Bottle Feeding

PROS TO BOTTLE FEEDING

• Bottlefeeding is convenient and can be done anywhere at anytime.
• Babies generally stay fuller longer since formula digest slower than breastmilk.
• Convenient for working mothers.
• Both partners and other family members/friends can help feed the baby.
• Mom does not have to watch her diet.

CONS TO BOTTLE FEEDING

• Formula is expensive and you will have to have a lot of it.
• Formula must be prepared before your baby can eat.
• Bottles have to be cleaned and sanitized.
• Although formula companies have added similar vitamins and nutrients, nothing compares to the quality of human breastmilk.
• Because formula is harder to digest, your baby may experience gas and reflux.
• Babies may become constipated easier.

PREPARING FORMULA

Make sure that your hands are clean and that all bottles, nipples and rings have been sterlized before using them. For powdered formula, open the can of formula and add 1 level scoop of formula for every 2 ounces of water. If your baby prefers warm or hot water, heat the water before adding to the bottle. Microwaves heat unevenly and you should never heat a bottle in there. Shake the bottle well and test the temperature on the inside of your wrist before giving the bottle to your baby. Ready to use formula does not require any additional water. Simply screw on the ring and nipple and warm if necessary. For canned formula, open the can with a clean can punch and mix according to the directions on the label.

NEVER heat your baby's bottle in the microwave. Doing so can cause uneven heating and create hot pockets that can burn your child. Place the bottle in a bottle warmer or in a pot of boiling water until it is the desired temperature. You can also heat the water separately and then pour it into the bottle. Always shake the bottle and test the temperature before giving to your baby.

While it is best to prepare formula as your baby needs it, formula can be prepared ahead of time if you need to. Formula can be prepared in clean bottles and placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Once the bottle has come out of the refrigerator, it should be used within an hour and then discarded. Opened cans of formula must be covered and placed in the refrigerator for no more than 48 hours. Powedered formula has a 'use by date' stamped on the can and should be observed. Do not freeze formula.

Comments: Bottle Feeding

Comments 51 to 74 of about 79.
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MommytoNatalie - 251 days ago.
How do you begin to wean your little one off a bottle at night to go to sleep. the only way I can get her to sleep at night is with a bottle until she fast asleep . I have no idea how to begin to get her to stop at night. any advice is welcomed. thanks.

happyforest - 251 days ago.
BPA can leak into liquids whether it is warm or not. i am guessing BPA is also in some food containers and pacifiers bc i have seen some sets that say BPA free now

jacsbaby - 252 days ago.
Hi ladies, i live in the uk and have just heard astory about BPA in babies bottles it said that USA had banned it but UK was not going to follow this as there was no risk as long as you didnt microwave the milk to heat it or pour boiling water into the bottles, I am still concerned and was wondering what kind of bottles do you use? I have only found one type of bottle that states it is BPA free (MAM). also does anyone know if this also effects plastic food tubs as i use these to store, warm and feed my little ones food when i do a batch cook, thanks for any advise x

anotheryummymummy - 263 days ago.
Hey....I was wondering if anyone reading this could offer me some advice. My son is 13 weeks old and is currently bottle fed.....I breastfed as much as I could for the first 8 weeks but it wasn't happening for us and my formula top ups got more and more until I was making next to nothing. At first my son was eating about 1000mls/36oz a day and was very happy with formula - he's a very long baby and out nurse wasn't surprised he was getting through this much. Now out of no-where he's developed an aversion to the bottle over the past few days! He bites at my breasts and arms.....both have equally non existent milk supply.....but really fusses before taking his bottle and is eating about 2/3 what he usually eats, and only eating that much in very small feeds throughout the day and night. Has anyone reading this been in the same situation and if so what did you do about it? I doubt very much he's about to starve to death and isn't dehydrated but he seems very unhappy when eating, and his father and I are sleep deprived! Any advice is much appreciated - just message my page!!

RobinG - 270 days ago.
I would check the stage of the nipple to be sure it is the right stage. The older they get the more they notice change so make sure the flow is the same as your breast. If it wasnt offered often enough your LO may now be more apt to refuse it. Just keep trying :) (()) And have someone else feedand you be in another room since they can smell your milk and refuse it wanting the breast instead.

jess6009 - 270 days ago.
my bub is a breasfed bub but has had the occasional bottle, and its never been a problem...untill now. everytime someone tries to give her a bottle she cries and refuses to have it. the reason she now has bottles is because i've started studying again. she is 14 weeks. can anyone help me?

peachy09 - 272 days ago.
we didn't go to medium flow till 4-5 months. We tried once or twice but it came out too fast and would gag him with too much milk. Try it & see if your LO does better, it's totally what the baby can handle.

RobinG - 311 days ago.
When your baby doesnt finish eating but is hungry soon again, gets frustrated when feeding, stops and rests often when feeding, is slower then should be expected when feeding... those are signs it is time. When the flow is to slow they stop eating because it tires their mouth out even if they are still hungry. Your LO may not do all those but I'd say by 10 weeks it is time to check to see if your LO one is ready. All my babies were on stage 2 by 10 weeks. (())

babyluv616 - 311 days ago.
Nipple Flow- How do you decide when to upgrade from Slow to Medium flow? My baby is 10 weeks old and appears to get tired drinking especially at the late night feedings..

