Bottle And Nipple Cleaning Tips
- If you wash the bottles and nipples by hand, use hot soapy water.
- Use special brushes to get the bottles and nipples clean. Make sure the nipple holes are cleaned well.
- Rinse well with hot water.
- Let the bottles and nipples air dry.
- You can also wash bottles and nipples in a dishwasher. Use a basket to hold the nipples, collars and caps.
- Do not store clean nipples and bottles in an air-tight container. Small amounts of milk could remain on them and cause mold.
How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough Formula
Your baby’s weight gain and the number of wet and dirty nappies will tell you whether your baby is getting enough formula.
Your baby should have around 6 wet nappies a day from a few days after the birth. Nappies should be soaked through with clear or pale yellow urine, or feel heavy.
For the first few days after birth, your baby will pass a dark, sticky substance known as meconium. After the first week your baby should start to pass pale yellow or yellowish brown poo.
Your baby will usually be weighed at birth and again at around 5 and 10 days. After that healthy babies only need to be weighed once a month up to 6 months of age.
This information should be entered on a chart in your Personal Child Health Record or “red book”.
If you have any questions or concerns about your baby’s weight gain, speak to a midwife or health visitor.
How Much Infant Formula Should I Give My Baby Based On Their Body Weight
Theres a rough guide based on your babys body weight that you can use to work out how much formula to give. This only applies though if you dont breastfeed as well as bottle-feed and your baby isnt eating solid foods yet.
Most full-term babies need between 150ml and 200ml of formula per kilogram of their body weight every day . So, if your baby weighs 3kg, theyll probably need between 450ml and 600ml of formula over a 24-hour period to satisfy their hunger. However, they may want less than this in the first week or so, as they will only have a tiny tummy .
These measurements are a rule of thumb. Just as your appetite varies with each meal, your baby isnt going to take exactly the same amount at each feed . So dont force your baby to finish a bottle, even if there is only a little bit left .
If your baby has been prescribed a specialised formula, check with your GP or health visitor on how much you should offer each day .
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What Are The Different Types Of Baby Formula
All formula sold in Australia needs to meet stringent nutritional and hygiene standards. Most baby formulas are made from dried cow’s milk with vitamins, minerals and vegetable oils added. Straight cow’s milk is not suitable for a baby’s digestion, unless it has been altered to make it easy to digest and so the nutrients can be absorbed.
There are 3 types of formula:
- Milk-based formulas are made from cow’s milk, with added vegetable oils, iron, vitamins and minerals.
- Soy-based formulas are made from soybeans and have added vegetable oils and nutrients.
- Specialty formulas are made from cow’s milk which has been ‘predigested’ and the protein removed or reduced. There is also a range of hypoallergenic formulas available. Most specialty formulas are designed for babies who have a milk intolerance or who are allergic to cow’s milk. Formula might also be the best choice for babies who have a food protein allergy or other form of digestive, malabsorption or gut problem. Specialty formulas can be used for specific cultural or religious reasons too.
Other types of formula include:
Thinking About Feeding Your Baby
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When youre pregnant, its good to think about how you want to feed your baby once they’re born.
For some mums there are many things to consider, like your cultural beliefs, personal circumstances, and your own physical and mental wellbeing.
Talk to your partner, family/whnau, and your midwife or maternity carer about it, and have a plan so they know how they can help you
If you want to breastfeed and youre having trouble, call PlunketLine any time on .
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Infant Formula From Birth
Use a stage 1 formula that is suitable for newborn babies. It should say from birth or 012 months. Your baby can stay on this same formula when you start to introduce solid foods at around 6 months and continue on it until they are 12 months old.
There are formulas labelled as follow-on or stage 2. These should only be given to babies aged 6 months and over but are not necessary for most babies.
The labels on follow-on formula can look very similar to infant formula, so read them carefully to avoid making a mistake.Before buying formula, check the label for babys age and the use-by date. Never feed infant formula that is past its use-by date to your baby.
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How Often Do Newborns Eat
Your newborn will nurse about 8 to 12 times per day during the first weeks of life. In the beginning, mothers may want to try nursing 1015 minutes on each breast, then adjust the time as necessary.
Breastfeeding should be on demand , which is generally every 13 hours. As newborns get older, theyll nurse less often and have longer stretches between feedings. Newborn babies who are getting formula will likely take about 23 ounces every 24 hours. Newborns should not go more than about 45 hours without feeding.
