All Things Baby!

EPing is such a wonderful thing to do for your baby, but the decision to EP raises some unique challenges with regards to your baby and, of course, it comes with the need for more baby stuff!  On the Pumps and Parts page, I’ve tackled the actual items you need to pump.  On this page, you will find items you may consider purchasing and answers to some of the questions you may have if you are feeding your baby expressed milk.  This page is divided into three sections:

• Things to Know
• Tips & Tricks
• Products

THINGS TO KNOW

In addition to adjusting to the learning curve that is EPing, you are figuring out how to manage your baby while pumping, learning how much milk to put in a bottle, and determining what flow nipple is best for your baby’s bottle.  Below I’ve tried to address some of the common questions and concerns related to babies and milk.  Some of the topics below are unique to EPing and others are relevant to the care of all babies.  For instance, you may wonder:

• • If there is a proper way to feed your baby a bottle
  • How much milk you should feed your baby and how often
  • If what you eat can affect your milk
  • What dream feeding is and if it is right for your baby
  • Why your milk is pink, green, blue, or any other color and if it is safe to feed to your baby?
  • How to transition from a bottle to a sippy cup
  • How to wean your baby from your milk to nonhuman milk
  • What to do with milk that sat out too long?

How to Feed Your Baby a Bottle

There is a suggested way to feed your baby a bottle, and it is called paced bottle feeding, baby-led bottle feeding, or bottle-nursing.  The intention of paced bottle feeding is to allow your baby to mimic breastfeeding behaviors.  Educators of this method suggest you:

• • Wait for your baby to  draw the bottle nipple into their mouth an encourage them to close their lips on the fat part of the nipple rather than the tip
  • Hold the bottle in a horizontal position and only tilt it enough to keep milk in the nipple.  Although this may create air, you can burp your baby as needed
  • Feed your baby in an almost upright position
  • Take frequent breaks just as a baby who is nursing would do
  • Rest the bottle nipple on your baby’s chin during a break to allow the baby to choose when to resume
  • Allow your baby to determine how much milk is enough and do not force feed remaining milk if your baby has indicated they are done
  • Feed based on early feeding cues rather than a schedule
  • If your baby seems stressed or tenses or gulps, tilt your baby with the bottle slightly forward to allow milk to drain from the nipple and provide your baby a moment to catch their breath
  • When you believe your baby is almost full, twist the bottle to remove it, offer the bottle again immediately, and allow your baby to continue for a few more sucks before repeating until your baby refuses to open their mouth to reduce the risk of overfeeding

Additionally, when feeding your baby with a bottle, you should make sure you are using a nipple with the right “flow.”  The flow is important because it prevents milk from flowing too quickly into your baby’s mouth, which may not only be messy (when your baby spits milk out) but may be uncomfortable for your baby.  A feeding should take between 10 and 20 minutes, any quicker and you may need a slower flow nipple, and slower, and you may need a faster flow nipple.  Whatever nipple flow you decide to go with, I recommend testing the flow yourself because some slow flow/newborn nipples are actually quite fast!  You can test the flow of the nipple yourself by turning the bottle over and watching how fast the milk dribbles out.  It’s not a bad idea to periodically test the nipples you use as they become more worn with use and may become faster as time goes on.

Regarding heating milk, the easiest way is to use a bottle warmer.  Never heat milk using a microwave because it may create hot spots in the milk that can burn a baby.

How Much Milk?

How much milk you should feed your baby is different from baby to baby and can change as your baby grows.  Your best bet is to listen to your baby’s hunger cues, your gut, and your pediatrician.  On average, a baby consumes 20-24 ounces of milk a day in their first month and gradually increases to 28-32 ounces until solid foods begin replacing milk.  The numbers below are just a guideline to give you a starting point:

If you are transitioning to EPing, you can estimate the amount of milk your baby will need at a feeding by estimating the number of times a day your baby eats and dividing 25 ounces by that number.  This is just a starting point because each baby has different needs! My little consumed between 22 ounces and 39 ounces a day during her first year.  That’s a big range because it covers her first month of life and a month that she was VERY hungry (her fifth month).  On average though, she consumed between 28-32 ounces.  However, a friend of mine had a little one that consumed between 40 and 55 ounces in a day.  That’s just to say, listen to your baby, they will tell you when they need more milk!  And remember, breast milk is easily digestible for babies, so it digests quickly and they need more milk sooner than if they were consuming formula.  So you cannot compare the amount of milk or the number of feeds a formula fed baby has to that of your baby.

