Parenthood is such an amazing task that gives you different experiences. Each day you face a lot of new things and try to make yourself eligible for them. Breastfeeding is good for both mommies and babies until the baby reaches a certain age.
After that, the baby needs an extra diet; somehow, working women need to “introduce bottle to breastfed baby.” Due to a lack of experience, often they don’t get any success.
If this is your first baby and you are new at parenthood, then don’t worry. It would be better for you to learn excellent ideas after visiting the babyhealthcaree.
In this informative guide article, we will teach you each and every criterion regarding “how to introduce a bottle to breastfed baby”?
Before knowing the answer to this question let me tell the right age of baby for this purpose.
What is the ideal time to introduce a bottle to a breastfed baby?
Before doing anything extra it is better to know the exact timings. This question is directly connected with the best age of baby for starting bottle feed. As per experts, we cannot introduce bottle feed too early and not too late.
In late cases breastfed baby refusing bottle altogether. Oppositely, if you give a bottle to your baby too early then she might refuse to nurse anymore. It is why the right timing is always essential in our lives.
Actually, we should not want our babies to get too easy with mother feed or also bottle feed. Some pediatrician recommends introducing bottle to breastfed baby at 4 weeks to 8 for baby to admire bottle feed. This particular age is highly considerable for babies to introduce bottle feed.
After 8 weeks or two months, a baby might refuse rubber nipple and feel too comfortable with nursing. If you don’t want to face any trouble then within 1 to 2 months you should start it anyway.
Preparing baby for bottle feeding
Now, let us have some idea about the preparation of bottle feeding in “How to introduce bottle to the breastfed baby? Exactly. I hope you have already washed the feeder (milk bottle) with hot water. For me, I always keep the bottle in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Before feeding the bottle take a handy or burping cloth to wipe out extra milk, in starting the baby may refuse to take the milk with the plastic nipple.
In starting always feed your little one in a slight appetite but not in starving. If a baby usually has mother feed every 2 to 3 hours then you may keep this distance the same in bottle feeding. For older babies 1 and half hour gape is must between mealtime and bottle feed.
For bottle-feeding keep the baby in incline position slightly; the little head should be elevated.
Just before the time of feeding squeeze bottle nipple in mouth and let the baby have the taste of milk and shape of the nipple. A couple of drops will encourage the baby to suck well. This is such type of feeding the signal to baby that reminds her same taste of breast milk that she is already having.
Now, both the bottle and the baby are ready to meet each other. In starting you may feed bottle 1 to 3 times a day. Once the complete her bottle then she will need some burp to digest well.
Mother can notice the baby takes less time to feed on the bottle as compared to the breast milk. A few mothers do not take nursing seriously and give a bottle to their baby frequently; please don’t do that. This way the baby may refuse nursing for always.
How to introduce bottle to breastfed baby?
This is the actual question that you are looking for. Just follow the given steps and keep yourself trained for a feeding bottle to a breastfed baby.
- Breastfeeding pump is the best alternative to maintain the breastfeed supply (if you have missed any nursing session)
- Try to follow the feeding calculator in order to note the actual amount of breast milk that the baby heaving in each feeding.
- Always carry a compatible brand of the bottle to your breast pump.
- Before feeding shake the bottle slightly and let the feed warm.
- The first bottle should not be given by the mother.
- Keep the baby’s head up during bottle feeding.
- In the starting days feed the bottle one-third part at the same time and then burp your baby. Again you can try it; if the baby agrees to feed then continue otherwise leave.
- No worries if your baby is hungry out of your feeding plan you can try bottle feeding.
- The baby should be on an upright position while bottle feeding. Lying down is such an awful position for bottle feed; it may increase the risk of ear infection. Changing positions from right to left in bottle feeding is responsible for eye stimulation and development.
- Almost 10 to 20 minutes at the time to revise the usual nursing experience. Health providers encourage mothers to make the right quantities last the average time of feeding instead of trying to feed as much as you can in starting.
- Keep your eye on your baby’s face and try to know is her tummy full or she needs some more. Often babies enjoy bottle feedings and get over fluid.
- Let your infant allow drawing nipple in her mouth; this way the baby will learn to manage the nipple size into the mouth.
