How to Pace Bottle Feed
How to pace bottle-feed your baby:
Hold baby upright
Check to see that baby’s lips are flanged out around the nipple
Tickle baby’s nose with the bottle nipple
Hold the bottle horizontal to the ground
Allow baby to drink for 20-30 seconds and then tilt the bottle down
When the baby is done you will notice that they stop suckling again after tilting the bottle down
It should take about 5 minutes per ounce
Switch which side you are feeding baby on halfway through
Burp after every ounce
Repeat
Once your baby starts to suckle again tilt the bottle back into the horizontal position
When the baby is done you will notice that they will stop suckling again after tilting the bottle down, they may also turn their head away from the bottle or start spilling milk from their mouth
Additional Tips
Make the tip of the bottle nipple is filled with milk, you do not want half air and half milk.
Some bottles are incompatible with pace bottle-feeding. You want a bottle that the nipple gradually widens from tip to base.
My clients have had good experiences with nipple shapes like the ones on the Evenflo Balance, Lansinoh Momma, and Dr. Brown’s bottles.
Paced bottle-feeding helps to reduce the risk of overfeeding your baby at the bottle, your baby will have more control of the flow of milk. Feeding in a more upright position also helps to prevent ear infections and cavities. It may also help if your baby is experiencing reflux or colic-like symptoms.
Watch my video on pace bottle-feeding here.