Signs that babies are hungry include:
- moving their heads from side to side
- opening their mouths
- placing their hands and fists to their mouths
- puckering their lips as if to suck
- nuzzling against their mothers breasts
A feeding schedule is not necessary you and your baby will get into a routine. Babies know when theyre hungry and when theyve had enough. Watch for signs that your baby is full and stop the feeding when these signs appear.
As babies grow, they begin to eat more at each feeding and can go longer between feedings. There may be other times when your infant seems hungrier than usual. Continue to nurse or feed on demand. Nursing mothers need not worry breastfeeding stimulates milk production and your supply of breast milk will adjust to your babys demand for it.
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How Much To Formula Feed
Here are the amounts of formula your baby needs:
- first day: 5 to 15 mL at each feeding
- second day: 15 to 30 mL at each feeding
- third day: 30 to 60 mL at each feeding
- fourth day: follow your baby’s weight:
- 8 pounds: 2 ounces at each feeding
- 9 pounds: 2 ¼ ounces at each feeding
- 10 pounds: 2 ½ ounces at each feeding
As your baby grows, continue to increase the amount of formula based on their appetite and hunger cues.
How Is Formula Different From Breast Milk
Formula is a nutritionally complete food for babies. Many formula products contain extra ingredients so that they more closely match breast milk.
One of the main differences between formula and breast milk is that breast milk contains antibodies, which help protect the baby against a range of illnesses. The nutrition in breast milk adapts over the babys lifespan, unlike formula whose nutritional content stays the same.
Breast milk also has less protein than formula. Choosing a formula with less protein will reduce your babys risk of becoming overweight or obese as they get older.
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What Kind Of Milk Should I Use
Most infant formula brands are either first milks or follow on milks. There are also formulas that are marketed as comfort milk and hungrier baby milk.
Some mums feel that these types of milk make a difference, but there is no evidence that you need to change from a first milk to any other type.
First milk is the only food your baby will need for the first 6 months. After that, you can introduce them to solid food alongside first milk.
You can start giving your baby ordinary full-fat cows milk instead of first milk when they turn 1.
Talk to your midwife, health visitor or GP if you think your baby might be allergic or intolerant of formula. They may be able to prescribe a special formula feed.
Formula milk is available in two forms:
- ready-to-feed liquid infant formula, which is sterile
- powered infant formula, which isnt sterile.
How Long Do You Feed Formula To Baby
If you find yourself fretting over your newborn feeding schedule, youre not alone. Questions like how much should a newborn eat? and how often should I feed baby? are some of the most common concerns among new parents. After all, baby is growing by leaps and bounds. Theyll grow more in the first year than at any other point in their life, doubling in size by the time theyre 5 months old and tripling by the end of the first yearso its important to feed baby the fuel they need to power through each stage of development. Whether you opt for breast milk or formula, heres what you need to know to make sure baby is eating enough.
In this article: How much breast milk should a newborn eat? How much formula should a newborn eat? What if youre breastfeeding and formula-feeding? Signs baby is getting enough milk Newborn feeding FAQs
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How Much Should My Baby Drink
In the first few weeks, give 2- to 3-ounce bottles to your newborn. Give more or less depending on your babys hunger cues.
Here’s a general look at how much your baby may be eating at different ages:
- On average, a newborn drinks about 1.53 ounces every 23 hours. This amount increases as your baby grows and can take more at each feeding.
- At about 2 months, your baby may drink about 45 ounces every 34 hours.
- At 4 months, your baby may drink about 46 ounces at each feeding, depending on how often they eat.
Watch for signs that your baby is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your baby stop when full. A baby who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the bottle.
What If I Need To Transport A Made
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If it is not possible to follow the advice above, or if you need to transport a feed , prepare the feed at home, cool under a running tap or in a bowl of cold water, and cool it for at least 1 hour in the back of the fridge.
Take it out of the fridge just before you leave and carry it in a cool bag with an ice pack, and use it within 4 hours. If you do not have an ice pack, or access to a fridge, the made-up infant formula must be used within 2 hours.
If made-up formula is stored:
- in a fridge use within 24 hours
- in a cool bag with an ice pack use within 4 hours
- at room temperature use within 2 hours
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Starter Or First Formula
There is a variety of starter formulas based on cows milk protein . Formula based on soy or goats milk is also available. These formulas are suitable for babies from birth to 12 months.
