Bottle Feeding
Bottle Feeding (Both Expressed Breastmilk and Formula) Always wash your hands before handling bottles or feeding the infant. Use only clean bottles, nipples, and cups. For infants that do not crawl, bottles and nipples should be sterilized. If you need to reuse them, sterilize by boiling in water for 5 minutes or by washing in a dishwasher. Warm breastmilk and formula by placing the bottle in a pan of warm water or by holding it under warm running water for a few minutes. Do not warm breastmilk or formula on the stove or in a microwave. Microwave heating causes hot spots in the milk that can burn the infant’s mouth and throat. These hot spots may stay even if you shake the bottle. And heating also destroys most of the natural substances in breastmilk. Double-check the labels on bottles before feeding to ensure the infant is getting the correct breastmilk or formula. Always hold the infant when bottle feeding. Try different positions for infants who do not want to take their bottles. Some infants are happier if you feed them in the usual cradle position. Others prefer a different position. Do not prop up a bottle to feed an infant or put an infant in a crib with a bottle. Bottle propping could cause the infant to choke, tooth decay, and ear infections.
