Bottle Feeding

How TO BOTTLE-FEED

Prepare the formula milk according to the instructions, making up enough for 24 hours. Store the bottles in the refrigerator until needed and make sure that any unused formula

is thrown away after this time. Never reuse leftover milk because it is a potential breeding ground for bacteria. Some babies are quite happy to take their bottles at room

temperature but if yours prefers warm milk, heat the bottle either in a normal bottle warmer, or by standing it in a jug of hot water. Always test the temperature on the inside of your wrist to make sure that it isn't too hot before giving the bottle to your baby to drink. Check that the milk is coming through the teat at the right speed. If your baby is having to work hard to get the milk, the flow is too slow and you need a teat with a bigger hole. If, on the other hand, your baby seems to be gulping a lot and the milk is leaking out of the corner of his mouth, the flow is too fast and the teat should have a smaller hole. If the teat flattens while you are feeding, pull it gently out of the baby's mouth to release the vacuum, then insert it again.

Bottle Feeding Equipments

All feeding equipment needs to be kept scrupulously clean. Bottles and teats should be washed out immediately after use and then sterilized thoroughly before you make up the next batch of feeds. You will need to have:

• Enough bottles, teats, and caps to enable you to make up feeds for a 24- hour period.
• Sterilizer - there are four main ways of sterilizing feeding equipment: the chemical method, using a container filled with sterilizing solution; an electric steam sterilizer; a microwave steam sterilizer, or boiling on the stove.
• Bottle brush for cleaning inside all the bottles.
• Sterilizing solution or tablets for chemical method.
• Bottle warmer - this is optional, but can be very useful, especially when doing night feeds.