Your Diet

What you eat can flavor your breast milk, which is a really fun concept!  However, sometimes what a mama eats can cause discomfort in her baby.  Often, cow milk and other dairy products are the culprit, but soy products, chocolate, and citrus fruits can also be to blame.  Other babies may fuss after cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, or cauliflower), onions, garlic, beans, tomatoes, eggs, sesame, peanuts, corn, curry powder, wheat, and cinnamon.

So how do you know if your baby is reacting (look for: diarrhea, stools with mucus, bloody stools, rash, vomiting, green stools, gassiness, fussiness, severe reflux) to something in your diet?  You can try keeping a list of what you ate and when you notice symptoms look at what you consumed 2-6 hours before you pumped that milk.  Then try eliminating those foods for three to five days.  A young baby can also be very susceptible to caffeine and may display irritability, restlessness, sleeplessness, or colic symptoms.

Dream Feeding

Dream feeding is the act of late-night feeding a baby while they are drowsy.  Often parents do this right before they head to bed because it can potentially eliminate a night feed, giving the parents more sleep.  Generally, you place your baby to sleep at their normal time and then two to three hours later—ideally just before you go to sleep!—you gently scoop your baby out of the crib, cradle them in your arm in a semi-upright position and allow them to pull the bottle nipple into their mouth to begin feeding.  The goal is to minimize stimulation and keep your baby drowsy, so keep the lights off and sounds to a minimum.  Don’t forget to burp your baby before gently laying them back down to sleep.  Dream feeding may not be right for all babies nor may it work for all babies.  Some babies may wake easily and bright-eyed, and, as they have already had a “nap” they may decide it’s time to play.  Our doctor suggested we fully wean our Little from dream feeds by 8 months old.

Risks associated with dream feeding include: overfeeding, choking (if the baby is flat on their back instead of semi-upright), gassiness, additional night wakings, and an expectation of a night feed.  If this idea interests you, ask your pediatrician if it is right for you and your baby.

Milk Colors

The first milk you produce—colostrum—is clear, yellow, or orange.  Once your milk has “come in, ” it is often white, creamy, or bluish; however, you may notice that your milk is green or pink at times because the color of your milk can vary depending on what you eat.  Additionally, if you have injured nipples while pumping, you may notice that blood has mixed with the expressed milk, giving it a pink color.  This is commonly referred to as “strawberry milk,” and it’s generally regarded as safe for a baby to drink.  Remember, if you were breastfeeding, you would not even notice the change in color!  Your baby would drink the milk and no one would be the wiser.

How to Transition from Bottle to a Sippy Cup or Straw Cup

Starting at about six months, you can begin introducing sippy cups or straw cups.  This may be easy or challenging depending on what type of bottle you used.  For example, I used the Kiinde Twist Pouch—essentially a bag of milk in a holder—which allowed my Little to pressurize the bag and drink all of it without tilting the bottle.  Although my little could hold her bottle easily and early because of its design, when it came to transitioning to a sippy cup, my Little did not understand the concept of tilting the cup up to drink.  Try demonstrating for your baby how the cup works to jumpstart the transition and give them lots of praise when they do try or succeed with the cup.

You may find that your baby prefers a soft spout or a straw or maybe they are ready for a 360˚ cup.  Just like a bottle preference, your baby may have a cup preference.  Once your baby has become accustomed to drinking from a sippy cup or straw cup, you can either cease using bottles all at once, or you can slowly replace a bottle each day with your new cup choice.  For us, the bottle before bed was the last bottle to go since it was such a comfort item.

Why should you transition? Prolonged bottle usage is associated with tooth decay, misaligned teeth, and ear infections.  We were told to transition to a cup by my Little’s first birthday.  That timeline did not quite work for us—I was feeling protective of my breast milk and my Little had still not grasped the concept of turning up the cup, so the milk was being wasted at any feeding using a cup.  I weaned shortly thereafter and at just about the time the freezer stash was running out, the sippy cup clicked and we dropped bottles completely.  However you transition, remember—its a process, give your baby patience and positive reinforcement as they take time to get used to this change.

How to Wean from Breast Milk to Non-Human Milk

There is no one way to wean from breast milk, but I think the easiest way to transition to a nonhuman milk is to slowly introduce the “replacement” milk over a number of days (or weeks, as was in our case!).  If your baby is under the age of one, your replacement “milk” may be formula; however, if your baby is one years old, you may decide to transition solely to cow’s milk (or another nonhuman milk).

