Best Positions to Bottle-Feed Baby

Be sure Baby is comfortable during feeding times.

The Best Positions for Bottle Feeding

father feeding baby Alexandra Grablewski

Cradle him. Place the baby’s head in the crook of your arm, and your other arm around the baby or underneath him. Lift the arm with baby’s head slightly so he’s in a semi-upright position. You never want to feed baby when he’s lying down–the formula can flow into the middle ear, causing an infection.

Sit him up. This position works well for babies with painful gas or acid reflux. Sit Baby on your lap so he’s in a more upright position. Let his head rest on your chest or in the crook of your arm.

Place him in your lap. This works when you’re lying or sitting down with your legs propped up. Place the baby on top of your lap, with his head resting on your knees and his feet on your stomach. This is an excellent feeding position because you and your baby are facing one another, allowing you to make plenty of eye contact.

Tilt the bottle. When feeding your infant, tilt the bottle so the milk completely fills the nipple. This decreases the amount of air that your baby is likely to take in, lessening her chances of having painful gas.

Use a Boppy. Some babies feed well when lying in a Boppy pillow. It keeps your little one’s head slightly elevated and is really useful when your arms are tired. Just be sure to hold your baby’s bottle for her — you never want to prop the bottle up and leave her eating unattended.

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