Moving from breast feeding to bottle feeding is a transition period for your child. Breast feeding will build bondage with your child. Teaching your child to bottle feed is an art by itself. You and your child will learn a lot of things with bottle feeding techniques.
Here are some simple techniques:
• Find out the best position to bottle feed.
• Burp your child every three to five minutes between feedings.
• Give smaller feeds more often.
• Hold the head higher than her/his feet when you bottle feed.
• Loosen up diaper and clothing around the belly during the feed
Here are some challenges faced by your child:
• Feeding nipple: The most important piece of a feeding bottle is the nipple. The nipple of the bottle should be of the right size as the flow of milk should be constant for your baby's mouth size, age and sucking ability. If the nipple is too long or short, your child may experience feeding difficulties and end up drinking less milk and create more ruckus.
• The nipple ring attachment: An opening for air should be given in the bottle as there won't be any air clog and your baby will not be able to suck the milk. Air enters the bottle either between the nipple ring and bottle or through the holes in the end of the nipple. Feeding difficulties can develop if air cannot enter the bottle because the nipple ring is screwed on too tight and your baby also maintains a seal over the holes at the end of the nipple with the tongue.
• Teething: While teething, your baby may bite the bottle nipple without his knowledge. Feeding difficulties related to teething generally don't last longer than a couple of days. But, one has to pay attention to it as the baby might end up not drinking milk completely.
These are the common challenges you could face with bottle feeding. Take care to avoid these complications and make feeding easier!