Read the label carefully because:
- formulas developed for toddlers as well as pregnant women can look very similar, so check the label carefully to ensure your baby gets a formula that is safe and appropriate for their age.
- the label may list a number of additions such as LCPUFAs , probiotics or prebiotics. These ingredients are added because they are found naturally in breastmilk.
Using Formula When Youre Out And About
Measure the right amount of cooled, boiled water for one feed into a cleaned and sterilised bottle and place the cap on tightly. Put the right amount of formula powder into a cleaned and sterilised container. It might be a good idea to bring an extra bottle of water and enough extra powder , just in case.
Its safest to only add the formula powder to the water only when your baby needs a feed.
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How Often Should I Feed My Baby
Newborns and young babies should be fed whenever they seem hungry. This is called on-demand feeding.
After the first few days of life, most healthy formula-fed newborns feed about every 23 hours. As they get bigger and their tummies can hold more milk, they usually eat about every 34 hours. As babies get older, theyll settle into a more predictable feeding routine and go longer stretches at night without needing a bottle.
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about feeding your baby, especially if your baby is very small, is not gaining weight, or was born early .
How Can I Tell When My Babys Eaten Enough
The best way to tell if your babys getting enough to eat is by having your doctor monitor their height and weight at visits. Both should be measured at every visit. Signs you can look for are right in their diaper. Around six wet diapers and one or more stools per day can show theyre eating well.
Feeding your newborn is a great time to bond and knowing more about your newborns formula-feeding schedule can help alleviate some of the feeding stress. Were here if your little one is running into feeding difficulties too. Dont worry, there are tips for feeding issues you may come across.
It will all work out. You will get the hang of this & there is no such thing as a bad parent, as long as you try everything with love first!! Enfamil® mom
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Feeding Baby Formula: How Much Is Enough
You have decided that formula is right for you. So, what do you need to know to formula-feed your baby? Lets start with how you should prepare formula and how much your baby needs.
Preparing baby formula is a very important step that you must get right. Closely follow the instructions on the label to make sure your baby gets the right nutrition.
As you know, your baby is unique, so it is impossible to say exactly how much formula she needs. It will even vary from one day to another. At first, your baby will drink small amounts because her stomach is still very small. As she grows, the amount will gradually increase. Time of day counts too. Your infant may be less hungry in the evening than in the morning, so watch for signs of hunger and satisfaction and let her control her own intake. Just like you, your baby has an appetite that varies according to how tired she is, her level of activity and her mood. Sometimes, she might simply not want to eat, so be aware and try not to worry if she occasionally resists feeding.
Generally, in a 24-hour period, your baby will drink the amounts indicated below:
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- Breastmilk is the feeding option of choice for infants.
- If breastmilk is not available, then infant formula is a suitable alternative.
- Breastmilk or formula should be the main milk used until the baby is 12 months old.
- Choose a formula to match the age and needs of your baby, and always read the label carefully as labels for other products can look very similar to those for infants.
- If you believe your baby has a problem with feeding, discuss this with your maternal and child health nurse or doctor before switching brands.
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Tips For Choosing A Baby Formula
- Healthy babies, who are born full-term and who are not breastfeeding, should always be fed with a cow’s milk-based formula before trying any other type.
- The price of a formula is not a sign of its quality. Words like “Superior” or “Gold” are used by marketing people to persuade parents to buy their product.
- Check the price of the formula against the ratio of formula scoops to water. This will give you a good idea of how long a tin of formula may last.
- Read the label and make sure you’re choosing the right formula for your baby’s age.
- Look for a formula with a lower concentration of protein. Excess protein can increase the risk of your baby becoming overweight or obese later in life.
- Give your baby a few days to become accustomed to a new type of formula. Avoid switching multiple times to different brands and formula types.
Should Baby Formula Always Be Warm
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There is no health reason to warm formula, so if youre weary or its the middle of the night, know that room-temperature bottles are perfectly fine. But if you do want to warm a bottle, heat it in a bowl of warm water, run warm water over it or use a bottle warmer.
Never microwave a formula bottle, which can create hot spots that could burn a babys mouth or throat, and always check the temp on the inside of your wrist before serving it.
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