Many parents tend to provide breast milk for their babies. However, some new mothers may have insufficient milk supply. In such cases, formula milk becomes an important source of nutrition for the baby. When feeding formula milk, attention should be paid to many details including water temperature, amount of milk powder, and feeding method to avoid affecting the baby’s absorption. How to correctly feed newborns with formula milk?
When preparing formula milk, first adjust the water to the appropriate temperature (around 40 to 60°C), then add a measured amount of warm water to the bottle according to the desired quantity, and then add the appropriate amount of milk powder. This ensures the right milk concentration and minimizes waste. Remember not to add the milk powder before the water to avoid difficulty in controlling water temperature and quantity.
Reheating or boiling the already prepared formula milk is not advisable as high temperatures can damage the protein and vitamin structure in the milk powder, reducing its nutritional value.
The concentration of the milk powder should strictly adhere to the product instructions, and avoid randomly adjusting or adding other supplements such as broth. This may burden the baby’s digestive system excessively and lead to health issues like constipation, diarrhea, or more severe intestinal diseases.
When changing milk powder, a gradual transition should be adopted by mixing old and new milk powder and gradually reducing the proportion of the old powder. This transition usually takes 1 to 2 weeks to help the baby adapt.
For newborns, the feeding amount and frequency should be carefully controlled. Initially, it may be necessary to dilute the milk powder in proportion and adjust gradually as the baby grows. Moreover, even in mixed or artificial feeding, do not forget to provide a suitable amount of plain water between two feeding sessions to maintain hydration balance.
For milk powder selection, breast milk is undoubtedly the best choice, as it contains immunity-enhancing components. If breastfeeding is not possible, choose a suitable infant formula as an alternative, aiming to mimic the nutritional composition of breast milk as much as possible.
