How to Keep a Baby Safe While Bottle Feeding

With a new baby comes many responsibilities, but one of the biggest ones is feeding your child. While some moms breastfeed exclusively, others feed their babies by bottle some or all of the time. When deciding to bottle feed your baby, consider the multitude of safety factors to keep your baby healthy.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean dish towel
  • Breast milk or formula
  • Bottle warmer
  • Large pot
  • Stovetop

Instructions

    • 1

      Sterilize all bottles and related parts before first use. To do this, bring a pot of water to boil on your stovetop. Carefully place the bottles and parts into the water and boil for five minutes. After the initial cleaning, sterilize bottles and parts after every use by placing them in boiling water, or thoroughly wash them with warm, soapy water.

    • 2

      Dry the bottles and parts when cool using a clean dish towel.

    • 3

      Wash your hands before handling milk or formula.

    • 4

      Fill the bottle with expressed breast milk or formula prepared according to package instructions.

    • 5

      Heat the bottle in a bottle warmer or in a bowl of warm water if desired. Shake the contents to ensure the heat is evenly distributed.

    • 6

      Test the temperature of the milk or formula by squirting a few drops of it on your wrist. If it feels barely warm, the milk is a temperature safe for your baby to drink. If you can more warmth, wait a few minutes and test the milk again before offering it to your baby.

    • 7

      Hold your baby in one arm and the bottle in the other. Keep the baby in a semi-upright position and tilt the bottle into her mouth. The nipple should be filled with fluid at all times.

    • 8

      Discard uneaten formula and breast milk after it has been sitting out for one hour or longer. Do not offer it to your baby again, since bacteria can quickly form if the bottle has been sitting out too long. Discard expressed breast milk that you haven't tried to feed to your baby after it̵7;s been sitting out at room temperature for four to 10 hours.

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