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| Home > Breast Feeding > Bottle Feeding > Choosing Formulas
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| | Choosing Formulas
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When it comes to infant formula, parents need to keep in mind a few simple facts:
There are some subtle differences among the major brands of infant formulas which may affect the tolerance level of your baby one formula over another. Going through the labels may leave you more confused, feeling like a degree in biochemistry is necessary to make an intelligent decision. Here we attempt to help you with an analysis of the big three nutrients: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The vitamins and minerals in all formulas are the same, since these are governed by strict regulations, however, the nutritional fine points of the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins vary from one brand to another, depending on the nutrients the marketing department of the infant food formula want to stress on especially to pediatricians.
Standard Formulas
Standard formulas are those that are tolerated by most infants. Infants with particular digestive needs require special formulas.
Safe Formula Feeding Tips
Use before the expiry date on the label
Use refrigerated, opened, ready-to-feed and prepared formula within 48 hours.
Don`t leave bottles of formula out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
Throw away the formula left in the bottle after a feeding, as germs from baby`s saliva will multiply in the warm formula.
Refrigerate any formula saved from one day to the next.
Be extra cautious while using a microwave oven to warm formula. It`s better to avoid heating in the microwave. Because of uneven heating, hot spots develop. If you still prefer to microwave, shake the bottle well before testing the temperature on your wrist.
Avoid bottle propping, and don`t let a baby fall asleep while holding on to his bottle. He could choke or aspirate the formula into his lungs. Falling asleep with a bottle poses another danger that of allowing the sugary formula to pool in the mouth, establish contact with with teeth, causing dental caries. When bottle-feeding in the lying-down position, formula may travel from the back of the baby`s throat up through the eustachian tube into the middle ear, causing ear infections. Do not forget that, bottle-feeding, like breastfeeding, is a social interaction, along with a method of delivering nutrition. There should always be a person at both ends of the bottle, and babies should go to sleep attached to a person, not a bottle.
Bottle Feeding Tips
To make feeding time pleasant for you and baby, here`s how to get the most milk in and the most air up, and to do it safely.
Giving the bottle:
Most babies enjoy their formula slightly warmed; run warm tap water over the bottle for several minutes. Test a few drops on your inner wrist to check the temperature.
To reduce air swallowing, tilt the bottle, allowing the milk to fill the nipple and the air to rise to the bottom of the bottle.
Keep baby`s head straight in relation to the rest of the body. Drinking while the head is turned sideways or tilted back makes it more difficult for baby to swallow.
It is advisable to switch arms at each feeding to lessen arm fatigue and present different views to baby,
Be vigilant for signs that the nipple hole is too large or too small. If your baby gets a sudden mouthful of milk and sputters and almost chokes during a feeding, milk flow may need to be controlled as it may be too fast. Turn the full bottle upside down without shaking. If milk flows instead of drips, the nipple hole is too large; dispose of the nipple. On the other hand if the baby seems to be working hard, tires easily during sucking, and his cheeks cave in because of a strong suction vacuum, the nipple hole may be too small. The formula should drip at least one drop per second.
Know when to stop. Babies know when they`ve had enough. Do not insist on finishing the bottle. If baby falls into a deep slumber before completing the feeding, stop. Often babies fall into a light sleep toward the end of their bottle, but continue a flutter- type of sucking. They have had enough to eat, but enjoy a little "dessert" of comfort sucking. If that is the case remove the bottle and allow baby to suck a few minutes on your fingertip.
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