How to Avoid The Risks of Formula Feeding
When breastfeeding is not exclusively been practiced during the development stage of babies aging from six months to one year old, follow on milk formulas are generally used. However, World Health Organization requires parents that they must be fully informed of the hazards of the improper use of infant formulas. Bottle-feeding using milk formulas must be done with extra care and the amount of feeding must be monitored to avoid the risk that comes with it.
Milk manufacturing companies may not have told the public about this, but there are some risk for both babies and mothers who are doing formula feeding the wrong way.
Basically, the first six months of your baby must be exclusively aloted for breastfeding. If you are having trouble of doing so, you must contact your doctor or pediatrician first for recommendations. Only then can you use the right follow on milk formula for your baby.
Note: You can read also our post about Breast Feeding Vs. Formula Feeding
The Risks
According to Infact Canada, there are 16 risks of formula feeding for infant and children, and there are 8 risks for mothers.
For Infant/Children
Misguided or improper use of formula milk can increase the chances of having the risk of asthma, allergy, reduced cognitive development, acute respiratory disease, altered occlusion, infection from contaminated formula, nutrient deficiencies, childhood cancers, chronic diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, gastrointestinal infections, mortality, otitis media & ear infection, and side effects of the environmental contaminants.
Sounds very scary, but with the proper help from your nutrion consultants, mums who can't do breastfeeding can still give their child the right milk and other source of nutrition.
For Mother
Not only the infants are at risk but mothers as well from breast cancer, being overweight, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, reduction of natural child spacing, rheumtoid arthritis, stress & anxiety, and maternal diabetes.
Much scarier isn't it? Giving our babies the nutrients they need have these risks, but not all of them are all found in milk formulas. Often times, lack of guidance from a nutrionist or support from motherhood communities causes those risks. Stress can also add up most especially for first time mums.
So how can we avoid those risks?
It is no doubt that breast feeding is the best for babies up to two years of age, but with those who were unable to do so, leads them to find resource from infant formulas. Although formula fed babies have higher risk of getting those diseases mentioned above, but with careful and proper nutrional support, it can be lessen and avoided. Follow these few tips on how we can keep our babies risks free!.
Prepare the milk formula the WHO way:
If you have recently decided to bottle-feed your newborn, you are probably full of questions about toddler milk formula preparation, feeding positions, sanitizing utensils, and burping techniques. Here are a few guidelines on how to feed your toddler milk formula successfully.
Note: You can read the full guideline here: Parent's Guide for Giving Toddler Milk Formula
Amount and scedule of formula feedings
Your infant’s feeding habits may not match a fixed guidelines precisely, and rarely will your baby wake exactly 3 hours after the previous feed is finished. However, as long as they are feeding well and gaining normal weight, they are definitely getting the amount they need.
Note: You can read the full guideline here.
Know the right milk in every stage of development
Baby formulas are categorised into three stages to match the developmental needs of babies. These are:
- Stage 1 fmilk or babies below 12 months.
- Stage 2 formulas are given to babies after 6 months. They are also known as follow on formula.
- Stage 3 onwards is given to babies from 1-year-old onwards and it is also known as growing up milk or toddler milk formula.
Let us what your thoughts are by writing them down below the comment section.
Regards,
SG-Mums
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