Although breast milk is the best food for babies, many babies drink formula milk powder for various reasons. During the baby's feeding process, they will encounter various problems, such as the baby's refusal to drink milk, how to master the amount of milk, and indigestion caused by drinking formula milk. Dr. Cui Yutao, a senior pediatrician at Beijing United Family Hospital, will answer your questions one by one.
Q: What if the baby doesn't accept formula milk?
A: There are two possibilities for babies not to accept formula milk.
One is formal non-acceptance, which means that breast-fed babies do not accept formula milk. If the mother's breast milk is really not enough for the baby to eat and formula must be added, then the work of feeding formula to the baby needs other family members, otherwise the baby will definitely have resistance to formula when he smells the breast milk on his mother. If you meet a stubborn baby, you don't accept formula milk after all your efforts, which has even affected his growth and development. Mother's milk is very little. At this time, you can consider interrupting direct breastfeeding and sucking it out and putting it in a bottle. Underfeeding is supplemented with formula milk.
Another possibility is that the baby does not accept formula milk, that is, physically. This may be because the baby is intolerant or allergic to formula milk. If the doctor determines that the baby is really allergic to formula, he can consider giving the baby a special hydrolyzed protein formula after special processing.
Q: How do you know the amount of formula milk your baby drinks during mixed feeding?
A: It is really difficult to master the amount of formula milk at this time, but mom can make more formula milk at a time. If the baby doesn't finish it this time, the mother will know how much formula the baby drank this time, and just master the amount according to this standard next time. On the other hand, if the baby has finished drinking all the formula, it means that the amount of formula is a little less this time, and more needs to be prepared next time. Moreover, the baby is constantly growing, and the consumption of formula milk is constantly changing, which requires the mother to explore carefully.
Q: Does the baby have indigestion when drinking formula milk and breast milk at the same time?
A: If the baby is healthy and has no disease, there will be no indigestion. If the baby has indigestion, the mother should consider whether there are health problems in the baby's gastrointestinal tract, or whether the baby is intolerant or allergic to milk protein.
Q: Does the baby still need calcium supplementation after drinking formula milk?
A: If the baby drinks enough formula, it is not necessary to supplement calcium, because the formula itself can provide all the nutrition for the baby's growth and development for 4-6 months. The calcium in formula milk can already meet the baby's needs and does not need to be added. If the calcium supplement exceeds the baby's own needs, these extra calcium will accumulate in the baby's body, which will bring unsafe hidden dangers to the baby's body.
Q: Can a milk partner mix with formula milk?
A: It is best not to, because it will affect the proportion of formula milk and make the nutrition of formula milk unbalanced. Parents are advised not to mix milk partners with formula milk. Actually, there is no nursing partner in the medical sense.
Q: What should my baby do if he is constipated after drinking formula milk?
A: Formula milk itself will not cause constipation. If the baby has constipation symptoms, parents should consider whether to add extra calcium to the baby after drinking enough formula, or not to mix the formula according to the standard. Too thick formula can also cause constipation.
Q: Is drinking more water beneficial to relieve baby constipation?
A: It is usually recommended that you give your baby less water between feedings. Especially when the weather is hot or the baby sweats a lot, the amount of drinking water should be relatively increased. You can judge whether to give your baby water by observing the color of his urine. If the urine is transparent and colorless, it means that there is enough water in his body; If the urine turns yellow, it means he needs to drink some water
Q: Can an older baby drink formula younger than his age?
A: Yes, the smaller the stage, the more comprehensive and balanced the nutrients, and the easier it is to digest. So the big baby can eat the baby's formula, and the baby can't eat the baby's milk powder. Younger children, especially newborn babies, have poor acceptance of macro-element particles in higher stage formula milk powder, and are prone to diarrhea or indigestion. The choice of formula milk must be in line with his age. Of course, if there are no special circumstances, you should still choose a formula suitable for your child's age.
Q: Why can formula milk powder only be kept for a few weeks after opening?
A: Generally, open formula milk powder should be eaten within 4 weeks, because formula milk powder contains a variety of active substances, and factors such as moisture, pollution and bacteria will affect the quality of formula milk powder. If the baby can't finish a big can of milk powder within 4 weeks, he can buy a small can or a small package of formula milk powder next time.
Q: How to judge whether formula milk powder is suitable for baby?
A: As long as the baby does not refuse, there is no discomfort after eating, and the growth and development are normal, it means that this milk powder is suitable for the baby.
Q: Do I have to feed my baby milk powder every four hours?
A: Not exactly. Usually, the packaging of formula milk will indicate the feeding interval, but this is also an average. Every baby's digestive speed is different, so it doesn't matter if you eat early or late, so you don't have to kill time. Learn to find the rules that suit your baby.
Q: Now many mothers like to buy foreign baby milk powder. Are these milk powders produced according to foreign standards suitable for China baby's physique?
A: If the baby drinks this formula without any adverse reactions and grows normally, the mother doesn't have to worry.
Q: I heard that changing different brands of milk powder to your baby often can make him get richer nutrition. Is that so?
A: This statement is not true, because although it is different brands of milk powder, the nutritional components are almost the same, which will hardly make any difference to the baby's development and health.
Secondly, it is not recommended to change the brand of milk powder frequently for your baby. For a baby under 1 year old, his digestive system is immature. If he frequently adapts to different brands of milk powder, it may increase the digestive burden and even cause indigestion. For a baby over 1 year old, three meals a day has gradually become the main nutrition, and changing milk powder has little effect on him. If the brand of milk powder is changed frequently, he may be tired of drinking milk because of different tastes. It is better to let the baby keep his own tastes and habits.
Q: When feeding your baby formula, do you have to follow the recommended amount on the package?
A: Not necessarily. The recommended consumption on the package of formula milk is only an average for reference. Babies' food intake varies greatly. Even the same baby may sometimes eat more and sometimes eat less. It doesn't matter if the baby's food intake is slightly higher or lower than the recommended amount. Usually, the gap between10% and 20% will not have a big impact.
In fact, more mothers are concerned about whether eating more and eating less will affect the baby's growth and development. This judgment should not be based on food intake, but should observe the baby's growth and development process. As long as the baby's growth and development process has been rising gently within the normal range of the growth curve, it doesn't matter even if you eat less than others. However, if the baby's curve fluctuates greatly in a short period of time, or it has exceeded the normal range, it is necessary to consult the doctor whether it is necessary to adjust the diet.