Bottle Feeding Basics
Having a new tiny person in your home is very exciting. However, babies are a lot of work. Especially for a new mother if she plans to breastfeed. The reality is that a breastfed baby is what some people refer to as tied to the boob. Meaning, everytime the baby needs to eat, Mom needs to be there to make sure that the baby is fed. This task is of course made simpler through bottle feeding. If Mom is able to pump milk or even if she favors using formula, the almighty bottle helps out by giving others (namely, Dad) an opportunity to step in and feed the baby thus giving Mom a much needed break.
But what are the first things to know about the bottles themselves? What are some reasonable and unreasonable expectations when it comes to bottle feeding?
First you need to become familiar with different bottle types. This seems intuitive however, while standing in the aisle of a baby store, you will see that there are many choices and that can be overwhelming when trying to decide which baby bottle is right for your little nugget.
Different Bottles
Those small or short bottles are obviously designed for newborns and the youngest babies. The smaller bottles typically only hold 6 ounces and since most small babies only take about six ounces or less in one sitting, this makes sense. But those bottles are also useful for older babies as well. More on that in a second.
The big tall bottles are good for babies that are slightly older. I would say anyone over the age of three months that requires a feeding of over 6 ounces would benefit from those nice tall bottles.
Around the 6 month mark, you will probably want to revisit those smaller bottles. If you plan to introduce solid foods to an older baby, you will find that those smaller bottles work well to compliment a jar of baby food. This is because, as you feed your child a jar of baby food you will likely also supply 4 ounces of milk within the same mealtime. The smaller bottles work perfect for this. You can obviously use halfway filled tall bottles at mealtime as well, but if you happen to have those short bottles anyway, this is a great way to extend their usage.
Different Nipples
Some people use a good old fashioned needle to improve the flow or speed of milk delivery from a bottle nipple. This is usually done to satiate a fussy baby who isn't getting their milk fast enough. However, many companies actually sell baby bottle nipples with different aperture sizes. Usually the aperture is divided into newborn (which hardly has an opening at all), 3 month apertures which are slightly more open and 6 and 9 month apertures which are designed for the maximum flow for older babies.
This is a feature that is often overlooked by many parents when shopping for baby bottles. Try to take advantage of this and other tips when the time comes to prepare for bottle feeding.
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions in the comments below.
