Mothers may not be able to breastfeed their children because of inadequate breast milk, the obstructed lactiferous ducts, or a medical condition. Or if the sucking ability of children is weak, they feel it is too tired and are reluctant to take the breast.
For a variety of reasons, mothers give up exclusive breastfeeding. Or in order to ensure the normal increase in height and weight of their children, they add formula feeding in addition to breastfeeding.
It is commonly known as mixed feeding and artificial feeding. So, when giving children artificial feeding, what matters should parents pay attention to? Let's break it down.
1. Formula milk feeding
Infant formula is the best way to feed a child if the mother cannot breastfeed. There are so many varieties of infant formula on the market that people don’t know how to make a choice.
When choosing formula milk, the principle we need to follow is to choose high-quality big brand infant milk powder, to ensure that the child's nutrition is balanced and healthy.
For example, some formulations are fortified with calcium, iron and vitamin D. When preparing formulations, you must read the instructions carefully and do not adjust them at will.
Although the baby has a certain digestive capacity, milk of too much concentration in the anti colic feeding bottle will increase his digestive burden, and too much dilution will affect the growth and development of the baby.
We should make a mixture of milk for our children according to the instructions on the outer package of formula milk and the ratio of water to milk powder specified in the instructions.
Compared to breastfeeding, mixing milk powder can be a bit troublesome, especially at night, when the hungry baby will cry before it is ready, and the milk that is hastily made is too hot for the baby to eat right away.
Formula milk should be stored in dry and ventilated place, away from light, and the temperature should not exceed 15℃, to ensure the nutrition and quality of formula milk.
2. Mixed feeding
When the mother's milk is insufficient, or because of diseases and other reasons, she cannot give the child exclusive breast feeding, we need to use the newborn anti colic bottle to add formula milk to ensure the healthy growth of the child, which is called "mixed feeding".
Mixed feeding can be done by supplementing the deficient breast milk after each breastfeeding session or by feeding exclusively on milk replacer once or more times a day.
However, it should be noted that the mother should not give up breastfeeding because of insufficient breast milk, at least adhere to breastfeeding babies after 6 months and then completely use milk replacer. Mixed feeding is better than pure artificial feeding, because it is more conducive to the healthy growth of the baby.
3. Add cod liver oil
Whether breastfed or artificially fed children, if they have not been injected vitamin D after birth, cod liver oil should be added in time when the child is 3 to 4 weeks old to prevent the occurrence of rickets.
Because food (milk) contains less vitamin D, and there is basically no outdoor activities at the neonatal period, children do not have access to sunlight, it is very easy to develop rickets.
When the child appears crying, sweating, frightening and other symptoms, we should consider whether the child appears calcium deficiency phenomenon, and it is necessary to add cod liver oil to the child in time to promote calcium absorption.
However, cod liver oil should not be consumed for a long time, because excessive consumption may lead to poisoning. The safest and most effective way is to let children spend more time in the sun and do more outdoor activities.
To sum up, in artificial feeding, we should first choose large brands of high-quality infant formula for the child, so that the child is willing to accept the anti colic feeding bottle, and feed the child regularly and quantitatively.
For artificial feeding children, we should always pay attention to the child's urine and stool situation, let the child drink boiled water between two meals of milk, and pay attention to giving child more time under the sunshine, and supplementing cod liver oil. The child with our care can grow up fast high.
