Bottle Feeding: Is Baby Getting Too Much?
If you’re bottle feeding your baby it’s easy to see how much baby is getting. Manufacturers provide instructions on how to make formula milk and how much milk a baby should consume. The guidelines state how much to feed a baby for a particular age and weight. So, why do babies run a greater risk of being overweight when they are bottle fed? The biggest reason for excessive weight gain is because parents ignore a baby’s signals that she’s had enough. Breastfeeding mothers are taught to follow baby’s lead. Breastfeeding mothers are taught to offer breast milk when the baby wants it and to stop breastfeeding when she sees signs that baby has had enough. Mothers who choose to bottle feed are seldom, if ever, given this advice. Rather, mothers feel obliged to follow instructions printed on the side of a container. But guidelines aren’t suitable for every child; each child is unique, different. Because of blind acceptance that manufacturers of formula milk know best, many mothers are tempted
