One advantage to bottle-feeding is it allows others to participate.
Feeding time for dad is just as special for him as for mom. Fathers should
not be denied this opportunity to nurture. The same holds true for age-
appropriate siblings and grandparents. It’s a family affair. All
participants, especially baby, benefit with this family approach.
Formula
Take time to sit and hold your baby while feeding with a bottle. What
better time to sneak in the rest you deserve, not to mention the cuddling
your baby requires. Holding your baby at this time will also help prevent
your child from becoming attached to the bottle. You control the feeding
with the bottle in your hands. Not baby.
Generally, avoid feeding baby while he or she is lying completely
flat, such as when the mother is nursing in the lying-down position.
Swallowing while lying down may allow fluid to enter the middle ear,
leading to ear infections. For the same reason, avoid propping up the
bottle. Putting a child six months and older to bed with a bottle is a no-
no. This is true not only for health factors relating to ear infections but
also for oral hygiene. When a child falls asleep with a bottle in his mouth,
the sugar in the formula remaining in the mouth coats the teeth. Tooth
decay results.
Most important in bottle-feeding is what goes in the bottle.
Sometimes the choice may be made for you either by the hospital where
you deliver or by your pediatrician. If either your husband or you have a
history of milk allergies, mention that to your doctor. It may influence
the type of formula your pediatrician recommends. Formulas today have
properties closely matched to those of breast milk, including the proper
balance and quantity of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Cow’s milk and
baby formula are not the same. Formula is designed for a baby’s
digestive system; cow’s milk is not. Cow’s milk is not suitable for
children less than one year old. For more specific information regarding
the different manufacturers of formula, check with your pediatrician.
The amount of formula taken at each feeding will vary with the