Building A Baby Registry Part 3: Feeding Essentials
Welcome back, parents and parents-to-be! It’s no secret that feeding is one of the most crucial aspects of your baby’s development. Feeding your baby is not just about providing nutrition; it's also an opportunity to foster bonding, support motor skill development, and introduce your little one to a variety of tastes and textures. A strong foundation in feeding and oral-motor skills will set your baby up for a lifetime of healthy habits and adventurous eating.
In this final installment of our "Building a Baby Registry" series, we'll delve into the essential items that will make feeding your baby a smoother and more enjoyable experience. Whether you’re planning to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or transitioning to solid foods, we've got you covered with a comprehensive list of must-haves to include on your registry to ensure that feeding your baby is both a nurturing and stress-free part of your parenting journey.
Breast-Feeding Essentials:
Nursing Pillow: Support for both mom and baby during feeding.
Why is this important?
Correct positioning and attachment of the baby to the mother's breast is essential for successful breastfeeding. It helps the baby latch on, feed well, and prevents sore nipples. Getting good positioning and attachment right from the start can help avoid most breastfeeding difficulties.
Breast Pump: Today, there are so many options for both manual and electric pumps.
Breast Milk Storage Bags: Safe and convenient storage for expressed milk.
Nursing Covers: Privacy for feeding on-the-go.
Bottle-Feeding Essentials
Bottles: A variety of sizes and nipple flow options.
What is Bottle Flow Rate?
Bottle flow rate refers to how quickly milk or formula flows from the bottle nipple into a baby’s mouth. Bottle flow rate is important because if it’s too slow, your baby may struggle to get enough milk. However, if it’s too fast, your baby might have difficulty handling the rapid flow. Most bottle brands label their nipples with a flow rate indicator, such as 'preemie,' 'slow,' 'medium,' or 'fast.' Others use numerical indicators like 0, 1, 2, or 3. These labels indicate the speed of the flow rate, and almost all brands associate an age range with their flow rates to help parents choose the appropriate one for their baby.
How Do I Know Which Flow Rate is Right for My Baby?
Babies who are fed by both breast and bottle may benefit from a slower-flowing nipple. This helps match the flow rate of milk during breast-feeding. Most full-term babies will be able to use a newborn flow rate (such as “level 1” or “slow flow”) whether drinking milk or formula.
If your baby is ready to move up to a faster flow nipple, they may show these signs:
Taking longer to finish eating
Fast sucking with not many swallows (bottle nipple may collapse)
Getting fussy while eating
If the nipple flow rate is too fast for your baby, they may show any of these signs while eating:
Gulping
Choking
Hard swallowing
Coughing
Increased drooling
Refusing to eat
Bottle Sterilizer: Ensuring bottles are clean and safe.
Bottle Warmer: Convenient heating of milk/formula.
Formula Dispenser: Easy and mess-free formula preparation.
Burp Cloths: Keeping baby and caregiver clean during feedings.
Solid Feeding Essentials
High Chair: A safe and comfortable place for your baby to eat.
Which High Chair is Best for My Baby?
Postural stability is extremely important as your baby transitions to eating in a high chair. When a baby’s posture is stable, the “motor brain” is free to focus on the task of eating, rather than protecting the brain. Additionally, a ensuring postural stability supports respiratory function,, provides security and comfort, allows for better hand-to-mouth coordination and fine motor/tactile manipulation, and allows for full range of motion of the jaw for chewing.
When shopping for a high chair for your baby, check for the following:
The tray/table surface should fall between baby’s belly button and breast level
Your baby is sitting forward enough that their knees are over the edge of their chair
A foot rest that allows for a 90-degree angle at the hips, knees, and ankles
Our recommended high chairs include:
Stokke Tripp Trapp
Height Right
Badger Basket Embassy
Chicco Polly Progress High Chair
Mockingbird 2-in-1 High Chair
Keekaroo Height Right Chair
Lalo The Chair
Solid Food Feeding Essentials
Infant spoons: Designed for little hands and mouths.
Bibs: Keeping baby and caregiver clean during meals
Silicone Feeding Mats
Infant Cups
Child-Sized Open Cup: We love the EZPZ Tiny Cup and Nuby First Open Training Cup
Training Straw Cups: Honey bear cup and Olababy Silicone Training Cup with Straw Lid
Oral-Motor Tools
Oral-motor tools such as teethers don’t only help soothe your baby while they are teething - these can help your baby achieve critical skills for mealtime development including munching, biting, chewing and eating skills.