You might be using formula for all of your baby’s feeds or just one or two throughout the day – this is a quick guide to making up a bottle so you can find what works for you.
Signs of hunger
It can be useful to respond to your baby’s cues rather than waiting for him to cry – it’s not always possible but it is helpful to be guided by your baby as much as possible.
Early indications of needing a feed:
- sucking
- an open mouth, especially if also sticking tongue out
- smacking or licking lips
Ready for a feed:
- fidgeting and squirming
- rooting
- trying to get into position for a feed
- becoming fussy
I really need a feed NOW:
- crying
- frantic head movements
Making up bottles
- Fill your kettle with fresh cold water, boil and then leave to cool for 30 minutes (so It lowers to 70c)
- With clean hands, fill the bottle with the correct amount of water.
- With the scoop, measure the powder, level it off with the leveller or a clean knife and add to the bottle. (Follow the instructions for the formula you are using and only use the scoop that comes with that formula.)
- Add the teat and the lid and shake so the powder dissolves.
- Cool the formula down by running the bottle under a cold water tap or a standing the bottle in a jug of cold water. You can test the temperature of the milk on your wrist before offering it to your baby.
How much milk?
Your baby’s stomach will hold small amounts of milk and this will gradually increase as he gets bigger.
- Day 1: 5-7mls
- Day 3: about 22 ml
- One Week: 45-60ml
- One Month: 80-150ml
Each feed can vary – some babies will take a bit more during some feeds or they might need feeding more often than you think.
How often to feed?
Try to be responsive, look for your baby’s cues for food rather than watching the clock.
Babies have small stomachs and their needs vary daily. Some babies will go longer between feeds, while others will need to feed little and often.
Feeding your baby
- Before settling down with your baby, make sure you are sitting comfortably.
- Using a feeding pillow can also be useful so you can relax your arms.
- Have a drink to hand, as well as a muslin square.
- Hold your baby close to you – you will find what works best for your baby – brush the teat against your baby’s lips so they can suck on the bottle when they open their mouth.
- Your baby should be slightly upright rather than flat, this will help him to swallow.
- Keep the bottle tilted so the teat is full of milk – this prevents your baby taking in too much wind.
- If your baby is finishing off the bottle, you can try putting extra milk in the bottle so your baby isn’t sucking in air.
- Your baby may need a break to be winded – hold him upright and gently pat or rub his back.
- Allow your baby to finish the feed when he is ready, don’t force him to finish a bottle.
How to know your baby is getting enough milk
Poo
By day 4, babies will have about 3-4 poos a day, although some will poo with each feed. After day 4 poos should be mustard-yellow in colour, with no signs of meconium, which is black and tar like.
Wee
1 a day is normal until around day 4 when babies can have about 6 wet nappies a day After day 4, wee should be pale/clear.
Weight-gain
Your baby will be weighed within his first couple of weeks and this is an indication of getting enough milk.
Using formula when you are out and about
- You can use ready made formula and sterilised bottles
or - Sterilised bottles, with measured formula powder for each feed in a sterile container and a flask of just-boiled water. Make up a bottle, shake it to mix the powder and then cool it down by running the bottle under cold water or standing in a jug of cold water.
Sterilising your bottles
If you are using bottles for formula or breast-milk, they need to be cleaned and sterilised before your baby uses them. There has been much discussion about whether equipment used with breast-milk needs to be sterilised because breast-milk is without the potential bacteria that could be in formula. The guidance doesn’t distinguish between breast or formula.
The NHS guidance for cleaning and sterilising your bottles includes…
- cleaning bottles and teats in hot water as soon as possible after a feed
- using bottle and teat brushes to clean thoroughly
- then rinsing with cold water.
After an initial clean with bottle and teat brushes you can use the dishwasher to continue to clean bottles and teats but they will still need sterilising.
You can sterilise with either:
- a steam steriliser – following the instructions, as each steriliser can be slightly different. These often hold a few bottles and takes a few minutes.
- microwave sterilising – some bottles can be sterilised individually in the microwave or you can use a microwave steriliser – but make sure it fits in your microwave.
- boiling water – boil bottles and teats in a pan of water for 10 minutes, making sure they stay under the water. Use a lid and, if possible, a pan that is only used to sterilise your bottles.
- cold water sterilising – follow the instructions on the sterilising solution you are using but keep the bottle/teats under the water. You need a lidded bucket or container and it takes about 30 minutes.
After sterilising…
You can keep the bottles in the steriliser until you need them or they can dry on a clean surface and then put the bottles together with a the lid over the teat ready for use.
Please don’t hesitate to message me below to arrange a conversation with me to talk through your questions.
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