You can transition in two ways: either swap out an entire bottle/cup with the replacement or slowly combine your breast milk with the replacement.  On the first day, maybe only replace a half ounce in every bottle, but as the days go on, replace your milk with increasingly larger amount of the replacement milk.  We had great success with this method, and it let me wean from the pump without guilt.

What to Do with Milk That Sat Out Too Long

It’s sad when milk you have worked so hard for cannot be consumed.  Perhaps it never made it into the fridge and it accidentally sat out on the counter too long, or maybe it was thawing in your fridge but got lost in the shuffle and now its been a few days.  The milk is probably not spoiled in either of these scenarios, but neither are you advised to feed it to your baby.  However, you do not have to throw it away.  In fact, you can freeze it for use in your baby’s bath to help treat diaper rash, or you can make lotions or soap.  Some mothers even make jewelry out of their milk!  The internet is full of interesting uses for breast milk that may bring peace to an otherwise sad situation.

TIPS & TRICKS

Who doesn’t love a tip, trick, or time-saving hack?  Here is a list of my favorite ones, which you can read more about in the sections below:

• Tips for Pumping while Caring for a Baby
• Fridge Hack
• Create a Pump Station
• Create a Wash and Dry Station
• Money Saving Tips

Tips for Pumping while Caring for a Baby

Pumping and caring for your baby at the same time can be challenging!  When my Little was very young, I found it easiest to put her in a swing or on her back on her play mat while I pumped next to her on the floor.  Because I used a hands-free bra, I was able to use my hands as needed to jiggle a play mat chime, tuck a blanket that had been kicked off, or hold a small hand.  If your baby loves tummy time, this might be an excellent time to do it!  But for those babies that become fussy a few minutes into tummy time, I recommend keeping pumping and tummy time separate because it’s hard to lift your baby while hooked to a pump!

If you need to keep your baby close, try using a nursing pillow to prop your baby against you, or set the nursing pillow in front of you and prop your baby up inside the “U” shape.  If you are both sitting on the ground, this is an easy way to feed your baby a bottle while you pump.  You can also try laying your baby on your knees (either straightened or bent); however, if your baby is long limbed or likes to kick this set up may be tricky—my Little knocked a flange off center more than once this way!

If your baby is a bit older or mobile, you may try putting them in a pack n’ play with special toys reserved only for times when you need to pump.  A bouncer or activity center may also work!  I also used to put my Little in her high chair because I could slower it to almost floor level, which allowed me to sit on the floor and retrieve the toys that often fell off, but it also reclined which made it easy for her to be in there at a young age and drink her bottle.

Make sure you have everything you or you baby could need before starting your pump session.  This includes at least a few diapers and wipes—I once had to change 2 diapers during one pump session, and the second diaper change was a blowout, talk about mommy-tasking!  Other items you may need include: water, bottle of milk, extra pump parts, snack, phone, airpods, phone charger, remote, baby toys, baby blanket, nursing pillow, burp cloth, binky/pacifier, covers to your milk containers (just in case your baby falls asleep and you don’t want to move right away).  I also often grabbed a pair of socks and a blanket for me for during or right after pumping because pumping made me feel very cold!

Finally, try pumping on a schedule and keeping your baby’s routine the same for when you pump—babies often thrive on routine and may become accustomed to whatever scenario you create for the two of you.  Honestly, there is no tip or trick that I can tell you that will always work and will always make simultaneously pumping and caring for your baby easy.  But you are doing your best mama and that is enough!

Fridge Hack

Many mothers store their pump parts in the fridge between pumping sessions. The theory is that if milk can be stored in the fridge for days, any milk left in the flanges between pumps should be fine for the remainder of a single day.  If you decide to use this hack, make sure you rinse the flanges at night and either clean them in the dishwasher or by hand.  I personally cleaned them by hand and sterilized them in my microwave sterilizer nightly.  Because it was recommended that all of a baby’s bottles be sterilized before each feeding for the first three months, I did not use this hack until after that time.  I would also recommend avoiding this hack if your baby has a compromised immune system.

Create a Pump Station

Have you ever sat down to pump, gotten all hooked up and started the machine, only to realize you need something from another room?  I highly recommend every EPer create a pump station at home (and a mobile one if you work!).

I used an old tv stand that was placed next to our couch—a space where I could still participate in family time even if I needed to pump.  There was an outlet nearby so that I could plug in my pump to charge after each session, but you can always run an extension cord if you do not have an outlet near your preferred pump location.

