How should I position myself when bottle feeding?
We recommend the following tips when bottle feeding:
- Hold your baby close and slightly upright
- Change the side you hold your baby at each feed
- Never allow your baby to feed alone, or to prop up a bottle
- Make lots of lovely eye contact!
This is important in the early days (first 6 weeks), and ideally with one main carer feeding. It develops a close relationship by encouraging high levels of oxytocin (the ‘love hormone’) and low levels of stress hormones, an essential combination for brain development. Think of feeds as time for interaction: it’s when your baby can focus on you and practice communicating.
