How to Slow Down Baby Drinking Bottle

Many parents anticipate feeding time with their infant. It’s an opportunity to bond while also providing a few moments of peace. On the other hand, if you are bottle-feeding, it might cause gagging or choking, which can be worrying if you’re a new parent.

Milk or formula gushing out of a feeding bottle at a higher rate than required causes gagging and choking sounds. Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to slow down the infant’s drinking bottle.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the things you can do to slow down the baby drinking bottle, and other related topics

How Can You Slow Down Your Baby Drinking Bottle?

It’s common for an infant to gag while drinking from a bottle because of the positioning. When bottle-feeding, lying your baby on their back will result in a quicker milk flow, making it more difficult for your baby to manage the feeding rate.

When feeding your infant with a bottle, keep them semi-upright. Before beginning the feeding process, ensure their head is slightly lifted and straight. As your baby drinks the formula, keep an eye on them. If they start to gulp, it’s a warning that the flow is too powerful and the infant is about to choke. Replace the bottle nipple with one that flows at the correct rate if this happens.

Continue to feed your baby while keeping their head slightly elevated and not inclined. Remove the bottle from their mouth as soon as they start to gag or choke, and carefully sit them up. Before continuing to feed them, give them a chance to clear the milk or formula from their throat.

Keep an eye out for signals that the baby is full. Remove the bottle from your baby’s mouth if they stop suckling from the nipple or spits out the milk or formula. Allowing it to stay could result in the liquid filling your baby’s mouth, causing choking.

If the baby falls asleep in the middle of the feeding, withdraw the nipple from their mouth. If your baby is still sucking, it is recommended that you place your finger in their mouth to help them go asleep. You can also give your infant a pacifier to help with this.

What is Paced Bottle Feeding?

Paced bottle feeding is a breastfeeding-like method of feeding your infant. It entails pacing your bottle feedings to allow your baby to be in charge of the process and recognize their sense of fullness. Compared to conventional bottle feeding, your baby will feed more slowly and work more to receive the milk (as they would with breastfeeding).

What is the Difference between Paced Bottle Feeding and Regular Bottle Feeding?

You’re giving your baby greater control over how they take in their milk and how quickly they finish the bottle with paced bottle feeding. You can also keep an eye on your infant to ensure they aren’t drinking too much milk at once. This will teach your infant to feed at a slower pace on their own. This is a fantastic strategy to avoid overeating while also providing numerous additional advantages.

Can the Paced Bottle Feeding Technique Help Slow Down Your Baby Drinking Bottle?

The paced bottle feeding approach can aid in the slowing down of your baby’s bottle drinking. This is because the technique allows your baby to actively extract milk or formula from the bottle utilizing their sucking skills while also allowing them to rest when necessary.

What are the Steps in a Paced Bottle Feeding Process?

The steps below will assist you in implementing a paced bottle feeding system:

Wait for your infant to give you signs that they are hungry. Allow your infant to inform you when they’re hungry rather than relying on the clock. Children can demonstrate this by placing their hands in their mouths, suckling, whimpering, or rooting.
Use a bottle with a nipple that allows for slow flow. Remember, you’re attempting to slow down, not speed up, the feeding process. Getting started with a slow nipple is crucial.
Maintain your baby’s upright position. Forget everything you’ve learned about feeding your baby by lying them across your arms. Instead, feed your infant in a semi-upright position by supporting his or her head and neck. The bottle should be parallel to the ground.
Allow your infant to suck on the nipple without milk first. Because milk does not come straight away from the breast, this step is especially crucial for breastfeeding infants. Suckling for a minute or so to bring the milk forward is what breastfed infants are used to, and this simulates that.
Allow for a constant feeding time of 20 to 30 seconds. Your baby should be able to obtain 3 to 5 nice swallows in this length of time.
Give your infant a break. Tip the bottle back and allow your infant to breathe after 20 to 30 minutes; the nipple should be left in the mouth but not in a way that milk will come out. Tip the bottle forward when the baby begins to suckle on the nipple again so that they can drink for another 20 to 30 seconds.
Repeat steps 5 and 6. You’ll keep feeding your baby this way until they exhibit features of being full, like pushing the bottle away, turning their head away from the bottle, and stopping sucking. Using this technique, it will take 10 to 20 minutes to feed the baby. If your baby has finished a bottle but is still hungry, give them additional milk.

What Are Some Other Advantages of Using the Paced Bottle Feeding Technique?

Stomach distress, gas, and spit-up are reduced.
Underfeeding is avoided.
Assists the baby in transitioning from the breast to the bottle.
It helps to keep the breastfeeding bond going.
It can help to lower obesity rates in the long run.

Final Take

Using bottle-feeding can cause your baby to choke if the milk or formula flows out too first. To slow down your baby’s drinking bottle, ensure that your baby is in a semi-upright position and that the drinking bottle is horizontal to the ground.

The paced bottle feeding technique can also help slow down your baby’s drinking bottle.