-
Clean and disinfect reusable bottles, bottle caps,
and bottle nipples before every use. Do this by washing them in a
dishwasher or boiling them for at least 5 minutes
just before filling them.
-
Bottles, bottle caps, and nipples should not be reused without first
being cleaned and disinfected.
-
All filled bottles of breast milk or iron-fortified formula should
be refrigerated until immediately before
feeding.
-
Some babies prefer breast milk or formula that is heated, although
it is not necessary. If you warm breast milk or formula, place the
bottle in a pan of hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes. Take the
bottle out, shake it well, and test the temperature
of the contents before feeding it to the infant.
-
Never warm breast
milk or formula in a microwave oven. The fluid can get too hot in
some places and cause a burn.
-
Don’t warm bottles by leaving them out
of the refrigerator or putting them in warm water for extended periods
of time. This provides an ideal environment for bacteria to grow.
-
Infants
should be held or fed sitting up for bottle-feeding.
-
Bottle propping, carrying of bottles by young children throughout
the day and laying down with a bottle should not be permitted. Health
care professionals have found that infants who drink from a bottle
while lying down are at greater risk of ear infections.
- All contents remaining after a feeding should be
discarded.
SAFE
BOTTLE FEEDING