Breastfeeding - Making the Best of Bottle-Feeding

This web page, like many others, is devoted to demonstrating that breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby. Anyone who has given serious thought to the issue of breast versus bottle agrees to this. But what if you just can't (or won't) breastfeed? Here are some suggestions on making the best of bottle-feeding.

• First, you need to understand and accept that no matter how hard you try, bottle-feeding is not going to be as good as breastfeeding.
  • Accept that your child will get sick with ear infections, colds, and diarrhea more often.
  • Accept that your child will be at a higher risk for SIDS, respiratory infections, asthma, diabetes and food allergies.
  • Accept that your child will be at a higher risk for cancer, heart disease, and rejection of a kidney transplant in later life.
  • Accept that your child will be at an intellectual disadvantage compared to a breastfed child (this has been conclusively demonstrated for premature children; the evidence for term babies is suggestive but not conclusive).
• In the light of all this, it is a good idea to try to breastfeed your baby as much as you can. Even if you breastfeed for just one day and your baby only gets a total of one teaspoon of breastmilk, she or he will benefit from it! Chances are you will decide to continue breastfeeding, or at least to offer the breast to an otherwise bottle-fed child occasionally, whenever you have the chance. A few drops of breastmilk every once in a while is still better than none.
• You can try to minimize the risk for infectious diseases and food allergies by:
  • Being extra careful with sanitizing bottles, nipples, and pacifiers. A breastfed baby is more likely to tolerate sloppy sanitization because of the immune boost from breastmilk. A bottle-fed baby requires more attention to sanitization. This is one of the most unfortunate aspects of bottle-feeding: a bottle-fed baby misses out on the immune benefits of breastmilk. At the same time, she or he is more likely to be exposed to germs from bottles and pacifiers. No wonder bottle-fed babies get sick much more often that breastfed ones, and their illnesses tend to be more severe.
  • Make sure you don't introduce solid foods before your baby is six months old. Also follow the guidelines below.
  • No cow's milk before 12 months (use baby formula and other baby foods).
  • No citrus juice before 12 months.
  • No honey before two years.
  • Also see the page on introducing solid foods.
• The psychological benefits of breastfeeding are probably much more important than the physiological benefits. These have to do with close mother-infant contact that breastfeeding promotes. You can try to duplicate these as much as possible. To a breastfeeding mother, these things tend to come naturally, partly because of the effect of the hormones produced during nursing. A bottle-feeding parent needs to make a conscious effort to duplicate the same benefits. And remember: breastfeeding does not guarantee good parenting (though it definitely promotes good parenting), and bottle-feeding does not preclude good parenting (though it will take extra effort, you can do it).
  • Babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact. A breastfed baby gets a lot of skin contact automatically during feeding. If you bottle-feed, make a point of providing such contact. Whenever possible, hold your baby against your bare chest (you can do this while feeding, or any time). It's also a good idea to learn about infant massage and give your baby a massage daily (most baby care books have suggestions on this; all you need to do is take some baby oil and rub your baby gently).
  • When a baby breastfeeds, she or he is just at the right distance from mommy's face for a baby's eyes to focus. It is very easy for a bottle-feeding parent to use a "detached feeding" technique, with the baby facing away from the parent's face. Avoid this tendency. Try to hold the baby at your chest level, with her or his face towards yours. Make eye contact, talk to your baby, stroke her or him. A breastfeeding mother does these things instinctively. You need to do it consciously.
  • Respond to your baby's calls promptly and consistently. Just because you are bottle-feeding does not mean you can't pick up, cuddle, and comfort your baby whenever she or he needs it.
  • Consider sleeping with your baby. It is particularly important to provide comfort and security for a bottle-fed baby. Furthermore, chances are you'll choose to breastfeed at least at night if you sleep with your baby. Even if you can't or won't, a baby who shares her or his parents' bed is a happy baby.
  • Finally, never, never prop a baby with a bottle. It is dangerous to your baby's health (even life), and is the ultimate detached feeding method.
• One of the difficult aspects of parenting is that one tends to feel constantly guilty. Chances are you feel guilty if you choose to bottle-feed.
  • You'll do whatever is best suited to your situation. As long as you make an informed choice, there is no need to feel guilty.
  • If you have to bottle-feed, you can still raise a healthy, happy, and intelligent child by following the recommendations here and paying attention to other aspects of your parenting.

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