Bonding with your baby is not unique to breastfeeding only.For most mums for one reason or another at some point you introduce a feeding bottle. It is important to know that  you can still bond with your baby should you choose to bottle feed or get others involved as your baby takes breastmilk by the bottle.

Remember to create a relaxing and loving environment for your baby to feed in. Make sure you are cradling your baby as touch is very important, as is eye to eye contact for establishing and constantly renewing the bond between you and your baby.

For Dads...

Bottle feeding is one of the ways to get into the bonding action.

For mum, letting your baby take a bottle from dad is a great way to encourage bonding.There’s a special closeness that comes with feeding your  baby. Gazing at one another, feeling the tenderness of skin-to-skin contact, and knowing that you’re providing vital nourishment make feeding time the ideal time to bond as a dad. For mum. it gives you much-needed break from time to time.

How can you help your baby feed from a bottle?

• Always hold your baby close to you and look into his or her eyes when feeding. This helps your baby feel safe and loved.
• Try to hold your baby fairly upright, with his/her head supported in a comfortable, neutral position.
• Hold the bottle horizontal to the ground, tilting it just enough to ensure your baby is taking milk, not air, through the teat. Babies feed in bursts of sucking with short pauses to rest. In this position, when your baby pauses for a rest the milk will stop flowing, allowing him/her to have a short rest before starting to suck again.
• Brush the teat against his/her lips and when he opens his/his mouth wide with his tongue down, help him/her draw the teat in.
• You will see bubbles in the bottle as your baby feeds. If you can’t see any bubbles, break the suction between his/her tongue and the teat from time to time by moving the teat slightly to the side of his mouth. You should then see bubbles rushing back up into the remaining milk.
• Your baby may need short breaks during the feed; she/he may also need to burp sometimes.
• Interrupting the feed from time to time also gives your baby a chance to register how ‘full’ he/she is, and thus control his/her intake. Your baby needs to be able to relate to those caring for him.

Remember, aim to keep the number of people who feed him as small as possible. Your baby should always be held and never be left unattended while feeding from a bottle.

Useful  Info:

Try Philips Avent Feeding bottles: The nipple features an innovative petal design for natural latch on similar to the breast, making it easy for your baby to combine breast and bottle feeding.