52: Don’t Make These Formula Mistakes

Hey Mama, if you are using powdered or condensed formula, there are some really important but common mistakes happening that impact your baby’s nutrition, hydration, comfort, or sleep. These are so easy to stumble into…especially when you are as tired as new parents are. So today I’m here to remind you not to commit these formula mistakes.

The first, and oh so common mistake is improper mixing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the powder go into the bottle before the water which changes the accuracy of the water line, or instead of a nice even unpacked scoop a parent quickly uses a heaping scoop of powdered formula. When we accidentally make these mistakes, it actually changes the water to formula ratio which impacts the calorie count and hydration of the bottle. Doing that is strongly not advised without a dietician’s guidance as it can impact your baby’s organs. So don’t freak out, but do measure carefully and read the instructions.

The next mistake is overfeeding the baby. Man this is so common, especially when parents are trying to adhere strictly to a paper schedule and not yet familiar with infant cues. When this happens it’s easy to miss the signs that your baby is finished eating and accidentally push them to finish the bottle.  You may even find they are fussy or crying again and think, “Oh no my baby is still hungry!”. It’s possible they are. But it’s also possible that they ate too much and now have trapped gas or a little reflux. And this becomes a cycle, too large of meals creates a fussy baby, which can be misinterpreted for hunger. Sucking calms the baby, but adds to the problem.

This is a big one with our bottle fed babes, and I also talk about it some in Episode 4: How Much to Feed Your Newborn.

Now this brings me to the third common mistake which is using a bottle with the wrong flow rate. Sometimes parents look to the bottle brand labels, which can be misleading, other times they are switching between flow rates throughout the day! It’s really common to be gifted different bottles and nipples, say at a baby shower, but we do not want to constantly switch up how quickly that milk is coming out on your baby. Especially in the early learning period. And here’s a helpful hint, if the milk is dribbling out while your baby is eating or they are gulping- it’s probably too fast of a nipple. For more info on this go back and listen to Episode 1: Don’t be Fooled by Bottle Labels. 

Remember, measure accurately, follow their cues, and consistently use the bottle nipple that’s right for them This will help you avoid so many unnecessary issues, and make the transition to sleep windows so much easier!

That’s all we have for this episode, but if you want to know what my current favorite bottle is for newborns, shoot me an email! I am happy to share:) Barbara@FeedingByJauary.com