I set up my pump station as soon as we came home from the hospital, and I kept everything organized with bins.  In the beginning there were bins with my postpartum medications and items to reduce swelling or make sitting more comfortable.  Later, bins held extra pump parts and milk containers, snacks (like lactation cookies!), the latest pieces of a project I was working on (at the time I was pumping, this was my Little’s baby book), my planner, toys for my Little (everything from black and white cards to hand puppets), an extra phone charger, extra breast pads, coconut oil for nipple lubrication, extra bottles of water (in case I forgot my reusable one somewhere else), and rice bags to heat in the microwave.  I also stored my travel pump bag underneath so that everything pump related was all in one place.

Create a Wash and Dry Station 

The CDC recommends cleaning your pump equipment and any infant feeding items either in a dishwasher (using hot water and a heated drying/sanitizing setting) or in a wash basin that is designated solely for infant feeding items.  Although the recommendation to clean this way is to prevent harmful bacteria from coming into contact with infant feeding items, it is also much easier to clean baby bottles and pump parts that have had time to soak, especially if you use bottles with many parts because it may prevent some of the smaller bottle parts from escaping down the drain as you scrub the slippery pieces!

I personally used the basins that came with the Medela pump kit I received at the hospital, but later on I purchased a Medline Wash Basin, which worked just as well.  In addition to using a wash basin designated specifically for infant feeding items, you should also designate a bottle brush just for this purpose and only utilize the baby bottle brushes that came with your bottles for cleaning those bottles.

Once you have cleaned your pump or baby bottle parts, You will want to allow them to dry thoroughly, on an unused paper towel.  I personally used a microwave sterilizer after washing and as my Little got older, I would also allow items to air dry on a Boon rack.  An alternative option to a microwave sterilizer or air drying is to purchase a steam sterilizer and dryer, such as the Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer.

Near the sink, I had the wash basin, the soap I used on my Little’s items, and bottle brushes.  I hung the smaller brushes using mini suction cups on our backsplash.  On the other side of the sink I had the boon grass and boon spring for drying bottle and pump parts.  Next to that I had a small drying mat that I kept the microwave sterilizer on as well as the bottle warmer.  This prevented water puddles from the sterilizer (which would leak water immediately after use but before opening) and from pulling bottles out of the bottle warmer.

Money Saving Tips

I’m sure many of you reading this created a baby registry, but sometimes it’s hard to know what you actually need until you are there in the moment.  What I thought was so wonderful about the Amazon registry was that I could utilize the discount twice—once before my Little was born and once after.  This meant that I was able to stock up on gear I needed for EPing (things like pumping bras, breast pads, maymom parts, extra bottles, and bottle brushes) even though I did not know I would be EPing until after my Little was born.  Alternatively, you and your partner could sign up for registries and purchase additional items that way.

Additionally, you may be able to save money by getting a pump and replacement parts through your insurance or checking if a breast pump and other lactation supplies are tax deductible as medical expenses.  Further, breast milk storage bottles and bags are often eligible reimbursement items with an FSA or HSA.

PRODUCTS

There are so many wonderful products out there but sometimes finding them is challenging.  I’ve included a few of my most favorite baby feeding-related items and information on buying bottles, nipples, and sippy cups.  Is there a product you love and can’t live without? Send me an email and let me know what it is and why you love it!  I’ll be continually updating this list, so check back periodically for new product recommendations.

Bottles

There are an overwhelming amount of choices when it comes to baby bottles.  So which ones should you buy?  If you are EPing, you do not need to be concerned about how similar the nipple top is to a breast; however, you may want to choose a bottle based on its attributes and your baby’s needs.  For example, here are some of the bottle materials and features you can look for:

Despite your careful choosing, your baby may exhibit their own bottle preference.  A great starting point is buying a box that contains a few different bottles.  I was gifted such a box and I loved it because it allowed us to try out a few different brands.  I think the most important part of a bottle—besides using one that your baby will accept—is to use a bottle that is easy to clean.  Additionally, you may want to consider whether reviews mention the accuracy of the bottle measurements if you want to know exactly how much milk you are pouring or is being consumed without using a food scale.

Newborns who are not preemies generally consume about 2 ounces in a feeding, but babies pretty quickly begin to consume 4-8 ounces in a feeding.  Some mamas prefer to buy bottles once and thus purchase the big bottles, which they just fill halfway in the early days.  Other mamas plan to buy more bottles as their baby grows.  However, there are babies that may chose to always only drink a small amount at a feeding no matter their age.  For example, my Little preferred to drink only 4.5 ounces at every feeding from about one month old until well over a year old.  Occasionally, she would have an extra ounce or two, but it was rare.

