Responsive bottle feeding simply put is feeding your baby when they show hunger cues and stopping when they're signalling that they're full. It's all about being led by your baby.
Ideally newborns should be feeding at least 8-12 times per day (so every 2 to 3 hours), although if they feed more frequently that's great too. When you're breastfeeding you don't get to see exactly how much milk your baby is drinking, instead you know they're getting enough from things like their nappies, their growth and fullness cues. When you're bottle feeding however you get to see the exact amount that your baby is drinking and often we end up slipping into habits like trying to get them to finish the whole bottle even when they're signalling that they're full. Most parents who bottle feed will have done that at some point. It's ingrained in us for some reason that we must all finish what's in front of us - apparently even babies!
What people often don't realise is just how small a baby's stomach is, particularly in the early days. On day one for example, their stomach's size and volume is about 1tsp or the size of a cherry.
Health and breastfeeding professionals suggest using responsive feeding and you will notice over time that your baby settles into their own sort of routine - although of course this varies.
Here's how you can do responsive bottle feeding with your baby:
Be led by their cues
Babies will tell you when they're hungry through cues like:
Putting their hands into their mouth
Rooting around - moving their head around as if looking for the nipple/bottle
Open and closing their mouth
As their hunger gets more intense they may also start crying but if you can spot the earlier signs it can make the feed more enjoyable and less stressful for both you and baby.
Offer the bottle
Touch the teat to baby's upper lip, when they open their mouth gently guide the bottle in and hold it in a slightly elevated horizontal position. By doing this you're mimicking breastfeeding in that it gives baby the opportunity to pace their own feeding. Doing this prevents the milk from coming out of the bottle too fast.
Not forcing baby to finish bottles
Your baby will show you when they're full. Usually that will look like them turning their head away from the bottle, becoming distracted or spilling milk from their mouths. It can be easy to overfeed with bottles so being aware of this is good.
Bonding
Responsive feeding is also about bonding with your baby, being close with them and spending that quality time together. Bottle feeding means that your partner or loved ones can also help with this and doing so can build a deeper bond between them and baby.
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