Paced bottle feeding is the act of feeding a baby a bottle while mimicking the breast. Most people do not realize that when bottle feeding babies, there is a process. This goes for formula fed babies or breastfed babies.
What is paced bottle feeding?
Paced bottle feeding is a style of bottle feeding that mimics the breast. It is feeding the bottle to the baby slowly and taking a while to give the full ounces to the baby. It is backed by lots of research and “every baby is different” does not apply here.
Why should you practice paced bottle feeding?
Paced bottle feeding should be practiced with formula fed and breastfed babies. It helps with 2 major things – 1, baby is likely to avoid being overfed because you’re making a conscious effort to pay attention to what goes into baby and how. Baby is also fed slowly so he can recognize the full and hungry feeling and you can give him some time to give you the correct cues. 2, in turn, this means mom is more likely to be able to keep up with baby’s intake because mom’s body makes what baby needs.
Another thing paced bottle feeding really helps with is the transition from breast to bottle. For working moms, one of their biggest fears is they will get used to the bottle and not want the breast when they’re together. When you properly pace feed bottles, baby is less likely to prefer the bottle and is more likely able to switch back and forth with no problems.
When a bottle is put in a baby’s mouth, the milk is constantly flowing, unlike the breast. The baby has to drink the bottle when the nipple is in her mouth because she has no other choice. If she doesn’t, she will choke on the milk coming out. This typically causes the baby to take in too much milk and “guzzle down” a bottle. A baby should never “guzzle down” a bottle. Like adults, babies need time to eat slowly and need time to process what’s going on to decide if they’re hungry or full as they continue.
How do I pace feed a bottle?
Paced bottle feeding has a few steps and to get it right, you have to follow all of them.
- Offer no more than 4 oz at a time, totaling 24-36 oz in a 24 hour period. This does not change with breastmilk. More than 1 oz an hour is rare and during growth spurts.
- Keep the bottle parallel to the floor.
- Use the slowest flow nipple.
- Allow baby to latch onto the nipple and don’t force the nipple into his mouth.
- Baby must be kept upright or reclined slightly.
- Break every .5 oz.
- Switch sides halfway through the feeding.
What happens if I don’t use paced bottle feeding?
If you don’t practice paced bottle feeding with your breastfed baby, you may experience an overfed baby and/or feel like you can’t keep up with what baby is taking in via the bottle.
An overfed baby may spit up, have severe reflux, poop more often (sometimes blow out poops), be extra gassy, sleep less and just seem uncomfortable. The issue then becomes if a baby is fussy, a caretaker may just continue to feed the baby, thus putting them into a cycle. Some babies don’t show these signs but do take in the extra milk and either poop/pee it out more often or gain “extra” weight. This is why some moms will say that they didn’t pace feed and their babies are fine. If you’re comfortable with this, more power to you.
However, when a baby is overfed, most women cannot keep up with the extra milk volume being offered. Which in turn makes them not meet their breastfeeding goals. This is why paced bottle feeding is so important.
How do I explain paced bottle feeding to my caretaker?
Send them this article! You can also find very helpful youtube videos on the act of paced bottle feeding if they need a visual. Paced bottle feeding can be very crucial to reaching your breastfeeding goals and keeping a happy baby!
Can you make this in Spanish? I would love to send to my mother in law!
Hi! I’m just now seeing this, I’m so sorry. Can you email me and I’ll send you a link to a spanish one? melanie@mostlyundercontrol.com