Ideally breastfeeding is the ONLY way for your baby’s nourishment from newborn up to two years old or more. However, in many situations, this is just impossible for a variety of reasons. Once you have tried these breastfeeding tips, or if breastfeeding is not an option, this article covers considerations for bottle feeding.
Whatever those reasons might be, technology is here to help. Modern manufacturing processes have made it possible to mimic a mother’s natural equipment to bring nutrient to her baby. From the best baby bottles for wind to, arguably, the most important part is the baby bottle teats as this is the part that makes contact with the baby. Below are major considerations when choosing what to use.
Choose Glass over plastic anytime
Your baby bottle teats come with just that, a bottle. They come in a variety of materials, and while some are gimmicky, others are genuinely safe as well. However, to be safe, it is best to go with glass as there would be absolutely no chemical in them or on them. The only real downside to glass is that it can break, but is easily solved by the use of silicone sleeve AND extra care when handling or cleaning them.
Silicone or Latex?
When it comes to teat material, there are two kinds, silicone or latex. These two both have their advantages and are almost equal, however over time, a person can develop sensitivity to latex that MAY lead to allergies. Silicone would be the best bet for your baby.
Nipple Shape
There is an enormous amount of shapes available to choose from but here are the three most important:
- Wide neck – has a wide base so the baby’s mouth may rest against to mimic the mother’s breast and thus feel more natural
- Orthodontic – has a dome on one side to go against the palate and a flat side to go against the tongue
- Vented – helps reduce the amount of air that your baby may include while going through the motions of breastfeeding.
- Combination of types – yes you guessed it, its a combination of the above types and sometimes of all three types
It may take a bit of experimentation as to what your baby is most comfortable with, and you may buy all three kinds before your baby latches on to the shape and size of his preference
Nipple Flow
The next thing that you need to do is choose the flow rate of the milk coming out of the teats into your baby’s mouth. Generally, you might want to start with the slowest and take it up into faster flow rates as your baby gets older. This is not perfect math, and it is very important to get your cues from your baby’s behavior and how he reacts to the flow rate. If he gets frustrated and irritated while drinking from the bottle, the flow rate may be too slow, and you need to go to the next one. When you see that he is choking on on the milk and it is getting down on the sides of his mouth, then it could be the opposite, and you may want to go down on the flow rate.
There you have the factors to consider when choosing to bottle feed your baby, Remember it all boils down to your baby’s preference and his comfort level. The Take away is to always watch out for your baby’s cues.