Which bottle? …
There are so many different bottles – breast-shaped bottles, anti-colic bottles, coloured bottles, glass bottles! So how do you choose the right one? Again, it’s down to personal preference.
I used BPA (bisphenol A)-free bottles, which are made from food-grade plastic as opposed to one that might leak the chemical into your baby’s milk. In fact, with Chester, I opted for traditional glass bottles. I know they’re not to everyone’s taste, but I absolutely loved them. Because I had to bottle-feed him from so young, I liked the fact he wasn’t having a plastic bottle. It just felt purer to me. Apart from the risk of them getting broken, they’re also quite heavy, so if your baby is intent on holding her bottle maybe opt for plastic!
I used basic bottles with Harry but tried the anti-colic bottles with Belle, and I think they’re worth a whirl if you have any colic/reflux concerns (see here). The only downside is that they have even more parts to them, so there’s even more to sterilise and assemble!
Which teat? …
Teats come in lots of different shapes, sizes and materials. It’s a matter of preference but be aware you can get slow, medium or fast flow. If the hole in the teat is too big for your baby, she’ll drink too quickly, leaving you in a world of winding pain! If the teat is too small, she’ll have to suck really hard, which will leave her frustrated and possibly too tired to finish the bottle. There’s a risk you’ll mistake an exhausted baby for a satisfied sleepy one because she’s had to work so hard to feed. When changing teats, give her a few feeds to get used to it, but if the milk is flooding out, you’ve moved up a size too early.
Bear in mind that your baby has to work harder to suck the milk from your breast than from a bottle, so it’s not the change in vessel that frustrates her, it’s the speed she’s getting the milk. If you are combining breast and bottle, perhaps keep a slower-flow teat for longer. This will keep your baby having to work harder at the teat, so there isn’t such a big difference between bottle and breast. That said, be sure she is getting enough milk and isn’t frustrated.
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Cold or warm milk …
The pros of cold milk It’s totally up to you whether you want to warm your baby’s milk before you give it to her! Some people say babies drink and digest warm milk better (and do be aware of the official guidelines - see here), but if yours is happy with a cold bottle then why make a rod for your own back? It’s a pain in the neck if you’re out and about and you suddenly have to heat a bottle for a screaming baby who’s decided she’s hungry half an hour earlier than you expected, especially as many cafés and restaurants won’t heat milk for you for health and safety reasons. It’s equally frustrating having to warm a bottle in the middle of the night. It’s far easier to have ready-cooled bottles of water on your bedside table, tip in the formula from the dispenser, give it to your baby and then all go back to sleep. The less paraphernalia you need for your baby, the better!
How to warm milk If you decide to warm your baby’s milk, there are numerous electric bottle warmers on the market, but in my opinion these tend to take longer to warm a bottle than standing it in a jug of boiling water. Not to mention, it’s just another thing you have to find a plug socket for on the kitchen work surface!
When I asked about using a microwave to save time, I was told you can use them but it’s safer not to. Microwaving doesn’t evenly distribute heat through the milk, so there’s a chance your baby will scald her mouth on patches of boiling liquid.
Test the temperature by tipping a few drops onto the back of your hand. If should feel just warm, not hot.
Shortcuts for warming milk I didn’t warm milk for my first two children, but because Chester needed the carobel thickener (see here) in his milk for his reflux, I had to warm it for it to dissolve properly. Determined to make bottle-warming as hassle-free as possible, I devised a quick and easy plan once he’d moved on to formula. When I went up to bed, I would take a thermos flask of boiling water and, say he was having a 7oz bottle, I would fill a sterilised bottle with 6oz of cooled boiled water. Then when Chester needed a night feed, I would top the cooled bottle up with 1oz of boiling water from the flask, which made it the perfect temperature for the formula and carobel to dissolve and Chester to drink right away (although with carobel you do need to leave the milk to thicken for a few minutes). Likewise, during the day, say I was going out at midday for the afternoon, I’d put 7oz of freshly boiled water in a bottle, then zip it up in a bottle cosy so it would cool down slowly. By 3pm it would have cooled just enough to add the formula and be the perfect temperature for a hungry baby. But if Chester hadn’t had reflux, he would have been getting room-temperature milk all day long!
Is my baby thirsty? Should I give her water? …
I was told that, as a rule, babies get all the fluid they need from milk and shouldn’t need any extra water. If it’s a boiling hot day, you should feed your baby more often to stop her from becoming dehydrated.
HOW TO: BOTTLE-FEED
Whatever position works best for you, make sure you are positioned comfortably and have everything you need to hand. When you begin, your baby should make a seal around the teat with her lips to stop her swallowing too much air as she feeds. If there’s milk pouring down her chin during a feed, try adjusting the position of the teat in her mouth. It should be straight, not at too much of an angle. If her lips are dragged in when you put the teat in at first, give the bottle a gentle twist to release her lips.
Your baby’s head should be slightly tilted back, so there’s plenty of room in her throat for the milk to flow down. If you’re not holding her upright enough, it will be difficult for her to swallow freely. It’s also very important that the teat is completely full with milk. Otherwise, any air in the teat will get swallowed along with the milk and you’ll end up with a very windy baby on your hands.
Bottle-feeding positions to try …
Cradle hold
Hold your baby in this classic hold, where you rest her head in the bend of your arm and support her body with the rest of your arm. Her head should be positioned higher than her feet so she’s slightly upright, preventing any milk from making its way into her ear and causing an ear infection. This leaves you a free hand to hold the bottle.
Sitting-up hold
Sit your baby up and lean her against your chest or rest her head in the bend of your arm. This is a great position for reflux babies and one I used a lot with Chester. It’s also great for nosy babies who want to look around whilst they’re feeding!
The face-to-face lap hold
You can do this sitting or lying. Bend your knees