baby’s bottle, and cautionary tales of colic are thrown about in this conversation causing fear. Do not get too hung up on this issue, however, and let it throw you into a panic. As long as you keep your baby’s bottle tilted and the teat full of milk, there really is nothing to fear.
Burping your baby during and after a bottle is an important part of feeding, as it stops any air that your baby may have taken in from becoming trapped. To burp your baby, gently pat them on the back repeatedly until they burp. A little word of advice would be to hold your baby’s bib or a towel under their chin to catch any milk your baby may spit up.
As your baby gets slightly older, they will begin to chew on everything in sight. This includes nipples from their feeding bottles which can become damaged from this chewing. Make sure you check your nipples regularly and change them if they show damage. Not doing so can result in your child taking in the unwanted air and bacterial growth.