NewBeginings - 317 days ago.
powder is good for 30 days once it is opened. Liquid should be refridgeerated immediatly after opening and then used with in 72 hours. If you are using liquid make sure it comes from a plastic or glass container. Metal cans of formula are coated with BPA which can leach into the formula and can cause long term negitive effects for your baby. Also if they are in plastic make sure to look on the bottom of the container and make sure its not a #7 plastic or that it says 'PC' on the bottom both of these plastics also contain BPA.

sonyasfirstbaby - 319 days ago.
That was another question i had. Thanks.

oldie44 - 319 days ago.
Why do you want to store boiled water in the fridge? It does not get spoiled in room temp.

sonyasfirstbaby - 319 days ago.
Does anyone know if i have to cool the water completly after it has been boiled befor i transfer it to a bottle and store in the fridge? I plan on just boiling the water in the morning, storing it in the fridge and then adding the water to a bottle warming it then adding the powder as baby needsd it. Does this make sense?

dandunam - 321 days ago.
meplus, i wouldn't worry too much, some babies just eat more than others...as long as she seems satisfied AND weighs enough at her doc appointments it should be fine. My daughters also never ate the recommended amount. Whereas my son now does....maybe it's a gender thing?

jeno - 321 days ago.
Meplus2~ I would say as long as you keep offering it to her that is about all you can do.

Meplus2 - 321 days ago.
my baby girl is 11 weeks and drinks half of what is recommended at most feeds. It is very rare that I can get her to drink more than 3-4 ounces per feed every 3 hours. I've tried feeding her inbetween but she wont take it. I think she is putting on weight.. slowly. Her twin brother drinks 5-6 ounces without fail. Any ideas????

arca06 - 324 days ago.
yeah it says it should be used within a month but I didn't know if that was true or just a way to get you to use it quickly or throw it out?? I only Breast feed so I don't know. Do you store it in the fridge or just in a cool dry place? thanks for the help!

RobinG - 324 days ago.
It should say on the can the time it must be used by once opened, if you cant find it call the customer service and they will tell you. I think it is a month but not sure ~

jmcbrown2002 - 324 days ago.
Read on the can it usually will tell you the expiration on it..

arca06 - 324 days ago.
question??? Once I open the can of formula how long is it good for? Is it just for a month? or longer? Help?

clarkie3 - 329 days ago.
My daughter seems to be allergic to the regular cow's milk based formula (HIVES!!!)...so I've started her on Nestle Alsoy, a Soy based formula. (and her hives have cleared up).... My friend told me that Soy based formula is not that good for your baby, and she uses one that is 'lactose free' So my question is; what's the difference? What is wrong with Soy based formula? thanks!

victoriassecret143 - 341 days ago.
katesmommy- I had the same problem with my daughter and we first tried the similac advance and it seemed to be too heavy so we started using similac sensitive for fussyness and gas (orange can) and it has worked wonders!!! My daughter is 4 months old and she is still drinking the similac sensitive and I havent had any problems so far. Good Luck!!!

RobinG - 350 days ago.
(()) Have you tried alimentum powder? I was told by the rep the powder version is also made for children who have corn allergies and the sweetner is different then most formulas and is a bit sweeter ~ It is the only formula where the powder and liquid are not exactly the same as each other. Never tasted it but would be intrested. Also you can mix formula nd milk together, they dont have to have one or hte other. Have a child who was VERY jaundice that is what docs and nurses had me do and it was so much easier wiht my first and 2nd born. (()) I boughthe yogurt with added omega 3 and I wanted to vomit, it was so nasty tasting ~ like eating a sardine because of the added fish oil..

yesseni@ - 350 days ago.
omg!!!! girls...i told you guys before that i was trying to introduce the bottle and formula to my baby girl and i wasn't being very succesful...i followed some of your advice and went and bought the NUK bottles and still no succes...Well today saturday i decided to start introducing her to some rice cereal and i read in the box that you can use formula , water or breastmilk to mix it with the cereal.......so i decided to use a little bit of formula and got curious and tasted it and to my surprise it tasted so NASTY is not even funny....so i was thinking that it was probably the milk that was bad or too old so i opened a new can and tasted it and the same thing....the worse taste ever...just imagine drinking your regular milk mixed with fish oil....i felt so horrible because i been trying to have my baby drink it but i see why she doesn't like it....then i decided to used my breastmilk to mix the rice cereal and tasted it and it was SO SWEET it amazed me...it was so good i was surprised...so i decided to do a formula taste test ........ i had the SIMILAC WITH IRON AND SIMILAC SOY BASED and they were both nasty...but the similac soy (comes in a pink bottle) was a little bit better...but still nothing i would drink myself. After doing my little taste test with those two formulas and my own breastmilk i was still very surprised to have found out that baby's formula tastes to bad so i went online and google it and i found out that the parents that have started breastfeeding and have tried to formula feed their babies later have had more problems because babies are not stupid and they know that formula tastes like FISH i swear. Now i feel bad and i think that if i don't find a good formula that tastes good i don't think i would have the heart to have my baby drink that stuff. so I will probably be breastfeeding for a while. I am still going to try some other formulas but i just feel bummed to have find out that the formula companies don't make a better tasting milk. I do believe that if had started her on formula since the beggining then she probably would have a problem because she wouldn't know better....but i figure that since my baby is been having the the good sweet stuff for allmost 5 months no wonder she refuses to drink the formula. If any of you guys have any comments please feel free to leave them....and i woulk highly recomend YOU to have a little drink of your babies formula milk and breastmilk and experiment the taste and tell me what you think about it.......

katesmommy - 363 days ago.
I am a new mommy of a beautiful 3 week old (almost) baby girl. I am having a hard time finding the formula that best suits her. She is VERY gassy and only has one BM per day. She often looks like she is quite uncomfortable. I spoke with her pediatrician and he was not concerned as long as she was having one BM per day. I can't handle seeing her so uncomfortable though. We have tried similac advance and are now trying similac sensitive. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Please post to my page. Thanks in advance.

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