Beginning to bottle-feed
It's perfectly safe and healthy to bottle-feed your baby with an infant formula, instead of breast-feeding, but you must follow the manufacturer's instructions very carefully. When you feed, give your baby plenty of warm, loving attention and eye contact.
Preparing formulas for bottle-feed
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Infant formula products range from relatively inexpensive dried-milk-based powders to ready-to-use, but expensive, liquid milk products. Infant formulas are enriched with vitamins and iron, and are carefully formulated to make them as close as possible to human milk. They're usually based on cow's milk, but there are soya-based formulas for babies who cannot digest, or who have an allergy to, cow's milk. If you're unsure which product to choose, ask your doctor or health visitor to recommend one.
Whichever formula you use, it's essential to keep all the bottles, spoons, mixing jugs, and teats absolutely clean, because a newborn baby is very vulnerable to infection. It's very important to make sure your work surface is clean and wash your hands thoroughly before making up formula or bottle-feeding your baby.
Keeping bottle-feeding equipment clean
You'll quickly develop your own routine for cleaning bottles. For sterilizing, use a sterilizing tank with a sterilizing chemical, or a steamer or microwave sterilizer. You can also sterilize equipment by boiling it in water. Sterilize all feeding equipment until your baby is 12 months old.
Before sterilizing, wash the feeding equipment in hot, soapy water or, if you have one, in a dishwasher. Scrub inside the bottles with a bottle brush. Clean the teats carefully, and rinse everything thoroughly.
To use a sterilizing tank, half-fill the tank with cold water. Add a sterilizing tablet and wait for it to dissolve. Put in the equipment, filling the bottles with water to keep them submerged. Then fill the tank with cold water, and leave for the required time.
Measuring and mixing
Make up one bottle at a time, mixing it in the bottle according to the manufacturer's instructions. Never make feeds up in advance, as this increases the risk of contamination, which could make your baby ill. Never try to make the formula “more nourishing” by adding more powder than specified - your baby will get too much fat and protein and too little water. And if you add extra water to the powder, to make the formula more thirst-quenching, you run the risk of under-nourishing your baby.
Use only freshly boiled water that has been allowed to cool down slightly, and measure it out after it has cooled. If you measure it out before you boil it, the made-up formula will be too strong because of the water lost by evaporation.
Take care
To reduce the risk of your baby contracting any kind of gastro-intestinal infection, make sure that everything that comes in contact with your baby's milk is thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before use.
Always make sure that you wash your hands before handling any formula or equipment. Your baby's dummies and teething rings should also be thoroughly cleaned each time they are used.
It's best to make up your baby's bottle when you need it, not in advance. Making up formula feeds in advance increases the risk of your baby becoming ill. If your baby doesn't finish a bottle or if you warm up a bottle for him but he doesn't want it, throw it away - reheated feeds are prime sources of infection.
All equipment should be washed in hot, soapy water. Scrub the insides of the bottles with a bottle brush and rub the teats thoroughly to remove any traces of milk. Rinse everything well under warm, running water to remove any soap.
Checking the temperature
- Testing milk temperature: Try a few drops on your wrist: it should be neither hot nor cold to the touch.
- Cooling the milk: If the milk is too warm, place the bottle in a jug or bowl of cold water for a few minutes. You could also run it under the cold tap, shaking it all the time.
- Ready-made formula: This can be poured straight from the carton into a sterilized bottle, but it must be given to your baby straight away. You can warm it by placing the bottle in a bowl of warm water.
Posted 16.11.2010
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