Bottle-feeding
The majority of babies will be bottle-fed at some stage of their development. The key to successful bottle-feeding is organisation and hygiene, so that it becomes practical and safe method of feeding. It has its advantages, which enables other adults to feed the baby, so it is less restrictive and tiring for the mother, especially in the early days.
Hygiene
It is very crucially important during the first six months. Poor hygiene can cause your baby to develop an infection such as gastroenteritis that may require hospitalization.
Wash the bottles and teats with special brushes. These must also be rinsed properly. All this must be done properly before all the bottles and teats are sterilized.
Very important that you wash your hands before making up the bottle feed. You can keep a freshly made bottle for up to 24 hours in the fridge, but you must remember NEVER reheat any used milk.
Making up Bottles
You will get the hang of making up the bottles. You can do up to 24 hours worth of bottles in one batch. Which could then be stored in the fridge. NEVER dilute or condense the formula, because that would lead to under - or - over feeding your baby.
Formula milk is less thirst quenching than breast milk. So give your baby regular sips of cool boiled water, to prevent the baby becoming dehydrated.
Feeding your baby
Always make sure your back is properly supported. Make sure the baby’s head is higher than the body. It’s important to make eye contact with your baby while feeding, whether it’s bottle-feeding or breast feeding.
Make sure the bottle teat has no air; it’s fully filled up with the milk before giving the bottle to the baby.
