Babies develop really fast in their first few months of life that parents and caregivers have a hard time catching up. At first, the baby can only lay down as you position them on the bed, and then they learn to lift their head, roll over, sit up and walk. Even the food they eat and the way they are fed progress rapidly to meet growth demands. Indeed, a gazillion of changes happens in the first five years of a baby’s life. When these milestones occur, moms should be there to support the child. But you should not only content yourself watching your babes grow, but you should make way for safe growth. One area that often poses hazards for babies is feeding. There are do’s and don’ts that moms must adhere to, and it’s safer to ask experts’ advice. Let’s get to find answers regarding one question that moms frequently ask; can you put baby food in a bottle?
Things You Need to Know About Baby Feeding
Feeding the baby in the first year of life is crucial; you need to feed the baby with the right food and use the right equipment.
Breast-fed babies should be fed eight to 12 times daily or on per demand basis with each session lasting about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, formula-fed babies will take six to 10 feedings each day. The difference between the frequency of feeding is due to the fact that commercial milk has a different formulation from that of a mother’s milk.
Telltale Signs That a Baby is Hungry or Full
When a baby is uncomfortable, tired, or in pain, he or she can only cry, and that makes crying a poor sign of hunger. If you’re a new mom, here are other telling signs that your baby wants to feed.
- When the baby is smacking the lips or sucking.
- When the baby reaches or leans on the breast or bottle.
- When the baby reached to a spoon or food.
- When the baby is sucking his hands.
When the caregiver misses these hunger cues, the baby gets fussy and will start crying. So, if you do not want stressful moments with a shrilling baby, then it’s best to watch out for the cues and start feeding the baby.
Aside from hunger cues, caregivers should also realize when the baby has had enough to eat to avoid overfeeding the baby. Here’s how you can tell when a baby is full.
- Baby withdraws from the breast, feeding bottle, or spoon.
- The baby falls asleep.
- Baby becomes uneasy and starts shaking head.
- Baby keeps her mouth tightly closed.
- Baby shows a lack of interest in food.
Transitioning from Liquid to Solid Foods
Another crucial time for moms and babies is the transition from milk to semi-solid to solid food. Eventually, breast or formula milk will no longer be enough to serve a growing baby’s nutritional needs, and so complementary feeding must be initiated. For breastfeeding moms, complimentary food should start at the sixth month. For formula-feeding moms, the baby may be tried with semi-solid foods beginning at 4th month or when the baby starts showing readiness for non-liquid food. This is the time moms would be asking if can you put baby food in a bottle. However, take note to never hurry when feeding the baby with solids as babies are prone to choking.
The following are signs that the baby is ready for solid food.
- Baby can sit straight in a high chair with little to no assistance at all.
- Baby is able to control the head for a prolonged period of time.
Baby seeks for more feeding after eight to 10 breastfeeding sessions or 32 ounces of formula milk. - Baby manifests fondness to your food.
- Baby can thrust food at the back of the mouth.
- Lip-smacking disappears.
Can you put baby food in a bottle? Some moms pull a trick during the transition phase by adding semi-solid foods to the bottled milk. They think it’s a good way to start introducing the taste of semi-solid food, while other moms think it’s a good way to keep the baby deeply asleep as the baby gets full from the extra food. This practice is unsound and unscientific, but it also poses a choking hazard to the babies, according to the Center for Disease Control.
A few rules to guide moms when starting semi-solid foods:
- Do not overindulge your baby with food on the first try. Start with a teaspoonful and gradually increase in amount on the next feeding.
- Begin feeding with cereals first, then vegetables and fruits, and then meats.
- When giving a new food, it’s best not to mix it with something else. Introduce food one at a time so you can easily assess for allergic reactions.
- For home-made purees, sugar, salt, and other seasonings are discouraged.
Proper Ways of Feeding the Baby
When feeding the baby with liquid, the best position is angled backward but not totally flat on the bed. Meanwhile, for semi-solid and solid food, the best position for feeding is upright. Hence, when adding semi-sold food to bottled milk, proper feeding position does not get observed, and this is when choking becomes a risk. When the baby is truly ready for solid food, he or she will be ready to use a spoon or a reusable plastic pouch, which is appropriate for semi-solid or solid food. This is better than mixing semi-solids and milk in a bottle that only places your child at risk. This settles the confusion if can you put baby food in a bottle. Find out more about baby diet.
Conclusion
Moms should pay attention to babies’ nutritional needs as well the many ways they feed the babies. Being the helpless little angels that they are, it’s moms’ job to keep them healthy and ensure their well-being. With the information laid out in this article, we hope to have equipped you with better knowledge in the right ways of feeding your baby. So, when you find yourself asking – can you put baby food in a bottle, remember that babies will communicate to you when they are ready for solid food and putting baby food in a bottle for feeding is a choking hazard.