Baby Care

If your baby tends to bring food right back up – some babies never do – you may wonder if he’s keeping enough down. My youngest son was a child who had a tendency to spit up, and I worried that he wasn’t getting enough to eat. I simply followed my own instinct, which was to offer him more food. If he didn’t take it, I assumed that he had spat up an excess that he didn’t require. Babies usually spit up because of a normal gastroesophageal reflex, which is more pronounced in some babies than in others. Overfeeding can also cause spitting up, which is another reason to avoid insisting that your bottlefed baby finish his bottle.

Forcible or projectile vomiting, especially if it occurs after several meals, should be reported immediately to your doctor; vomiting is very serious in a small baby because it can quickly lead to dehydration.

Burping releases any air that has been swallowed during feeding. It’s unlikely that gas causes your baby discomfort, and many babies are not noticeably happier or more contented for having been burped. Swallowing air is more common in bottlefed babies, but you can prevent it to some extent by tilting the bottle more as your baby empties it so that the nipple is full of milk and not air. Disposable bottles cut down on the air the baby swallows, because air cannot enter the bottle as the baby sucks the milk.

The good thing about burping, whether you breast or bottlefeed, is that it makes you pause, relax, slow down, hold your baby gently, and stroke or pat him, and this is good for both of you.

This is rare in bottlefed babies. Your baby should be fed on demand and not at set times; demands may vary from day to day. If your child consistently seems fretful after he drains each bottle, he may well e hungry. Offer him an extra 2 fluid ounces (60 milliliters) of formula. If he takes it, then he needs it.

If your baby demands frequent feedings but doesn’t take much, the nipple hole may be too small, so that he is having difficulty sucking the formula and is tired before he gets enough.

Chubby babies can be cute, but fat cells, once produced, can’t be removed, and a fat baby may grow into a fat adult, with all the attendant dangers to health. Unfortunately, it is easy to overfeed a bottlefed baby. The reasons for this are twofold; first, it is tempting to put extra formula into the bottle, but you should always follow the instructions precisely; otherwise, you’ll be giving the baby unwanted calories. Second, in your anxiety to feed him “properly” you may want to see your baby finish every last drop of his bottle, but you should always let him decide when he’s finished. Introducing solids too early and giving sweet, syrupy drinks also cause overfeeding.

Your baby will need feeding at least once during the night, and this break in your sleep on top of all the other things that you have to do to take care of him may make you extremely tired and tense. The problem isn’t so much the number of hours of sleep that you lose, but more the way in which your sleep patterns are broken over long periods. For this reason it is important that you get adequate rest, day and night, and since you are doing most of the feeding, try to get your partner to take on some of the other jobs.

Some mothers like to warm the bottle, though it will be perfectly all right if it has simply been brought to room temperature. Many babies like their bottles cold. Don’t warm the bottle in a microwave; that may create “hot spots” in the milk that could scald your baby’s mouth.

Warming the formula Place the bottle in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. You could also run it under the hot tap, shaking it all the time.

Testing formula temperature Try a few drops on your wrist: it should be neither hot nor cold to the touch.

Giving the bottle Gently stroke your baby’s nearest cheek to elicit her sucking reflex. Insert the nipple carefully into her mouth. If you push the nipple too far back she may gag on it.

Feeding Make feeding times as pleasant as possible by talking to your baby and smiling at her. Let her pause midfeeding if she likes. Burp her and change her onto the other arm at this stage to give her a new view, and your arm a rest.

Removing the bottle If you want your baby to release the bottle, gently slide your little finger into the corner of her mouth. This will break the suction on the nipple.

Make yourself comfortable and support your arms well. Hold your baby half-sitting with her head in the crook of your elbow and her back along your forearm; this will allow her to swallow safely and easily. Keep your face close to hers and talk to her frequently.

If you prefer, there are other positions that are suitable for feeding. You could try lying down with your baby tucked under your arm, for example – this position is especially comfortable for night feedings. Try different positions until you decide which one suits you best.

Before you begin, test the temperature of the milk; you should already have tested the flow. Slightly loosen the cap of the bottle so that air can get in. If your baby has difficulty getting the milk, gently remove the bottle from her mouth so that air can enter the bottle, then continue as before. Hold the bottle at an angle so that your baby doesn’t swallow air with the milk.

Equipment The equipment should be rinsed with hot water and drained before use.

• Bottles and lids
• Plastic knife
• Measuring spoon from formula package
• Funnel
• Nipples and rings
• Caps
• Measuring cup

Measuring Using the measuring scoop provided with the formula, measure out the required amount. Use a knife to level off each scoopful, and do not pack the formula down into the scoop.

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The hole in the nipple should allow the milk to flow in a steady stream of several drops per second when the bottle is inverted.

If the hole is too large, your baby will get too much too fast and splutter; if it is too small, your baby will get tired from sucking before she is satisfied. To make the hole in a nipple bigger, insert a fine, red-hot needle gently through the hole to melt the rubber (stick one end of the needle into a cork and hold it over a flame to heat it).

Sculpted nipples that are shaped to fit the baby’s palate and allow her control over the flow are best.