Formula Feeding Tips
Caregivers can help their formula-fed infants have a positive feeding experience by feeding in a relaxing setting. Encourage caregivers to:
- Find a comfortable place in the home for feeding;
- Interact with the infant in a calm and relaxed manner in preparation for and during feeding (e.g., by cuddling and talking gently to the infant); and
- Show the infant lots of love, attention, and cuddling in addition to feeding - reassure them that doing so will decrease fussiness and will not “spoil” the infant.
Guidelines on Feeding From a Bottle
To make bottle feeding safe and comfortable for infants, encourage caregivers to do the following:
- Wash their hands with soap and water before feeding.
- Hold the infant in their arms or lap during the feeding (with the infant in a semi-upright position with the head tilted slightly forward, slightly higher than the rest of the body, and supported by the person feeding the infant). The infant should be able to look at the caregiver’s face. If an infant’s head is tilted back or lying flat down, the liquid could enter the infant’s windpipe and cause choking.
- Hold the bottle still and at an angle so that the end of the bottle near the nipple is filled with infant formula and not air. This reduces the amount of air swallowed by the infant.
- Stroke the infant’s cheek gently with the nipple to stimulate the “rooting” reflex. This will cause the infant to open his or her mouth to initiate feeding.
- Ensure that the infant formula flows from the bottle properly by checking if the nipple hole is an appropriate size (if the bottle is held upside down, the falling drops should follow each other closely and not make a stream). The nipple ring on the bottle should be adjusted so that air can get into the bottle (otherwise the nipple may collapse).
- Burp the infant at any natural break in or at the end of a feeding to eliminate swallowed air from the stomach. Try to avoid stopping to burp an infant after every couple of ounces because this can be disruptive to the feeding. An infant can be burped by gently patting or rubbing the infant’s back while he or she is held against the front of the caregiver’s shoulder and chest or held and supported in a sitting position in the caregiver’s lap. Burping at natural breaks during feeding helps to slow the feeding, thereby lessening the amount of air swallowed, and may help to reduce gastroesophageal reflux and colic in some infants. A small amount of spitting up is common in formula-fed infants. The breaks in feeding are also good times for the caregiver to socialize with (e.g., talk gently and smile at) her infant.
Propping the Bottle Is Not Recommended
It is never appropriate to prop a bottle to feed an infant by placing a bottle supported by a pillow or something similar in the infant’s mouth.
Caregivers should avoid propping the bottle because:
Caregivers should avoid propping the bottle because:
- Liquid in the bottle can accidentally flow into the lungs and cause choking;
- Infants tend to contract ear infections because fluid enters the middle ear and cannot drain properly;
- Infants may overfeed; or
- Infants do not receive human contact, which is important to make them feel secure and loved.