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WIC - Bottle Feeding FAQ's |
Bottle Feeding Your Baby
If you decide not to breastfeed, or you are unable to breastfeed, bottle feeding with a commercial iron fortified formula is a good substitute. Be well informed, use your own best judgment, consult with your WIC Nutritionist and your doctor, and don't let anyone - however well-meaning - make you feel guilty for bottle feeding. For more information about bottle feeding, see the frequently asked questions on bottle feeding below
Tips on bottle feeding.
- Mix baby's formula following the directions on the can. It is important to mix formula right to keep your baby healthy. Infant formula with iron is best. City water is generally safe to use. If you have concerns about your water, ask the WIC staff.
- Hold your baby close when feeding. Give your baby lots of love and attention during feeding. Don't prop the bottle or lay baby down with a bottle. It can cause choking and ear infections.
- Burp your baby after about half the bottle and again at the end of feeding. Some babies need to burp more often.
- Bottles are for formula and plain water only. Sugar, Tang, Karo syrup, juice, Kool-Aid, soda, or teas don't belong in your baby's bottle.
- Cereal should not be added to the bottle. It does not help babies sleep any longer and may cause allergies or choking.
How should I wash my baby's bottle?
- To wash bottle by hand: Wash bottles in hot soapy water. Use a bottle brush to clean the inside and nipples. Rinse in clear water. Boil in a large pan of water for 5 minutes. Place bottles and nipples on a clean towel to dry.
- To wash in a dishwasher: Rinse bottles well with hot water. Use a bottle brush if needed. Wash in the dishwasher.
- All your baby needs right now is formula!
- Your baby's tummy isn't ready for other foods or liquids.
Keeping Formula Safe
- Always wash your hands before making or feeding formula.
- Keep formula in refrigerator. A bottle of formula left at room temperature for more than 1 hour can make your baby sick.
- If you will be out, put bottle in a cooler with ice packs. If you use powdered formula, mix one bottle at a time as needed.
- To warm a bottle put it in a pan of warm water, not in the microwave. Heating a bottle in a microwave can cause hot spots that can burn baby's mouth. Before feeding, shake bottle and sprinkle a little formula on your wrist to be sure it's not too hot.
- Throw away any formula left in the bottle after feeding.
- Replace nipples when they are become sticky.
How much formula should I feed my baby?
Newborns babies have small tummies. They drink small amounts of formula at each feeding and eat often. As babies grow, they will drink more formula at each feeding and may want to feed less often. Let your baby decide how much to eat. The following guide may help your get started.
- A month old may drink 1-2 ounces every 2-3 hours
- 1-2 month old may drink 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours
- 2-3 month old may drink 4-5 ounces every 3-4 hours
- 3-4 month old may drink 5-6 ounces every 3-4 hours
Babies do not always get hungry on a schedule and do not always take the same amount at a feeding. You need to be flexible. It is OK for your newborn baby to sleep one 5-hour period at night before the next feeding. As babies grow, they will sleep longer.Remember: Hold your baby for all feedings. Don't put baby to bed with a bottle.
What kind of formula should I feed my baby?
Use an iron fortified infant formula, not cow's milk, canned evaporated milk, or goat's milk. Your baby can have these types of milk after she is one year old. Do not give your baby low fat or skim milk until she is two years old. There is no evidence that low fat or skim milk helps prevent obesity in infants, and they need the nutrients in milk fat for development in the first two years of life. There are two basic types of infant formula: a cow's milk-based formulas, and soy-based formulas. When you buy formula, check the date on the can to be sure it has not expired. Most infants do well with a cow's milk based formula such as Enfamil with Iron, Carnation Good Start, or Similac with Iron. Offer cow's milk-based formula with iron as the first choice if you decide not to breastfeed. These products are manufactured to be similar to breastmilk, although they do not contain the immune factors that are found in breastmilk. Lactose is the sugar source in these formulas. There are lactose free cow's milk-based formulas, such as Similac Lactose Free and Mead Johnson's Lactofree, for infants with a sensitivity to lactose. Soy-based formulas such as Prosobee, Carnation Alsoy and Isomil with Iron can also be used if your baby is not tolerating the lactose (sugar) in cow's milk-based formulas. Soy-based formula may also be used if your baby does not tolerate the protein in cow's milk-based formulas. It's best to talk to your WIC nutritionist or doctor before switching formulas.Baby formula comes in powdered, liquid concentrate, or ready-to-feed forms. Powdered formula is usually a little less expensive, and you get a little more formula from the WIC program if you choose powdered. Ready-to-feed is the most expensive, so it is best to use it only when you have no way to mix formula such as when traveling.
Shouldn't I give low iron formula so my baby won't be constipated?
Many people think the iron in infant formula can cause constipation. But this is not true. Babies have immature digestive tracts and sometimes get constipation or diarrhea for a few days as a normal part of maturation. Iron is very important for your baby's growth and development. Your baby can develop iron deficiency anemia if he does not get enough iron. Formula companies make low iron formulas, but they are necessary only for rare medical conditions and should be prescribed by a doctor.
How much formula should my baby drink?
The amount your baby needs will vary from feeding to feeding and increase as she grows. Newborn babies take as little as 1 ounce or as much as 4 ounces at a time. Most babies ages 0 to 4 months need about 16-28 ounces of formula (about 6 feedings) a day. From 4-6 months a baby needs about 28-32 ounces (4-6 feedings) a day. At 6-9 months 30-32 ounces (3-5 feedings) a day is about right. From 9-12 months 24-30 ounces (2-4 feedings) a day will meet your baby's needs. Your baby should have 6 to 8 wet diapers a day, and should steadily gain weight.
