Hi, i’m 2nd time mom, but decided to formula feed this time. I breastfed last time so i have 0 knowledge about formula feeding… i just have a bunch of random questions…
What is the benefit of RTF for the first few days? Any cons of starting babe on a powder formula instead of RTF from day 1?
What bottles/nipples do you recommend for babies with gas? My 1st definitely had bad gas (i had really strong flow) so im afraid my 2nd will have similar issue if that nipple comes with a glass bottle, that’d be great too! I’m not a fan of putting plastic bottles in dishwasher… unless there is cons for using glass bottle. I can be swayed!
Do you start feeding babe every 3 hours immediately after being born? I’m a bit hazy on this because my 1st one i recalled, slept A LOT during the first few weeks so i had to wake him up from naps to feed and it ended up being every 2.5-3 hours. I was also pretty bad at reading hunger cues hopefully i’ll be better this time.
Any online courses out there for formula feeding moms? I’ve only seen breastfeeding courses!
@clarinetscore 1) RTF is sterile they say. That's why it's recommended. We never used it and didn't have issues with powder.
2) We highly recommend Boon Nursh bottles. Not glass but they've been amazing for our LO and gas.
3) We fed on demand from day 1, no set time schedule, baby kinda made our schedule for us then settled out more as he goes. You'll get a routine down in no time! Congrats and welcome to the amazing formula feeding adventure.
The convenience of just having to pour into the bottle. Having to make it isn’t super inconvenient but those late nights while recovering it comes in clutch. No cons in my opinion if you choose not to. If you want sterile formula, RTF is so there’s that.
For both my kids I swore by dr browns bottles. They come in glass! I don’t mind the pieces if the result is a less of a gassy baby lol.
It’s so baby dependent. Really feed on demand until they’re a bit older and they kind of set their own schedule eventually. They cluster feed like breastfed babies too, so keep that in mind
Not that I know of. Lots of misinformation out there that’s for sure!
We loved the RTF for the first month or so before it started getting expensive. It just made life so much easier not having to mix formula. We then switched to concentrated liquid. I preferred that because it is also sterile.
We swear by the dr browns. We use plastic but they do have glass. Some people don't like all the little parts or find the bottles leak, but we found if we loosen the cap to warm it, and warm it without the green straw, then put the straw in and make sure tue lid is snug, then there aren't any leaking issues.
Our baby was born 6lbs 10 oz and had weight loss issues at first because we couldn't get breastfeeding to work, so our dr had us feed her every 2-3 hours regardless if she was asleep or not to get her weight back up. Once her weight was back up, she just seemed to have gotten used to the 2-3 hours and was happy with it so we stuck with it.
I haven't seen any courses but the Formula Mom on instagram has some interesting information.
@ahadi My first was also 6lb 12oz. He also had some weight loss at first (enough for pediatrician to be concerned) so they told me to wake him up to feed every 2-3 hours, so we ended up with that “schedule” instead of on demand. I cant even seem to recall him cluster feeding except at night before bed tbh
@clarinetscore Our LO never seemed to cluster feed and the closest we ever got to on demand was her waking up hungry right at her scheduled bottle times lol
unless your doctor/ob/pediatrician recommends RTF, you can use powder.
On risk - yes the powder isn't technically sterile, but that risk is honestly about on par with lightning striking. The major "risk" from powder formula is that you have to prepare it 8x a day in the unsterile environment of a home kitchen, your hands introduce risk, the tin, lid, & the scoop, and maybe it's 4 AM & you are a zombie...... Long term you can control this risk with good cleaning & handwashing habits. But in the first few weeks everyone is pretty much dead & every tiny safety issue is new and feels frightening.
Many new parents feel it is just easier & safer to have a sterile jug of RTF in the fridge for bottles, at least at first. This is a very prudent & reasonable approach imo.
there are no bottles / nipples that are actually proven to help with gas sadly your 1st had gas, your 2nd likely will too, because approximately 99.99999% of newborns have gas.
The "feeding therapist approved for oral development" bottles are:
Dr brown narrow
Evenflo Balance+
Lansinoh
"Feed baby when baby's hungry" is the rule-- but yes every 3 hrs is a good rule of thumb so you have a place to start if you have no idea wtf to expect!
@tobiahjude99 I have all three of those bottles and the Evenflo wide neck glass bottles are our favorite! So easy to clean and baby takes to them so well.
@jl090812 Last time i breastfed so i couldnt quite figure out how to use gas drop (beside dropping it straight to his mouth) but this time i’ll use it for sure with bottles. Thank you!
rtf is just convenient. no cons to powder, we switched by week 3 bc she ate so much so we were flying through rtf (def recommend buying it by the case if you go that route)
we like the avent glass bottles
we just fed on demand in the beginning and she established her own schedule within a few days which ended up being about every 3 hours. By around week 3, she slept longer stretches so over night we just followed her lead.
@clarinetscore 1) We just used the RTF in the hospital because it was free and we didn’t have to go through any trouble of making/washing bottles.
2) We use the Dr. Brown’s anticolic bottles without the other parts. Just the bottle, nipple, and screw on top. We add mylicon drops into the bottle when we notice her gas is worse than normal.
3) You’re supposed to feed every 2-3 hours until they regain birth weight, but just do what your pediatrician says.
4) The formula fairy in instagram, Facebook, and tik tok is great for info!
@clarinetscore This is our first time formula feeding as well. First was breast fed. We use RTF bottles which makes it convenient when on the go when we have no time to warm a bottle. Our newborn drinks 60 ml every 3 hours and some days it is every two hours. RTF can get wasted if our lo falls asleep during feeding unless you first poured some in the bottle and stored the rest in the fridge. Speaking of bottles…we use glass, Dr Browns and have no issues with cleaning the small parts. Nipples size P was too slow. Size one is good. Size two can come out a bit too fast. We tried Avent bottles but the nipples even in all kinds of sizes did not work for my lo. I’ll try those again in a few months and see it goes. Hope this helps
if that nipple comes with a glass bottle, that’d be great too! I’m not a fan of putting plastic bottles in dishwasher… unless there is cons for using glass bottle. I can be swayed!