I never had the chance to formula feed my kid. He had formula only the day after he was born when he did not pee after 24 hours of being born. Doctors thought, maybe I wasn’t making enough milk so the midwife gave him some formula. That evening the consultant came to check and applied her cold hands on my son’s tummy and my god, he released the fountain. It was a great moment. I kept a stash of formula in case I needed it, but I never needed to use it.
Even though I have no experience, but I had done all the research so that if the time came, I was prepared for it. I even gathered information from my mom friends who formula fed their babies so I really hope the information below helps you to some extent.
A guidance on baby formula feeding:
| Your baby’s age | Number of feeds | Amount of formula feed per baby weight |
| Birth to 3 months | 6 to 8 (feeding every 3 to 4 hours) – mostly let the baby guide you | 150ml per kilogram (kg) 2½ fluid oz (ounces) per lb (pound) |
| 4 to 6 months | 4 to 6 (feeding every 4 to 6 hours) – let your baby guide you | 150ml per kilogram (kg) 2.5 fluid oz (ounces) per lb (pound) |
What I mean by let your baby guide you is some babies need less food so they may need less milk than the recommended amount or sometimes they may need to feed earlier if they start crying. Do not have more gap than the recommended hours.
Tips:
- Make sure you sterilise the bottles and teats properly (Teats must be suitable for baby).
- Maintain personal hygiene, wash your hands before dealing with baby’s food.
- Follow the instruction of the baby formula feeding packaging.
- Feeding is bonding time so make sure you and the baby are comfortable.
- Hold your baby a bit upright for the feeds and feed them slowly. Make sure their head and neck are supported so they can breathe and swallow comfortably.
- Brush the teat against your baby’s upper lips, let them open their mouth wide, and draw in the teat.
- Always give them breaks during feeds so that they can breathe and swallow. You can do this by touching the teat to the roof of mouth then tilt it back to the tongue so that baby can feed again.
- During the breaks do burp the baby if need be to release the discomfort. After the feeding definitely burp the baby like patting the back or other methods that I will share the videos.
- Don’t rush the feeding. Always give your baby plenty of time to feed.
- Bottle feeding has increased chances of baby taking in air that will create wind. Make sure the teat is always full.
- Follow your baby’s lead.
- Throw away leftover milk.
The below links tell you how to prepare the baby formula:
HSE Guidance on how to prepare the formula
HSE advices on storing and warming formula
HSE suggestions on bottle feeds when you are away from home
HSE Advices on adding other items into the bottle
NHS.uk advices on bottle feeding
Techniques to wind or burp your baby:
Babies would cry to let you know if they are in discomfort and need your attention. If the reason is wind being trapped in their tummy then use the burping techniques or do some exercises or massage the tummy.
- You can also massage the tummy of the baby with a little pressure. Make sure your hands are warm and then put it on the baby’s tummy and do some circular motions in clockwise motion. You can also pretend to write ”I Love U” on the tummy massaging the tummy.
- Some exercises to help release gas in baby:
- Some burping techniques