As for how many bottles you should buy, that really depends on how often you want to wash them and whether your baby will be going to daycare or fed by someone who requires pre-filled bottles.  My recommendation is to buy enough for a full day of feeding plus half that amount.

Nipples

When I first began bottle feeding I had no idea that I could choose nipples that allowed milk to flow faster or more slowly.  The idea is that newborns should use slow flow nipples, and older babies may need to use medium or fast flow nipples. Some brands label their nipples as “newborn,” “slow flow,” or “medium flow” other brands use numbers to denote different flow levels.

How do you know what nipple flow is right for your baby? If you baby is a newborn, start with a level 0, level 1, newborn, or slow flow nipple.  If you try a nipple and notice your baby is choking on the milk frequently, tensing, pulling away from the bottle, or you notice milk leaking from their mouth, likely the nipple flow is too fast.  If you notice your baby is frustrated while sucking, sucking aggressively, or has inverted the nipple, likely the nipple flow is too slow.  As your baby gets older you may think that they need a faster flow nipple, but some babies prefer a slow flow nipple the entire time they consume milk from a bottle.

Additionally, you can find nipples made out of different materials.  Typically latex nipples are an amber/yellow color, softer, tend to absorb flavors, and they begin to break down quickly (after a few months of use).  Silicone nipples are typically clear, non-allergenic, do not retain flavors, and are more durable but are often stiffer and a more expensive option.

Sippy Cups

What is a sippy cup?  A sippy cups is a cup designed to allow your baby to learn how to sip without the risk of spilling.  Sippy cups can be many things.  They can have a soft spout or a hard spout, they can have a straw instead of a spout, or no spout at all (often referred to as a 360˚ cup).  Just like bottles, the decision of which sippy cup is best comes down to baby and parent preference.  A soft spout may be gentler on a baby’s gums, so for those babies that don’t have many teeth, a soft spout may be the right choice.  Straw cups are a little harder to clean and also may be bitten through easily, but they may help a baby strengthen oral muscles.  A hard spout is better for a baby who has teeth and likes to chomp because the hard spout will be harder to bite through.  360˚ cups more closely mimic open cup drinking.

When considering what sippy cup to buy, consider the materials it’s made out of, whether its leak-free (and whether it lives up to that claim in the reviews), and how time consuming it will be to wash.

Bottle Cleaning Tools

How should you clean your bottles? The easiest way is using a bottle brush for the container and then the brush that came with your bottle set (if any).

Bottle Brush

• Oxo Tot Bottle Brush with Nipple Cleaner and Stand

Drying Racks

• Boon Drying Rack Lawn Countertop:    Large     Small
• Flowers to stick in the Boon Grass:    Pink     White    Travel
• Boon Spring Countertop Drying Rack, Green

Soap

• Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Baby Unscented)
  • I made the soap as directed on the bottle (just add water) and placed it in an old foaming hand soap container and voila! baby friendly soap

Sterilizer

• Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Bottle Sterilizer
• Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer

Wash Basins

• Medline Wash Basin
• Collapsible wash basin (for cleaning parts while at work or traveling)

Brush Holders

• Suction cup hangers

Other Accessories

There are so many accessories out there to help streamline the bottle feeding process and other accessories that have just made my life with a baby easier.  Here are a few of my must-haves:

Bottle Warmer

• Phillips Avent Baby Bottle Warmer

Travel Bottle Warmer

• Kiinde Voyager
  • it’s essentially a thermos, but it worked so well we were grateful to have it

Pacifier/Binky

• Kiinde
  • For us, the type of pacifier was dictated by the bottle brand we used—you may find your baby feels the same!
• Accmore Pacifier Case
  • Preferred pacifier case—easy to clean and large enough for the Kiinde pacifier (which is large!)

Bottle Prep

• Bokee Baby Bottle Holder
  • For one-handed bottle prep or preventing a bottle from tipping when using two hands to pour milk out of a storage bag

Daycare Items

• Babeyer breastmilk cooler bag
  • a tall bag with enough room for a few bottles and a stack of small 4oz square food containers
• Chubbiee Baby Bottle Labels
  • these labels have stayed on our bottles for more than a year with no peeling or fading.  Plus the designs are cute!
• Stasher bag
  • a reusable bag that is perfect for snacks like puffs and freeze dried strawberries and its available in lots of fun colors!

High Chair

• Peg Perego

I love product recommendations, do you have a baby product you love?