Alternative methods of feeding newborns and infants

Babies who cannot suckle, temporarily or permanently, are fed in a way that best suits their needs. The choice of the most appropriate method is assessed individually, for each mother and child.

Cup feeding is a technique that is recommended as a transition to breastfeeding. This is the ideal way of supplementing with breast milk while the baby is still small and weak and cannot provide sufficient intake by suckling alone.

Cup feeding has a number of advantages over bottle feeding:

It stimulates the coordination of suckling, swallowing and breathing.
It allows the child to control the amount and speed of feeding.
The child is held close to the mother and is able to communicate with the eyes.
Easy hygiene maintenance.

The most commonly used feeding method is bottle with a nipple. Bottle feeding can create difficulties in latching on the breast and sometimes even leads to breastfeeding failure. It is not recommended as a feeding method either for a child who cannot suckle yet, or one who has received supplemental feeding.

If your baby is bottle-fed, it is important to follow the recommendations for maintaining equipment hygiene and preparing meals. It is recommended that around 6th month, the child starts using a cup, learns how to drink from a cup and stops using the bottle by the end of the first year. Probe feeding is needed for children who do not have suckling-swallowing coordination. Syringes, droppers or teaspoons can be used for very small amounts of milk, such as colostrum in the first days of life. The baby cannot control the flow of milk, so there is a possibility of choking on milk if it is given too quickly.