Requirements of a baby may vary from day to day. Sticking to a rigid schedule for bottle feeding is not recommended. As a new mother, you might encounter initial hiccups in deciding when to feed your baby, but within a month you will be able to figure out feeding requirements of your baby. Initially it might be difficult to predict when a baby feels hungry and only signal for you might be a crying baby. To avoid this, a feed every two or three hours, either in form of breastfeeding or bottle can be resorted to.

Bottle Sterilization

It is better to not have a doubt like: Do I need to sterilize bottles? Yes, you do need to sterilize them each and every time without failure when you want to bottle feed your baby. Unclean bottles not washed with boiling water are the biggest threat to your baby's health.

Before you first use new bottles, nipples, and rings, you should sterilize them by submerging them in a pot of boiling water for at least five minutes. This will get rid of any hidden bacteria or micro organisms. Wiping the bottles with a clean and lint free cloth is essential after cleaning.

Is your baby Comfortable Drinking from Bottle?

A baby, who doesn't know how to express, will tell his problems only by crying. If your baby starts crying at the sight of a feeding bottle, he is obviously not comfortable with it. You will need to observe and listen.

A lot of noise during suckling means air ingestion which can lead to upset stomach. To avoid such situation, it is essential to hold the bottle at the correct angle of 45 degrees. If the bottle is held in a way that there is no milk inside the nipple, baby will suck on air.

You must leave all your tasks aside when you decide to bottle feed your baby. This requires undivided attention. Leaving a baby alone feeding with bottle propped up can cause your baby to choke.