Bottle Feeding Basics

If you are formula feeding your baby before one year of age, a commercially prepared formula is recommended. Evaporated milk formulas are not as well suited to your baby’s nutritional needs. Whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, skim, and goat’s milk are not considered good choices for infants under one year of age: they are difficult for infants to digest and lack some necessary nutrients. Your baby’s doctor can recommend a formula for your baby and give you guidelines on how much to feed him. Because these commercial formulas are fortified with vitamins and minerals, your baby will not require a vitamin supplement.

Infant Formulas

Most infant formulas are made from cow’s milk or from soy beans. They are available in ready-to-feed preparations, canned liquid concentrates, and a powdered form. The powdered formula is the least expensive; ready-to-feed is the most expensive, but it might be especially useful for trips where the water supply is questionable. If your tap water is fluoridated and you mix it with the concentrate or powdered formula, your baby will receive daily fluoride.

When preparing formula, carefully follow the directions on the can or package. Use boiled cooled water, which has been left to cool for no longer than half an hour. Fill the bottle to the marked level. If you use too little water, you can cause diarrhea, dehydration, and other problems for your baby. If you use too much water, your baby will not receive enough calories and nutrients. Measure the milk powder with the scoop provided. Use a knife to level off the scoop, but avoid packing the powder down. Add this to the water in the bottle. Put the nipple and cover on and then shake well. Do not be tempted to add extra scoops of formula powder as this can make your baby ill.

The water used to make up formula should ideally be at a temperature of 158 degrees F (70 degrees C) or hotter. This is because powdered infant formula milk is not sterile and there is a small risk of contamination from micro-organisms if made up formula is kept. If you do need to prepare a feed for later, make sure that freshly boiled water is kept in a sealed flask and fresh formula is made up when required. You should avoid making up enough feed for a whole day in advance, or warming up bottles of formula milk which has been made in advance from powder.

Frequency of Feeding

As with breast-feeding, most experts agree that you shouldn’t follow a rigid schedule in the early weeks, though you may be able to work out an approximate pattern for feeding within a month or two. Offer the bottle every two to three hours at first, or when your baby seems hungry. Until your baby reaches about 10 lbs (4.5kg), he will probably take 1-3oz (30-90ml) per feeding. Do not force more than he seems ready to eat. Your baby’s physician will advise you about suitable amounts for your baby as he grows.

How much Infant Formula does your Baby Needs?

One of the most confusing things about feeding your baby formula milk is trying to work out how much to feed him. And there’s no single answer – it depends on your baby’s age, weight, and whether you are feeding him only formula, or using it in combination with breastmilk or solids.

Here are a few pointers to help you decide how much your baby needs:

Multiply your Baby’s Weight by 2.5 – 2.7 ounces of Formula

If your baby is not eating any solids (the recommended age for starting solids is six months), the general rule of thumb for formula amounts is 2.5 – 2.7 ounces per pound of body weight. So if your baby weighs 6lb, he should consume about 15 or 16oz of formula in a 24-hour period. If he weighs 10lb, he should have roughly 25 – 27oz in a 24-hour period.

Please note; this rule of thumb doesn’t really work with metric measures. And bear in mind that these are only rough guidelines, your doctor will be able to advise you on the right amount of formula for your baby as he grows. Also, these guidelines do not apply to premature babies or babies with a low birth weight. Ask your physician for advice if your baby falls into one of these two groups.

Consider your Baby’s Age

How much formula your baby needs depends not only on weight, but also on his age. Do not expect a newborn to follow a schedule or mathematical formula. If you are starting a newborn on formula, try giving him only 30-60ml (a couple of ounces) at each feed for the first week. By the time your baby is one month old, he will probably take 3-4oz (90-120ml) at each feed, and will consume anywhere from 14-28oz (400-800ml) in one day. You’ll soon sense if your baby needs more – he will finish the feed quickly and then look around for second helpings!

From the age of two months up to six months, you should be feeding your baby 4-6oz (120-180ml) at a feeding, and he will have anything from 23-35oz (700ml to over a litre) a day.

Bear in mind that these are only rough guidelines, and your baby will let you know if he’s getting too much or too little formula. If you are not sure, talk with your health-care provider.

Don’t Let Solids Replace Formula Too Soon

When you introduce your baby to solid foods at around six months, breastmilk or formula should still constitute most of his nutrition until he is a year old. Most babies, when they’re getting used to solids, do not eat a wide enough variety of foods to satisfy their growing bodies’ nutritional needs. At this stage, his daily intake of formula should still be about 24oz (720ml). Avoid juice, which does not offer nearly the same nutritional value as formula.

Let your Baby be the Guide

Appetites vary from baby to baby, and most babies change from day to day and month to month. Your baby will feed as often as he needs to, as long as you learn to detect his cues and respond to them appropriately. Make sure you don’t automatically give a bottle every time your baby cries – in time you will learn to read his actions and work out whether he is hungry or just needs attention.

Equipment

Your baby’s doctor or your friends might offer suggestions about purchasing bottles and nipples. Before you first use new bottles and nipples, and each time that you use them, they need to be washed and sterilized carefully. You will need a steam sterilizer, or a microwave sterilizer, or you can use sterilizing solution. You can also boil the bottles and nipples for at least 10 minutes to sterilize them. You need to handwash nipples. Be sure to squirt water through the holes to clean them.

Check the equipment before feeding your baby. The holes in the nipples are the right size if the formula drips out when you hold the bottle upside-down. If the milk comes out in a stream, the nipple hole is too big and your baby will feed too fast and his sucking needs will not be satisfied. If the milk drips too slowly or not at all, your baby will swallow too much air, tire, and perhaps not get enough during a feeding. If the nipple hole is too large, discard the nipple. If it is too small, pierce the hole with the tip of a clean, red hot needle and check it again.

Tips for Bottle Feeding

You can make your baby’s feedings consistently successful and happy by remembering to do a few simple things:

• Hold the baby in a semireclining position during feedings. If his head is too low, the milk will pool back in his throat around his eustachian tubes (which extend from the back of his throat to his ears). This pooling can cause middle-ear infections.
• Hold the baby sometimes with your right arm, sometimes with your left arm to promote normal eye muscle development (the baby will look toward you as he feeds).
• Burp your baby after every one to two ounces when he is little, and about halfway through a feeding as he matures.
• Trust your baby to let you know how much he needs to eat. He will not always be interested in taking same amounts. Do not coax him to empty the bottle if he seems satisfied. When he rapidly and consistently finishes his feedings, he may be ready to have another ounce added to his bottle.
• Make feeding your baby a special time. Be sure to cuddle him. Do not prop his bottle and leave him alone for feedings. Interacting with a loving person during feedings helps him thrive emotionally and develop trust in you and those who care for him.

Cautions

If you feed water to your baby, do not mix honey in the water, and do not dip a pacifier in honey before giving it to your baby. Feeding honey (cooked or uncooked) to a baby under one year of age has been associated with infant botulism.

Though it may seem tempting to coat the bottle nipple or pacifier with sugar or juice to entice your baby to feed, most babies refuse the bottle simply because they are not hungry. Adding additional sugar to formula is not recommended either because it may cause diarrhea.