How to Dadda
How to Dadda
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Skills

Give a bottle

As long as bub takes. The pauses are the job, so do not plan anything around the end of it. Difficulty: easy

What this is for

The job after making one up, with bub in his arms. Bub sets the pace. Watch bub, not the bottle.

Before Dadda starts

Before he sits down:

  • A made-up bottle, wrist-tested. Its own job.
  • A slow-flow teat on it.

Expressed milk or formula, same steps.

A midwife will watch a whole feed. Showing it in person is a health worker's job, not a website's.

The steps

  1. Feed when bub is hungry, not by the clock. If in doubt, try a nappy change.
  2. Hold bub upright, your hand behind the head and neck.
  3. Brush the teat down the middle of bub's lips.
  4. Wait for bub to open wide and take it. Never push.
  5. Keep the bottle almost level, just enough to fill the teat.
  6. Pause every few minutes so bub can rest.
  7. Let bub lean back as the bottle empties, head and neck straight.
  8. Stop when bub has had enough, milk left or not. Tip out the rest.

What goes wrong

  • Propping the bottle. Milk comes too fast. Bub stays in your arms.
  • Tipping it up to finish it. Gravity sets the pace, not bub.
  • Chasing the empty bottle. Milk left over is the technique working.
  • Letting bub fall asleep on it. Bottle away first, then bed.

Dadda's note

[ DADDA'S NOTE — JOSH, OPTIONAL: 1 to 3 sentences. ]

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