You have already chosen infant formula, the right bottles and good teats. Now you need to learn how to prepare milk for your baby. We can advise you on how to do it both during the day and at night.
Preparing meals for a formula fed baby should be very careful. You must take care of the details and precision. The proportions and hygiene are important. You should be very careful that your baby receives all the ingredients necessary for its development and avoids problems with its tummy.
The baby's body, including its digestive tract, is very delicate. When preparing a meal for your baby, you must maintain hygiene in a special way. Before you start, remember to wash your hands thoroughly.
Especially before the first use, thoroughly wash and scald the teat and the bottle. Proper hygiene of accessories is no less important than the hygiene of hands when preparing a meal for your baby. You must ensure that no harmful microbes remain in the bottle or teat.
Good water is the basis. If you are sure that the water in your tap is of good quality - you can use it. The sample is worth examining in the Sanitary-Epidemiological Station. If you're not sure - buy bottled water. For a little baby, it cannot be water with a lot of minerals (no more than 500 mg per litre). Highly mineralised water can unnecessarily load the infant's body and cause damage to it. Water with a high content of minerals can also disturb the proportions of ingredients, which in formula are carefully considered and measured to make it similar to mother’s milk.
Even bottled water needs to be boiled, tap water especially so, even of the good quality. After boiling, the water should be cooled to a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. Check the manufacturer's recommendations on the formula packaging.
Remember! Do not mix milk with hot water. Boiling water destroys harmful ingredients but it can also neutralise vitamins and microelements in the formula.
When the water has cooled down, carefully measure the amount of water recommended by the manufacturer and pour it into a clean bottle. Using the scoop attached to the formula container, measure out the appropriate volume of powder and pour it into a bottle with water. After closing the bottle, shake it vigorously until the water and the powder blend and no lumps remain in the bottle.
Measure out flat scoops of milk formula. Never pour more powder than the manufacturer recommends because it will affect the proportions of ingredients in milk and may harm your baby.
Milk should have more or less body temperature, as it happens with mother's milk. Squeeze a few drops from the teat onto the inside of the hand (wrist or elbow bend) and check the temperature. The liquid should be comfortably warm but not hot, you should not have the feeling that it burns your skin.
If your baby did not drink the milk formula completely - pour the leftovers out. Formula is very nutritious, which supports good development of your baby. Unfortunately, it is also a great medium for bacteria, which rapidly grow in it thanks to the lactose content. In addition, bacteria from the baby's oral cavity remain on the teat and some of them get into the formula.
The formula “enriched” with bacteria can cause serious abdominal problems, so do not give it to your baby again after a while.
After feeding, wash the bottle and the teat at once or at least rinse them thoroughly. This will make it easier to get rid of the remaining formula. Get a special brush for washing bottles. This will assist you in washing the bottle thoroughly and reaching all nooks and crannies. Store the unused accessories in a container with a lid.
The rules for feeding during the day also apply to feeding at night. You also need good water, you need to remember about special hygiene and you should not store any leftover milk. But, although you cannot prepare milk for stock, there are ways to make night feeding a little easier.
If you prepare the necessary things within reach before going to sleep, it will be easier for you to control the situation when you are awakened in the middle of the night. Remember to prepare clean and scalded bottles and a teat.
After boiling the water, cool it to 40 degrees Celsius and pour it into a prepared, clean feeding bottle. Close it tightly and put it close to the bottle warmer.
When the baby wakes up and needs to be fed, place the bottle with water in the water warmer. You can also use a container with warm water and put the bottle in it. However, you must carefully check the temperature of the water after heating. The warmers only heat the water to the optimum temperature; however, the temperature of water in a pot or container can be different. It may also turn out that the water is too cold because it has cooled down.
Only now, pour the accurately measured amount of milk formula into the water and mix it thoroughly by shaking. For simplicity, you can put a measured amount into a clean container or bag in the evening. However, never make a mix beforehand. It will lose its nutritional value.
When the formula has the right temperature (check it on your wrist), you can feed your baby. Remember that the baby should not lie flat on its back while feeding. It is safer to take the baby out of the bed and hold it in your arms while feeding. After feeding, it is worth lifting the baby and patting gently on its back to facilitate burping.
At night you want to save as much time as possible, so you do not have to wash your feeding accessories right away. However, it is worth rinsing them thoroughly, so that later it will be easier to clean them.
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