There are no doubts that the best source of newborn nutrition is breast milk. Breast milk has all the nutrition for your baby, and it boosts baby’s immune system. Fortified infant formula is second best, but it is good enough. From birth to 4-6 months old, milk or fortified infant formula is enough for your baby, there are no need to supplement the baby with water or juice. Newborn baby generally wants to eat every two to six hours. Although newborn baby may be hungry often, it is important to remember that not all cries are hunger cries. Do not feed your baby every hour. You should set some limits on feeding schedules.

            Generally, breast feeding baby will eat for ten minutes on each breast for every two hours. Formula infant will drink about three ounces every three hours. When the baby is about four to eight weeks, his eating schedule should be more predictable.

            Avoid using baby bottle before the age of four to six weeks. When your baby is about four to six months, you can feed him with cereal in the bottle, honey, and solid foods.

Choosing The Best Type Of Formula:

Cow’s Or Soy Milk Formula: Cow’s milk based formula is best for normal children. However, some infants may experience symptoms of lactose intolerance like diarrhea, vomiting, rash, abdominal pain, and excessive gas. In this case, soy milk formula may be a better option. Carbohydrates in soy formulas are usually corn syrup and sucrose which are easily digested by infants.

Low Iron Formulas: Some parents feed their babies with low iron formulas, because they think that it cause constipation, colic, and reflux. Iron fortified formula does not cause these problems. In fact, low iron formulas are not appropriate food for baby, because they are lack of nutrition for a growing baby. Baby who is fed with low iron formulas is at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia which can lead to poor growth, malnutrition, and learning disabilities.

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