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7 things you may need at home to make feeding Your Child easier

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7 things you may need at home to make feeding Your Child easier

If you have the necessary tools, feeding Your Child becomes a lot easier. This list of 7 tools may help you do the job.

Breast pump
A breast pump makes it easy for you to express breast milk and store them.  There are different types, such as an electric pump and a manual breast pump. You can also choose the type that expresses milk from one breast or two breasts at a time. Be sure to choose a pump that fits and extracts the maximum amount of breast milk.

Bottles
To comfortably store enough milk for Your Child, you will need around 6 bottles. Bottles come in S and L sizes, and there are two shapes — standard neck and wide neck. Before you buy the bottles, check that they are compatible with other equipment, such as breast pumps, sterilizers, or bottle warmers.

Teats
Teats come in different materials, shapes, and sizes. Your choice of teat will depend on two things: Your Child’s age and the type of milk Your Child drinks. For a newborn, start with a slow-flow teat and increase the flow as your little one develops better sucking skills. In some cases, if you change the formula, you may have to change the type of teat you’re using. If a teat flow doesn’t match, it may cause Your Child to suck plenty of air which may cause discomfort for the little one. Ask your pharmacist about the most suitable teats for Your Child’s feeding bottle.

Bottle warmer
You may need a bottle warmer if you are planning to feed Your Child with your stored milk. Your Child normally feeds directly from your breast and enjoys it at your body temperature. But stored milk is cold, and your little one may not like it. So a bottle warmer will be necessary for warming your stored milk to bring it close to natural feeding. Things to keep in mind when buying a bottle warmer are the time and temperature settings. It shouldn’t take too long to warm and shouldn’t overheat the milk. If you cannot find a bottle warmer or have no budget for it, you can just use a plain glass filled with warm water and then put the milk bottle in.

Kettle
A kettle will be useful for warming up a bottle or when preparing the formula for feeding. When you use the kettle to prepare a feed, make sure the tap water has been boiled and left to stand for at least 30 minutes.

Cleaning and sterilizing equipment
Make sure all feeding tools are sterilized to protect Your Child from infection, especially in the first 6 months when Your Child’s immune system is still very weak. Sterilizing the feeding tools will kill the germs that can cause illnesses. Here are the options for sterilization methods:

Steam sterilizers:  This can easily be the most convenient way, all you need to do is make sure that the machine is compatible with other feeding equipment.

Saucepan / Pot: Make sure your pan is covered with a tight lid. Use cold water and boil for at least 3 minutes.

Microwave: Some bottles can be sterilized using a microwave. But before you choose this option, be sure that the bottle you’re using can be sterilized in this way.

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