- In case of refusing you may stroke the baby’s lips by the help of nipple to get the response. It will insist the baby open her mouth to illicit widely. Never poke the bottle nipple into the little mouth and have some patience.
- The bottle introducing to breastfeed baby sessions may take 20 minutes to half an hour of yours. The person who feeds the bottle can mimic nursing positions as the baby realizes the same taste of milk with another object.
- Never ever make your baby insist to finish the last drop of the bottle. In this process, if she/she remains 1 to 2 ounces no problem then. Some people forcefully put bottle nipple in the baby mouth – massage baby jaw or throat – pull baby’s ear to finish the bottle and then face throwing up all the fed milk.
- Look, if your baby is about to drowse off and want to release the nipple from the mouth by remaining some feed in the bottle then don’t worry. It means she has done and needs to burp.
A perfect bottle should be used for baby?
I already mentioned you above that always prefer the compatible brand of the bottle to your breast pump. For instance, if you are using a Madela breast pump then the bottle should be also Madela bottle. Fortunately, my son always likes to have a Madela bottle.
It is not important that you have to choose Madela only but you can keep some other brands for these handy things. There is no need to choose different bottles at a time but let a bottle expire first then you may use next.
Good news for mums that Madela pumps are compatible with Dr, Brown’s bottle and Philips Avent bottles. This is my personal experience that I am suggesting here.
If you have more ideas about breast pump and bottle compatibility then you may go with it easily. Otherwise use the same brand for both of these objects and save your time to explore different things.
Importance of bottle feeding:
Bottle feeding is such a helpful procedure that grows baby well as compare to the breastfeeding but on some conditions. For working women, it takes significant importance to manage their work with a baby.
- Bottle cleanness, the proper amount of feed, baby age, and some other manners are very important for bottle feedings.
- Bottle feedings give you a proper idea about the amount of feed that your baby needs. This way you can easily pump feed in order to fulfill baby’s tummy.
- Bottle feeding reduces colic symptoms that distend the baby’s stomach or overfed.
- Lastly it keeps breastfeeding bond strong and mothers will feed their babies well after a gape of bottle feeding.
Tips for how to bottle feed baby
- A few mothers find that their frozen milk breastfeed tastes soapy. It generally happens due to an excess amount of enzyme lipase. The majority of babies do not care for the taste when it comes to their hunger but some may refuse the soapy milk.
- Introduce a bottle to a breastfed baby when he/she is calm and relax. In starting 15 to 20 minutes are expected for this training. Few days of practicing will make you expert and adjust your baby with a bottle.
- If your baby wants to play with a bottle nipple then let her be familiar with the bottle. This strategy will help you to overcome your desiring purpose.
- Give a few ounces of milk and let baby start with few sucks only in the right direction. However, it would be better for you to pump your milk in a small amount (in initial days) and do not waste your precious breastfeed.
- As soon your baby becomes conversant with bottle feeding then baby burping should be your next target. Give 10 minutes of relaxing time to your baby before and after feeding.
- Before giving a bottle warm the plastic nipple with hot water or breast milk.
- Warm or frozen breast milk it is all up to your baby’s choice. Some infants want to have warm feed while the rest needs frozen milk to fulfill tummy.
- Choose the flow of nipple as per on your baby’s age.
- The baby must be able to consume 3 to 4 oz. bottle feed within 15 to 20 minutes approximately. If the baby finishes this milk quantity fast and she/he is not feeling satiated means there is no need for milk more.
- Always prior good quality bottle with perfect nipple whole; slow coming milk can irritate baby to suck more.
- Be positive and do not create a battle situation while bottle feeding. It can make the baby frustrated and she can refuse the bottle in starting though be calm and keep focus.
- Feed bottle when the baby has slight hunger; make sure you cannot feed your too hungry baby in the starting with a bottle.
Over to you:
Babies are such admirable gifts of God. They are sensitive and need your complete focus on each of their milestones. Being a responsible parent it is your duty to feed your baby well, but sometimes baby feeding can be hard to manage. Bottle feeding is an alternative that you can carry in her upbringing.
No worries, if you are new at motherhood and quite confuse to start bottle feeding. We have simply explained the entire methodology for this purpose in “How to introduce bottle to breastfed baby?”
