Formula Feeding
In the hospital, newborns are usually fed shortly after
delivery, then ideally on demand thereafter. During the first week after birth,
babies take ½ ounce to 2 ounces at a time, gradually increasing to 3 or 4
ounces about 6 to 8 times a day by the second week. Parents should not urge
newborns to finish every bottle but, rather, allow them to take as much as they
want whenever they are hungry. As infants grow, they drink larger amounts,
consuming up to 6 to 8 ounces at a time by the third or fourth month.
The proper position for babies who are bottle-feeding is
semi-reclining or sitting up. Babies should not bottle-feed lying flat on their
back because milk may flow into the nose or the eustachian tubes ( see Figure:
The Eustachian Tube: Keeping Air Pressure Equal). Older infants who are able to
hold their own bottle should not be put to sleep holding the bottle because the
continuous exposure to milk or juice can damage their teeth and lead to
cavities.
Bottle-Feeding Position
Commercial baby formulas are available as ready-to-feed
sterile bottles, cans of concentrated formula that must be diluted with water,
and powder. Formulas contain a proper balance of nutrients, calories, and
vitamins and are available both with and without an iron supplement. All
formula-fed babies should be given iron-fortified formula to prevent iron
deficiency anemia.
Did You Know...
All formula-fed babies should be given iron-fortified
formula to prevent iron deficiency anemia.
Parents who use concentrated formula or powders must
carefully follow the directions for preparation. Concentrated and powdered
formulas should be prepared with water that has fluoride in it. Formulas are
usually made from cow's milk, but other special formulas are available for
infants who cannot tolerate cow's milk. If infants cannot tolerate standard
formula, the pediatrician may recommend switching to a soy-based formula or a
hydrolyzed formula. If infants cannot tolerate a hydrolyzed formula, they may
be switched to an amino acid formula. There are no long-term health differences
in infants fed either standard or special formula. Plain cow's milk, however,
is not an appropriate food during the first year of life.
To minimize the infant's exposure to microorganisms, formula
must be fed from a sterile container. Disposable plastic liners eliminate the
need to sterilize bottles. Nipples for the bottles should be sterilized in the
dishwasher or in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Parents should warm
formula feedings to body temperature. Filled bottles (or formula containers, if
disposable liners are used) are placed in a warm water bath and allowed to come
to body temperature. Babies may be seriously burned if formula is too hot, so
parents need to shake the bottle gently to even out the temperature and then
check the temperature by placing a few drops on the sensitive skin inside their
wrist. Formula at body temperature should feel neither warm nor cold to the
touch. Microwave ovens may dangerously overheat formula and are not recommended
for warming formula or baby food.
The size of the nipple opening is important. In general,
formula should drip slowly out of a bottle held upside down. Larger, older
infants want larger volumes of liquid and can tolerate a larger nipple opening
- CORONA VIRUS
- MONKEY POX
- VAGINAL DRYNESS
- FIBROID
- INFERTILITY
- OVULATION CYCLE
- OVARIAN CANCER
- VAGINAL BACTERIA
- MALE INFERTILITY
- BEST DAYS OF CONCIEVING
- MUCUS AFTER OVULATION
- FOODS FOR ERECTILE FUNCTIONS
- PREGNANCY ANEMIA
- DO AND DONT DURING PREGNANCY
- ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
- U.T.I IN PREGNANCY
- STROKE RISK
- EAT THIS NOT THAT
- HOOKWORMS INFECTION
- OMEGA 3 BENEFITS
- FASTING
- WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
- vitiligo
- ABORTION
- DENGUE VIRUS
- EBORA VIRUS
- FEVER
- URINARY TRACT INFECTION
- HOSPITAL INFECTIONS
- WEST NILE VIRUS
- YELLOW FEVER
- EYE DISEASE
- ZIKA VIRUS
- STRESS
- IRON DEFFICIENCE
- INSOMNIA (SLEEPING PROBLEMS)
- HEART PROBLEMS
- COMPONENTS OF BLOOD
- BLOOD DISORDER
- LABORATORY TEST OF BLOOD DISORDER
- BONE MARROW EXAMINATION
- BLOOD ANEMIA
- ANIMAL BITES
- EYE BURN
- CHOCKING
- HEAT STROKE
- SMOKE EFFECTS
- SNAKE BITE
- MALARIA VACCINE
- BEST WAY TO SLEEP A CHILD
- CHILD FEVER REDUCING
- ELEPHANTIASIS
- WOMEN BEARDS
- DATES
- PAPAYA FRUITS