When to Add Formula to Baby? Children prefer mothers. It will certainly cause many difficulties for mothers in getting used to the pacifier. It will be more resistant when they breastfeed because they smell their mothers. For children to get used to bottle-feeding better and faster, ask their family to give them bottles for the first time. Initially put breast milk into the baby to get used to bottle feeding. Then gradually replace with formula milk for your baby. The first time your baby gets used to formula milk, you should mix a little milk to avoid wasting because your baby may refuse to suck. Let me refer to some tips for bottle-feeding babies right below!
Several months should complement baby milk?
Breastmilk contains all the antibodies and nutrients needed for a newborn baby, but there’s not always enough milk or no milk to breastfeed. Therefore, the formula will play a supporting role in breast milk in this case. Because the baby is born, the stomach size of the baby is still small, according to the doctor, recommend that the baby only drink about 30ml / time, for the baby to adjust gradually then give 60ml / time, they can give the baby more breast milk.
For babies from 1-2 months old
The baby’s stomach is now bigger, so the volume of milk will also increase, the advice is that mothers can give babies from 90-120ml / time, divided into 4- 5 times/day. Depending on the condition and needs of each baby, the amount of milk to “load” will also vary, so do not impose any rules for babies. Besides, mothers should not wake the baby up in the middle of the night as that will make the baby “lose sleep”, leading to fussy babies, will gradually form a habit, she will wake up at that time to “Demands to suck”.
Babies from 2 to 6 months of age
The amount of milk needed during this time is about 120 – 180 ml, divided into 5 times/day, every 4 hours apart At the end of the 5th month and the beginning of the 6th month, the mother has Can let your baby practice gradually.
Babies from 6 to 12 months
According to experts, at this stage, the best amount of formula for babies is about 540ml-960ml / day and divided into 3 meals. Also, this time the baby is quite accustomed to weaning, so the mother needs to add to the baby’s menu a variety of foods such as shrimp, beef, vegetables, fruits to meet development needs. of baby.
Some signs that your baby is still hungry
When you take the bottle from the baby’s mouth and he cries, immediately put his hand in his mouth, suck, suck, … that is a sign that he still wants to drink milk. is that milk is not enough for the baby. And I need to add more for the baby, but only 30ml more, Mom and slowly increase if the baby is still hungry.
Signs that babies are too full
The psychology of most mothers is that the baby feeds more will grow faster, so force the baby to nurse as much as possible. This is completely wrong mom. When the baby is fed too much, he will have indigestion. Let’s make him uncomfortable and tired or vomit everything in his stomach.
Know when your baby sucks enough?
Babies no longer fuss, finish sleeping well. When drinking enough, the urination of the baby also has a certain level, according to science proving that if you have to change 5-6 diapers/day and 6-8 cloth diapers/day, that is the expression of enough milk baby. Steady growth and a steady increase in weight each month. However, nothing is absolute, mothers need to base on the age of the baby and the health status of their children to make the appropriate milk-drinking regime.
Babies under 6 months old
At this age should not use fresh cow’s milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk powder or formula formulas for children over 6 months. Amount:
- Infants (1 month old): 60-80ml / meal x 7-8 meals / day (500-600ml / day).
- Children aged 2-4 months: 100-120ml / meal x 6-7 meals / day (700-800ml / day).
- Children 5-6 months: 150-180ml / meal x 5-6 meals / day (800-1000ml / day).
Babies from 6-12 months
In addition to complimentary meals such as flour, porridge, children still need to drink an additional 500-600ml of milk/day, divided into 3-4 meals depending on the child’s drinking level.
For children over 1-5 years old
This time can use all kinds of milk for children over one-year-old, pasteurized cow milk, whole milk powder, soy milk, yogurt. And your baby needs to load 400 – 500ml of milk/day.
