My daughter is 7 weeks old and I am bottle feeding her pumped milk. She is a VERY messy eater! She goes through at least 2-3 bibs per day and usually soaks through them to her clothes. The bibs get so soaked, they don't even dry between feedings. I am constantly having to clean her neck because the milk drips down and stays in the creases. I have tried multiple bottles/nipples and haven't really had much improvement. Am I doing something wrong? Do anyone have any suggestions to make feedings less messy?
I would try the slower nipples if possible, and then also contact a lactation consultant. It sounds like you aren't breastfeeding, but they are very knowledgeable on feeding issues and should be able to help you out by giving suggestions, or recommending a physical therapist if it is needed.
Is she gaining weight well? Even when I was breastfeeding, I noticed a lot of leakage, and would have to stuff washcloths underneath his face to catch it. So it's kind of normal, but I would try a slower flowing nipple if you can find one that works.
Well, she may have to have her tongue clipped or there may be a problem swallowing?? You could also (usually not dr recommended) start to thicken her milk with rice cereal. Then you might have to slit the nipple. Either way it's trial and error, good luck and god bless
I would first suggest trying different nipples and bottles, but since you've done that then I would think that maybe she is still learning how to manuever her tongue. At seven weeks old she's still trying to get the hang of things. Does she use a pacifier? If so try to get a bottle similar to that nipple.
My daughter is 5 months old and still does the same thing. I've learned that some bottles are better than others, and the flow of the nipple is a big factor. Also her body position while drinking can influence it too. My daughter makes less of a mess when she is more upright in my arms, instead of laying back more.
It's all just trial and error. Give it a few weeks im sure you'll see improvement. The bibs with the plastic back work great at protecting the clothes. But I can never use the same bib twice so I know how you feel! And if you leave them sitting too long they start to smell, so I find that I'm washing bibs daily...ugh!
Good Luck!
Well, she is pretty little so I'm sure she'll get better at it, but I honestly don't know that much about different bottles or nipples. Maybe you could try getting some bibs with a vinyl/plastic layer in them (I found a 10 pack for around $10 at Kmart) so she doesn't get her clothes wet and maybe tuck a cloth diaper under her chin while she eats to absorb some of the excess... I think they dry faster than the bibs. Good luck!
You may have too fast of a nipple on your bottles for her. That happened with my son when he was about that age and once we got a slower nipple it helped a lot!
Hi, T..
Do you breastfeed and bottlefeed? Or pump and bottlefeed exclusively? I'm wondering how your baby does at the breast. Has breastfeeding been "easy" or did you need help at first?
It sounds like maybe your baby doesn't seal well at the "corners" of her mouth, or the flow may be high. Have you tried the Dr. Browns *narrow* slow flow, or Ventaire *narrow* slow, or Nuby narrow slow? Sometimes wide (fatter) bottles prohibit a baby's mouth from sealing on the bottle.
As for flow, try offering the bottle where the milk is tipped below the hole, and after she starts sucking, tip the bottle up so milk flows. Tip it back down periodically so she can rest--this might lessen spilling.
I have co-authored a book that is currently in printing, Balancing Breast and Bottle: Reaching Your Breastfeeding Goals. We answer many questions like yours in our book. Our website will be up soon, too: breastandbottlefeeding.com.
You are welcome to email me privately if you have other questions.
A.
We had this problem with my son and actually switched him to a preemie nipple for awhile until he got the hang of things. You can buy them just about anywhere. My favorite ones were the ones we got from the hospital with the smiley face on them, soothies, they make nipples too.
I had a bunch of cloth diapers for feeding time and bibs for in between for spit up. But the cloth diaper under the chin worked better than the bibs I found. If its still a problem you may want to ask her pediatrician if there is something wrong with her tongue because it could be an early sign of afraxia(sp) or some other soft palate issue and getting it looked at early can help. Most likely its just her being young and figuring things out, give it some time.
It will get better! She is still young and learning. My 9 month old son finally stopped being so messy around 6 months! We did try a variety of nipples and such and settled on the platex drop-ins. He was on the slow flow ones for a couple of months, and moved through the medium flow and now finally the fast flow. He also went through tons of bibs and his neck was constantly dirty.
