Feeding a baby: the best positions to recreate the magic of breastfeeding - Élhée

Feeding a baby: the best positions to recreate the magic of breastfeeding

ARTICLE SUMMARY :

  • Comfort and peace of mind: two basic principles for good bottle-feeding
  • Breastfeeding positions for bottle feeding
  • The right teat to support baby's digestion

Of course, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are two different actions. Yet every parent who feeds their child puts just as much heart into it, whether they use their breasts or a bottle. But, like everything else, to do it right you need to know the tricks of the trade, the tricks of those who have gone before you. However, with 6to 8 bottles every day and night for your infant, rest assured, you too will soon have your badge of certified feeding parent. Before that, and because we wanted a bibRond that's as close to breastfeeding as possiblediscover with us the best positions for feeding your baby without discomfort, in complete confidence and peace of mind.

Comfort and peace of mind: two basic principles for good bottle-feeding

Bottle-feeding may seem straightforward, especially with a baby already a few months old. But an unsuitable position or a bottle that's too tilted can lead to cramp or a false start! To avoid this, focus on the following two points.

All the comfort you need to take your time and give it to baby

 

Imagine a comfortable place, thick carpets, lots of cushions, a soft blanket, soft seats and a pleasant temperature, a welcoming room in which you'd like to settle down, to stay. That's exactly what you need to feed your baby in the best possible conditions.
To avoid sore arms or backs, and to avoid having to change position during feeding, which could disrupt your child's meal, always make yourself comfortable, as if each feeding were going to last several hours.
Use your breastfeeding pillow to cradle your baby, the sofa armrests to support your arms or soft pillows to cradle your loins and legs when you're settled in bed.

Serenity for a well-shared bottle

Because bottle-feeding is not just a meal, but also a sensory experience for both of you, surround yourself in a bubble of serenity by adopting the safest possible position for your baby. Always position your baby so that he or she is semi-recumbent, facing you or on his or her side. This way, baby is reassured by your touch, look and smell. Also, the inclination of his body makes it easier for him first to drink and then to digest.

A sensory bibRond, perfectly adapted

 

Very often, the bottletakes over from breastfeeding, or is given at the same time as the breast. To enable this object, so familiar to you yet totally unfamiliar to your baby, to take its place in your bubble, to integrate and merge, you need to find the right design and the right material.
That's what we at Élhée wanted to do, by offering you acurvaceous bibRond, a tribute to the nurturing breast and almost entirelydesigned in medical silicone, a healthy material with a peach-skin feel. As moms, we're convinced that a sensory design is part of the key to sensory meals shared in serenity.

Breastfeeding positions for bottle feeding

For mothers who breastfeed their babies, the choice of positions is natural, instinctive and partly initiated by the infant. But did you know that certain breastfeeding postures can also be adapted to bottle-feeding?

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The lullaby

Sitting on the sofa, in an armchair or on the bed, you carry your baby close to your chest, with the nape of his neck cradled in the crook of your arm.

To make this moment as comfortable as possible, slip a large pillow under your knees. It'll provide useful support for your arm, and prevent it from becoming stiff if your child takes its sweet time eating.

Eye to eye

This bottle-feeding posture is perhaps the least common in France, yet in India and Pakistan it's widely used, as it's beneficial for babies suffering from reflux or infant colic.

Sitting with a cushion under your knees so as to form an angle of around 30°, place your baby facing you, on your thighs. This way, his eyes meet yours for the duration of the feeding. For your comfort, the arm holding the bottle can rest on the hip on the same side. For your child's comfort, you can easily ensure that he doesn't absorb air while feeding.

Bottle-feeding in bed

Did you know that bottles can also be fed in bed? Early in the morning, late in the evening or in the middle of the night, this is a very pleasant way to stay snuggled up, just the two of you, under the comforter and in the sleeping bag.

To ensure that feeding goes as smoothly as possible, lay baby next to you, with the nape of his neck still resting in the fold of your arm. For infants, you can use a cloth or your maternity pillow to form a "U" shape between the left and right armpits, so as to go around the lower part of the body. This light form of support can be reassuring for babies.

Please note: if your breasts are sore or if you've had a Caesarean section, this position may well become your favorite.

Feeding well, colic gone (or almost gone)

Well, in reality it's not quite that simple. Last year, we talked about infant colic in an interview withperinatal osteopath Olivier Darmont. Although they take the form of painful spasms and their medical cause remains largely unknown, we do know that the air absorbed during bottle-feeding is an aggravating factor. Better positioning during feeding can therefore help relieve your baby.

The bottle should always be tilted at a 45° angle, so that the teat always remains full of milk. Your baby's head should always be a little higher than his body, to facilitate swallowing and digestion.

If your baby is in a lot of pain and accepts it (greedy little ones often refuse to let go of their bottle as long as there's milk in it), try splitting up meals, which will make it easier for him to digest.

The right teat to support baby's digestion

There are many different positions for feeding a baby, but there's onlyone teat to help him digest his milky meal: the physiological teat. At Élhée, we've chosen to develop a physiological teat in medical-grade silicone, to combine anatomical and health benefits for babies. When it's time to drink, bring it gently to your child's lips and, once you've taken it in, make sure it goes into his or her mouth sufficiently.

  • The physiological teat has a curved face that rests against the roof of the mouth, and a flat face that baby presses against with his tongue. This shape is designed to help babies' mouths develop properly, but above all to minimize the risk of reflux.
  • Made from medical-grade silicone, the Élhée physiological teat takes care of baby's health. Free from all harmful substances, it features an anti-colic valve designed to promote digestion by limiting the presence of air during feeding.
  • Silicone offers greater "resistance" than rubber. Because the milk doesn't flow, to drink, baby has to make a suction effort, which enables him to suck while avoiding the risk of a false route.
  • In addition, teats are available in a range of sizes and speeds, enabling you to adjust the flow of milk according to your baby's age and sweet tooth, again for more pleasant, better-digested meals.

At the end of each meal, remember to gently straighten your baby so that his head is just above your shoulder, allowing him to burp.

Above all, listen to yourself! Listen to your instincts, sound out your feelings and observe your baby. If he's happy, if he's drinking well, if he's digesting well and if he falls asleep with a smile on his face most of the time, then everything's fine! Don't change anything, believe in yourself, go with your gut feeling and everything will be fine.