Guiding mothers on how to practice bottle-feeding successfully:
Most mothers have to return to work when their time at home is over. Starting from this time, the mother can choose to express and store breast milk; After that, people at home will put breast milk into the bottle to breastfeeding. For babies over 6 months old, formula milk can be used to supplement their babies. If you do not practice bottle-feeding, your baby will refuse because he is accustomed to breast-feeding (the pacifier from a bottle cannot be as soft as the breast; the bottle-feeding person does not make him feel familiar). This can be overcome if the mother plans to practice bottle-feeding in advance. Here are some tips for getting used to a bottle:
Do not practice bottle-feeding too early
Do not practice bottle-feeding before 2 months of age. Even if you choose to express breastmilk and put it into your baby’s bottle. If your baby gets used to the bottle too early, he or she will probably get used to the bottle and refuse to breastfeed.
Practice bottle-feeding about 2 weeks before mom goes to work
2 weeks of “training” your baby to bottle-feed is enough for your baby to accept this new skill. However, breastmilk should be put in the bottle so that the baby can learn to breastfeed while not wasting breast milk.
Should ask someone else to bottle feed
Because of being used to “a little” mother and being breastfed, many babies are determined not to hold the bottle in their hands. Some babies find their mother near or mom in the room, they are also opposed to bottle-feeding, crying for mothers. Therefore, let your grandparents or fathers practice bottle-feeding (when there is no mother there).
Be patient when practicing bottle-feeding
You need to be patient because your baby can “fight” fiercely because she hates the bottle. If you persevere and practice your baby gradually, it will succeed. Or some people choose to “pour spoon” for children because they do not refuse to be average.
Change where to breastfeed
Some babies take a bottle if they are in a familiar environment when breastfeeding. That is contrary to the above suggestion, some babies only suck on the bottle when in the mother’s arms. Some babies take a bottle when being held upright, tilting the bottle makes it easier to suck.
Do not let your baby hungry to bottle feed
Your baby will eat more when feeling comfortable and not hungry “tormented”.
Choose a pacifier similar to the breast nipple
The nipple bottle should be selected as much as the nipple and the breast are better. Use a wide pacifier, avoiding too short or narrow nipples that make it difficult for the baby to suck. The rate of nipple discharge should be 1-2 drops/second, which will suit your baby best. To check the flow of milk, you should invert the bottle and wait for the milk to drip. The flow is too fast for the baby to fear. The slow flow makes the baby frustrated because he has to wait for a long time. If your baby is dissatisfied with this nipple, switch to another one. Warm your nipples in a bowl of warm water before nursing or cool your nipples if your baby is teething.
Put the pacifier into the baby’s mouth properly
Instead of “tucking” the bottle into your baby’s mouth. You should just touch the baby’s pacifier to the baby’s lips. You wait for the baby to open the mouth to “pick” the pacifier as the baby breastfeeds. The baby’s mouth is wide open. The baby is hugging the nipple with a width, not just “chewing” on the nipple.
Avoid lying breastfeeding
The suction of milk from the bottle when the baby lies down makes milk vulnerable to getting into the ear canal, causing ear infections (especially if using formula).
What should parents do when a child refuses to bottle?
For babies who refuse to bottle (but prefer to chew the bottle’s nipple) due to discomfort during teething. You can give your baby a gum before feeding them. This reduces the stimuli caused by the mouth so they will be less likely to “chew” the pacifier of the bottle.
You can familiarize your baby
You can familiarize your baby with the bottle’s nipple by squeezing breast milk into the bottle and feeding. Once your baby has gotten used to it, you should just mix formula in a bottle and feed your baby.
You can change the nipple
You can change the nipple (choose soft) of your baby’s bottle. Many babies like to suck on a bottle’s nipple for a while before they can suckle. At first, the baby may only accept a small amount of milk in the bottle. You should not be too worried about this. If you persevere, your baby will get a higher amount of formula in the future.
You can use a spoon
You can use a spoon (baby type) to feed your baby if your baby refuses to bottle. Many mothers share the experience that using a spoon to apply a formula to their babies is also convenient and takes no more time than feeding them with a bottle. However, compared to bottle-feeding, using a spoon to apply a formula to a baby is quite hard. Many babies like to use their hands and feet to scoop away a spoon of milk. Other babies like to keep their mouth shut. You make babies cry, and refuse to let you feed them with a spoon.
You can ask a family member to bottle feed your baby. Many babies find the “mother” is more comfortable, so they refuse to “suck” when their mother is bottle-fed. If your baby is at the age of holding the cup, you should put the milk in the cup and drink it.