How should I mix the formula?
Boil the water for mixing the formula for 5 minutes, and let it cool before mixing. Wash your hands, the baby bottles, nipples, caps and the can opener in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. If you have been advised to sterilize the bottles, caps and nipples, put them in a deep pot, cover them with water, and boil for 5 minutes. It is a good idea to sterilize bottles until your baby is at least 3 months old. Wash the top of the can of formula before opening it. Follow the directions on the can for mixing water and formula, measuring carefully. Refrigerate all filled bottles and cover and refrigerate opened cans of formula. Use the formula within 24 hours. Throw away any formula left in a bottle after a feeding.
Is it OK to microwave a bottle to heat it up?
Microwaving baby bottles or baby food can be dangerous because the food may not heat evenly. It could burn your baby's mouth. If you really need to use the microwave, heat the formula until barely warm, let it stand for a while, shake the bottle well and test the formula by dripping some on the inside of your wrist to make sure it is not too hot. Babies can drink cold formula, but formula that is too hot can burn their mouths.
How do I feed the bottle to my baby?
Hold the baby in your arms. Never prop a bottle. Tilt the bottle so the nipple is filled with formula. Your baby should suck firmly on the nipple. If she doesn't, gently press your thumb under her chin and partially withdraw the nipple. The hole in the nipple should be large enough for the formula to form drops when the bottle is held upside down, but not so large that the formula flows our in a steady stream. Burp your baby several times during the feeding. If your baby drinks only part of the formula at a feeding and seems full, don't force or encourage her to finish the bottle. She will occasionally take more or less formula at a feeding. Throw the leftover formula away.
Do bottle-fed babies need water?
Usually they do not, unless the weather is hot, or if the baby has vomiting, diarrhea or a fever.
Should I put cereal in the bottle to help my baby sleep through the night?
It will not help your baby sleep through the night, and it could be harmful. Babies who only know how to suck liquids can choke on the cereal. Before your baby is about 4 to 6 months old, he cannot swallow foods like cereal. He does not have much saliva and he cannot use his tongue to push solid foods to the back of his mouth. His digestive system has not matured enough to digest foods like cereals until he is 6 months old. Babies sleep through the night when they are ready, not because of what they are fed.
When should I start solid foods?
Most babies do not need solid foods until they are 4 to 6 months old. Use this link for more information.
Is it OK to prop a bottle instead of holding my baby for feeding?
It is not a good idea to prop a bottle. Your baby needs the cuddling he or she gets when he or she is fed. If a baby goes to sleep with formula in their mouth, it can damage their developing teeth.
Is it OK to put juice in my baby's bottle?
No. Use bottles for formula and water only. Wait until your baby is 6 months old, and then offer juice from a cup. Never give other sweet liquids such as Tang, Kool-Aid or soda pop in a bottle. Don't give these sweet liquids to your baby, even in a cup.
I have heard of "Nursing Bottle Mouth". What is that?
Frequent contact with sweetened liquids in a bottle, such as juice or Tang, can damage your baby's developing teeth. To avoid "nursing bottle mouth", in which a baby's teeth are destroyed by tooth decay, only give formula or water in the bottle. Juice can be given from a cup, after 6 months of age. Your baby should never be put to bed with a bottle, even a bottle of formula, because formula can cause tooth decay when it stays in your baby's mouth after he/she falls asleep.
I have heard of "overfeeding" bottle-fed babies. What is that?
Babies often cry for other reasons besides being hungry. They may need a diaper change or just to be held and loved. Giving too much formula can lead to a lifelong habit of overeating, and to obesity. Use the guide above on how much to feed at each age. Make formula at the recommended strength, following the instructions on the can. Don't force your baby to finish all the formula in the bottle. Your baby will give you signs that she is full. She may turn her head away, or just not be interested in drinking any more. The habits your baby starts to form now last a lifetime. Encourage her to be active. Playing, crawling, reaching and other activities will start your baby on the road to an active, healthy life.
If my baby has stomach aches or colic and cries a lot, will changing formula help?
Usually it will not. Babies have immature digestive systems, and from time to time most will have some digestion problems which go away naturally in a few days or weeks. A young infant does not yet have all the enzymes and digestive juices needed for breaking down food. Sometimes parents switch formulas and then when the symptoms go away, they think it was because of the formula switch. Actually the problem would have gone away without the formula change. Try burping your baby several times during a feeding.
Every baby cries, but if your baby cries or fusses for more than 3 hours a day and is otherwise healthy and well fed, she may have colic. She may lift her head or legs, become red in the face, and pass wind. Talk to your doctor. Normally, colic is not a serious condition and switching formula usually does not help. Research shows that babies with colic continue to eat and grow well. But parents and other family members find it hard to cope with the constant crying. Take a break when you can, and remember that colic only lasts a few months.
Do bottle fed babies need vitamin supplements?
Babies who drink enough formula usually do not need vitamin or mineral supplements, because they are already in the formula. Fluoride drops are a good idea after six months of age if your community water supply does not have added fluoride.
Why does WIC give only a few kinds of formula?
Standard infant formulas are virtually the same, despite advertising claims. WIC has a contract to get large rebates from a formula manufacturer. WIC keeps track of the manufacturer's formula that is bought from grocery stores, and bills the formula manufacturer for the rebate. This money is then used to put more people on WIC. WIC can provide contract formula to 5 to 6 babies for the cost of 1 baby on a non-contract formula. If your baby has a medical condition and your doctor thinks she should get a non-contract formula, it can be approved by WIC under certain conditions. Talk to your WIC nutritionist.
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