MomBloggersPlanet Cutest baby with Bottle Contest

Mom Bloggers Planet is currently running the Cutest Baby Photo Contest and for the month of September 2009, the theme is Cutest Baby with Bottle!

Yeah, it is easy to win some prizes sponsored by PhotoBook Malaysia and Alicewonders. Contest details can be found here. Please note that the deadline for submission is 15 September 2009.

Anney
Date of birth: 9 March 2008

Cheeky Anney with her Avent milk bottle

Breast milk is the most suitable food for any newborns to 6 months old and the World Health Organisation ("WHO") has recommend to continue breastfeeding your baby up till 2 years old. If you are a working mom like me, you could still continue breastfeeding your baby by giving expressed breastmilk in a baby bottle.

Although Anney has started solid at around 6 months, she is still very much into milk and can takes up to 6-7 bottles (about 6 oz each) a day. Sometimes, I think it is more for the comfort of sucking as she will asks for her milk right after dinner!

Choosing the right baby bottle is important to ensure your child safety. I have started Anney with Phillips Avent bottle and have switched to the Phillips Avent BPA-free range a few months back when the BPA-free bottles arrived on our shore. If you would like to know what is BPA, please read my earlier blog post here.

Why I go for Phillips Avent:

• The simple reason is my baby loves Avent
• Clinically proven to reduce colic in baby
  
• I loves the wide neck bottle design and it is simple to use. No complicated parts to assemble and dismantle. Just great for dad, grandparents and nanny!
• Avent bottles are very versatile - pump, store & feed!
• Easy to read measurement - you would be wondering why this matter? It made a great different for sleep-deprived parents, trying to guess the measurement on the bottle!
  
• Stain-free
• I also used my 4oz bottle to store pureed fruits & vegetables when Anney first started weaning
  

If you decide to bottle feed your baby, there are certain steps to ensure safe bottle-feeding:

• For first time use, wash and rinse all bottles, teats & parts in warm soapy water
• Wash with warm soapy water and sterile all bottles, teats and parts after every use. I find using a soft bristle brush (the 2-in-1 brush with big and small bristles) is great to remove any milk stains
  
• For sterilisation, you can either use electric steam steriliser, boil the bottles & parts in hot water for 10 minutes or use cold water with sterilisation tablet method
• It is recommended to have at least 4-6 bottles, to save time from constantly sterilising the bottles
  
• Frequently check for wear and tear on the bottles, teat and parts
• For teat, ensure you get the right size & flow for your baby. For breastfed baby, choosing the right teat (usually wider base and softer texture) would encourage an easier switch for baby between breast and bottle
  
• Do not let your baby sleep with the bottle as this will cause tooth decay and also middle-ear infection
• Always have an adult to watch your baby while bottle feeding to avoid chocking
• Always test the milk temperature before feeding your baby
  

How do you bottle feed safely while you are out & about?

For expressed breast milk

• Store the expressed breast milk in cooler bag with ice brick
• During feeding time, warm the expressed breast milk using a bowl of hot water (if you are at the restaurant) or use an electric bottle warmer (if you are at any baby friendly outlet like Ikea or major shopping complexes)
• Do not warm the expressed breast milk using microwave due to uneven warming and may scale the baby tongue

For formula milk

• Do not prepare the formula milk in advanced as our warm and humid environment will encourage the bacteria to grow easily
• Have the following handy - Sterilised milk bottle, a bottle of cooled boiled water, formula milk powder in a dispenser and a bottle of hot water in a baby safe thermos
• Prepare the milk when baby is ready to feed
• Discard any unconsumed milk
  

Happy bottle-feeding!