Formula Feeding Tips
Babies of all sizes need time to learn how to feed outside the womb — especially premature infants. With time, care, and love, you help your baby get the nutrition she needs as you establish healthy feeding habits.
- Try to establish a routine. Consider using the same chair or space for each feeding. It might take time for your baby to get used to the home environment.
- Feed your preemie in a quiet room without bright lights to reduce distractions.
- Allow your premature baby to take as much formula as she wants during each feeding.
- Smaller, more frequent feedings might be necessary because your premature baby might tire easily.
- You might need to wake your baby for feedings, as some preemies sleep from 16 to 20 hours per day.
- If you're bottle feeding, you might want to use the Similac® Slow Flow Nipple, designed to provide a more controlled flow rate.
- If your baby appears to have colic, a term that describes unexplainable episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, a few days each week by an otherwise healthy baby, talk to your doctor for tips and solutions.
- Be observant for feeding issues that are not colic, such as listlessness, frequent vomiting, excessive spitting up, or failure to gain weight. Contact your pediatrician if you notice any of these issues.
Can Babies Taste the Difference Between Formulas?
Typically, babies adapt to the taste of their usual formula and will likely develop a preference for that taste. They might happily drink formula that would be distasteful to you, and refuse formula that would taste better to you.
As formula-fed infants mature, their tastes might adapt and develop a preference for the formula they are fed. It would not be unusual for your baby to be able to tell the difference in taste among milk-based, soy-based, and hypoallergenic* formulas.
*Protein hydrolysate
For excellent growth and development, formula fed premature infants can benefit from a nutrient-enriched discharge formula, such as Similac Expert Care NeoSure, in the first year of life.