Not breastfeeding? reduce your baby’s risk of infection.
- Powdered formula is a favorite go-to option for moms who can’t or who choose not to breastfeed , but it increases your baby’s risk of infection due to outside bacteria.
- Keep your infant healthy with these feeding tips:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Clean work surfaces , such as countertops and sinks.
- Clean bottles in a dishwasher with hot water and a heated drying cycle , or scrub bottles in hot soapy water and then sterilize them.
- Keep powdered formula lids and scoops clean (be careful about what they touch).
- Close containers of infant formula or bottled water as soon as possible.
- Use boiling water to make powdered formula – it is not sterile , as is.
- Be sure to allow the formula to cool to a comfortable temperature before feeding – test it by shaking a few drops onto your wrist.
- Shake , rather than stir , formula in the bottle.
- Formula storage is just as important as sterilization and preparation.
- Use formula within two hours of preparation. If the baby doesn’t finish the entire bottle , discard of the rest.
- If you don’t plan on using the prepared formula right away , refrigerate it immediately and use it within 24 hours.
- When in doubt , throw it out.
- The majority of Women , Infant & Children (WIC) program moms start out breastfeeding their babies. Numbers tend to decrease as time goes on and only 15 percent of mothers report exclusively breastfeeding for six months.
- The number one reason WIC moms say they stop breastfeeding is due to the fact that they think they provide poor quality or poor quantity of milk.
- WIC offers breastfeeding information and support. Call 248-6900 for more info.
