Babies Worldwide

Breast fed babies get fewer ear infections and are less colicky than bottle fed babies, but we know breast feeding isn’t for everyone. So, here are some things you can do to keep your bottle fed baby healthier and happier.

Always hold your baby in a semi-upright position, facing you during feedings – NEVER prop the bottle.

A child’s inner ear canal goes straight back. If a child drinks lying on his back, the milk rolls right into his inner ear. This plugs up the ear, makes it hard to hear, and causes infections.

Be sure the baby can get the whole nipple in his mouth and create a good seal around the nipple with his lips – always hold the bottle at an angle that keeps the nipple and bottle neck full of milk.

Babies who can’t get their mouths around the whole nipple swallow air. This can also happen if there is air in the nipple. Swallowing air makes babies choke and spit-up. It also stretches the stomachs, and makes them cry.

Make feeding a happy, social time for your baby. Always look at him and talk to him while you feed him.

Tags: ear infection, infection

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Childhood Illnesses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.