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All parents start off with good intentions, but some think they know everything, and don’t want to listen to the advice of their doctors. I know this first hand. My sister had her baby about the same time that my little girl was born, and we had vastly different ways of feeding the babies. I couldn’t breast feed, so my daughter was on formula. My sister choose not to do so, so her baby was also on formula. Our methods of baby feeding were vastly different from each other even though we had the same pediatrician.
I guess I took the pediatrician’s advice about baby feeding much more seriously than my sister did. I was told that bottle should not go in the microwave because they heat unevenly. When that happens, there can be parts of the bottle that can be too hot and the babies mouth might be burned when feeding. I listened to this advice and she did not. I guess everything turned out okay, but I wasn’t about to take the chance. She informed me that she didn’t have the time to heat them otherwise. I thought she should make time, but I guess it was none of my business.
Another thing about baby feeding that I took very seriously was how long they should remain on a strictly breast milk or formula diet. My pediatrician said that baby feedings of cereals should not happen until the baby is at least six months old. I listed to this, and gave her only formula for the required time. My sister, however, began cereal at four weeks, stating that the baby slept better that way. I was told that the baby’s system cannot handle the food, but she didn’t care. I guess every mother is different.
If you have a new one on the way, you should really pay attention to the rules about baby feeding. These rules aren’t there to give you more work, or to stop your baby from sleeping through the night. These rules have been determined to be of the most benefit to your baby. If you aren’t ready to spend a little more time warming up the bottle or getting up at night, perhaps you should rethink the whole thing. I guess that sounds a little preachy, but babies are so helpless, and they depend on your to make the right choices for them. That’s never something that should be taken lightly.
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