Position
First check that the nozzle is firmly on the bottle, then check that there is no air in the nozzle. Make sure your child’s heads is supported by the inside of your elbow. You can alternate between right and left. You can also put your baby on his or her back when giving bottle-feeding, then lay down next to your baby and hold the bottle well. Besides lying down and on your lap, you can also choose to lie on your back yourself with your knees raised. Your child is facing you against your thighs and partly on your stomach. It is best to try out multiple poses to find out what works best for you and your child. Hold the bottle at an angle and continue to feed until you notice that your child has had enough. On average, feeding takes about 15 to 30 minutes. The nozzle must be far enough into the mouth, the correct position is when only the widest part of the nozzle can be seen while drinking. The nozzle must remain filled with milk.
Stay in continous communication with your baby so that you can respond to the signals given by your baby. It is also useful to have a cloth at hand when your child starts messing. Do not force your child to empty the bottle, when your child does not want to, you can wait and try again later. Lift your child and let the head rest against your shoulder if he or she needs to burp. Is the bottle empty and your child happy? You can then clean the bottle.
Sometimes it happens that your child falls asleep when you bottle-feed. To keep your little one awake, we have a few tricks for you:
• Tickle under the chin
• Tickle in the hand
• Gently squeeze the upper legs
In the beginning you have to take into account that your baby should be fed by a limited number of different people. Your child often wants to be close to you as parents and could become a little distracted by too many people bottle-feeding.
After bottle-feeding it is possible that your baby still has a sucking reflex. Your baby’s belly might already feeling full to your child and provide enough nutrients, while he or she still has a sucking reflex. You can then use your pinky finger. It is important that your pinky finger is clean and that your nails are short enough to not hurt your baby’s mouth. An alternative to your pinky is a pacifier.