Precautions for milk powder

Since the baby's chewing function is not fully developed, he needs to supplement his body nutrition through breast milk or formula when he is still young. When the baby reaches an age suitable for drinking milk powder, parents can choose some milk powder to feed the baby, because this can fully supplement the nutrients needed by the baby's body. However, when preparing milk powder, parents must understand these things that need to be paid attention to.

1. Never add milk powder first and then water when preparing milk powder.

The correct brewing method is:

(1) First add water and adjust the water temperature to 40-60℃. If it is too hot, you can add cool boiled water; if it is too cold, you can add hot water. Do not use boiling water to prepare milk powder, as this will destroy the nutrients in the milk powder.

(2) Pour a certain amount of warm boiled water into the bottle, and then adjust the amount of water according to the baby's needs and the scale on the bottle.

(3) Then add appropriate proportion of milk powder. Neither too thick nor too thin meets the baby's needs. It is easier to control the amount of milk powder by adding it later, and the concentration of the milk powder prepared is accurate.

It is easier to control the water temperature and amount in this way. If you add milk powder first, and the water temperature is not appropriate or the amount of water is not controlled well, you may waste time and milk powder.

2. Never boil the prepared milk powder again.

If the prepared milk powder is boiled again, the structure of nutrients such as protein and vitamins will change, and the original nutritional value will be lost. If the baby continues to drink this kind of milk, the nutrition he gets will be greatly reduced.

3. Do not increase the concentration of milk powder or add supplements on your own.

Because the capillaries of infants and young children are very tender and weak, if the concentration of milk powder is too high, it can easily cause the capillaries in the child's brain to rupture, leading to bleeding. If the baby is often given too concentrated milk powder, excessive bleeding will affect the baby's intellectual development and increase his intestinal burden, leading to digestive dysfunction, constipation or diarrhea, and in severe cases, necrotizing enterocolitis may occur.

Some mothers use broth to prepare milk powder for their babies, thinking that this will have the nutrition of both milk powder and broth, but babies will not be able to drink such milk powder for a long time. It is harmful to the blood and kidneys, and can easily cause indigestion.

4. Never change your baby’s milk powder directly.

Many babies will face the problem of changing milk powder for some reason. When changing milk powder for babies, the transition must be gradual. It usually takes 1-2 weeks. The baby's gastrointestinal function is not fully developed, and frequent changes of milk powder can easily cause digestive tract discomfort. To change your baby's milk powder, you can mix the two types of milk powder together, gradually reducing the proportion of the old milk powder at each meal. This can be completed within 3-7 days. The whole process can take 1-2 weeks to give the baby time to adapt.

5. Avoid feeding too much milk powder to newborns.

In the first three days after delivery, there is only a small amount of colostrum. If the mother has no breast milk for the time being or the amount is indeed too little to meet the baby's needs, she can only feed the baby formula milk with a small cup or spoon after sucking breast milk. The digestive function of a newborn baby is very weak, and they cannot digest whole milk. Usually, they are fed 1/3 milk (with 2 times more water) in the first 3 days, and 1/2 milk (with 1 times more water) in the next 4 days. The stomach capacity of a newborn baby is also small, and they can drink a maximum of 30-60 ml per meal in the first week. They are fed about every 2 hours, and 10-12 times a day and night (feed on demand in the first 3 months, and the amount of milk, interval time and number of times depend on the individual needs of the baby). Frequent breastfeeding is a good way to increase milk production. Once the amount of breast milk is sufficient, you can switch to exclusive breastfeeding.

6. Don’t forget to give your baby water.

Babies who are mixed-fed or bottle-fed need to add boiled water between two feedings of formula milk. A simple estimation method is that the ratio of daily formula milk to water is about 100:15.