Baby Formula Feed

For a baby, the bottle is one of the most precious and familiar things they will develop a relationship with in the first years of their life. As months pass and they grow older, there comes the time when baby must learn how to leave the bottle behind and move on to cups.

For some kids, parting with the baby bottle is a non-event. The parent announces it’s time, and the baby goes with it. So, what really works when giving up the bottle? Persistence, perseverance and remembering that really and truly … it will work. And as annoying as it is, people really are right when they say that no child has ever gone off to kindergarten with a bottle in their mouth.

When weaning your baby from the bottle, distractions should be kept at a minimal. Nothing else should take place at the same time that will cause anxiety or stress for your child. Renovating the house with the hammering of nails or packing up the house to enter a move across country are not good times to wean a baby from bottle.

Don’t allow your baby to use a bottle as a toy or treat it as a pacifier. Your aim as a parent is to create an association with the bottle that conveys feeding time. When a baby views their bottle as a toy or something that satisfies boredom, it will be hard to ease them towards leaving it behind.

Weaning a baby from bottle to a sippy cup is a popular transition. Many parents introduce the cup when their child has reached the age of 6 months.

The weaning process should be approached with consistency and the process should be gradually enforced so that the baby is fully able to adjust.

The ultimate goal is to support your baby as they associate with the new object with a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment.

For the first six months of life, your baby needs only breast milk or infant formula to eat.  Breastmilk contains a unique mix of fatty acids, lactose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other important factors that combine to make the perfect infant food. It has everything a baby needs for easy digestion, brain development, healthy growth, and protection from illness.

How do I know if my baby is getting enough to eat?
Keep track of your baby’s wet and poopy diapers.  Once mom’s milk comes in, the theory of “what-goes-in-one-end-comes-out-the-other” works.  If your baby has 4-6 wet disposable diapers (or 6-8 cloth) and 3-4 poopy diapers in 24 hours that usually means they are getting enough breastmilk.  Talk to your baby’s health care provider at your office visits about your baby’s growth chart if you are concerned or curious.  (See below for online growth chart links.)  It is important to remember that as babies get a little older the number of bowel movements per day may decrease.  Some breastfed babies have only one bowel movement per week (after about 2 months of age).

How and when do I start my baby on solid foods?
Don’t rush to start solids.  They will only upset your baby’s tummy if you give them before your baby is ready to digest them.  Breast milk or formula is far more nutritious than any solid you could give your baby.  Solid foods aren’t as convenient, anyway!  Wait until your baby shows signs that they are ready.  Your baby’s health care provider can talk to you about the signs of readiness.   Usually babies are ready around six months old, and sometimes a little earlier.  Your baby’s first solid food should be an iron-fortified rice cereal.  You may hear that solid food will help your baby sleep through the night, but this is a myth.

What do I need to know about feeding my 1-2 year old?
At a year old, formula-fed babies can switch to whole cow’s milk. It is important to use “whole” milk, because children under two years old need fat for brain development. One-year-old breastfed babies will benefit from continuing to nurse, for as long as both mother and baby are happy with the arrangement. Your baby should be joining you at the table for meals, and be learning about mealtime as family time.

The symptoms of teething vary from child to child. Because of these different experiences, parents and physicians often disagree as to the symptoms of teething and how painful it is. The list below shows symptoms that a teething baby may experience. While most parents usually agree that some or all of the symptoms below happened around the time of teething, it is still recommended that if your baby experiences any of these symptoms you check with your pediatrician to rule out other possible causes for the symptoms.

Irritability: As the sharp little tooth rises closer to the surface your baby’s gums may become increasingly more sore and painful, leading to your baby being very fussy.  The pain and discomfort is most often worse during the first teeth coming in and later when the molars come in because of their bigger size.  This is most often the case since babies become accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn to live with them.  But you may find your baby may be fussy during the whole time that every tooth comes in.  Every child reacts differently.

Drooling: From three to four months of age you may see your baby start drooling more often than normal.  Teething stimulates drooling, which is often worse with some babies than others.

Coughing: The extra saliva can cause your baby to occasionally cough or gag.  This is usually nothing to worry about as long as your baby seems fine and shows no signs of a cold or flu and does not run a high fever.

Chin rash: If your baby is a big drooler, the constant contact with saliva can cause the skin around the chin and mouth to become irritated.  To help prevent this, gently wipe your baby’s mouth and chin periodically throughout the day.

Biting & gnawing: A baby that is teething will gnaw and gum down on anything she or he can get their mouth around.  The counter pressure from biting on something helps relieve the pressure from under the gums.

Cheek rubbing and ear pulling: Pain in the gums may travel to the ears and cheeks particularly when the back molars begin coming in.  This is why you may see your baby rubbing their cheeks or pulling at their ears.  However, keep in mind that pulling at an ear can also be a sign of an ear infection.

Diarrhea: While this is a symptom that is disagreed upon by physicians, researchers and parents, most parents usually notice slightly looser bowel movements when a baby is teething.  While the recent study done by the Children’s Hospital in Australia found this to be the most common symptom of teething, there are still many people that will agree and disagree with this recent study. It is believed that the most likely cause of this is the extra saliva swallowed, which then loosens the stool.  Be sure and report any diarrhea to your doctor that lasts more than two bowel movements.

Low-grade fever: A fever is another symptom that doctors are sometimes hesitant to directly link with teething.  But there are many parents who will disagree with this and find their baby gets a slight fever while teething.  The best thing to do is be extra safe and notify your doctor if a fever last more than two days.

Not sleeping well: With teething pain happening during the day and night, you may find your child wakes more often at night when the pain gets bad enough.  Most parents agree that the night waking happens more often during the first set of teeth and with the molars.

Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc.): Some parents find that their baby will show signs of having a cold.  Runny noses, coughing and general cold symptoms are believed to come from the baby having their hands in their mouth more often.  Play it safe and always notify your doctor if symptoms such as this occur.