While most bottles offer various nipple levels that are tied to an age range (for example, 3 months+), every infant has their own feeding style, which is not necessarily a reflection of their age or size.
How Will I Know When to Switch?
There is no “right” time to change your baby’s nipple level. Some babies are content using Level 1 throughout their feeding days, while more aggressive eaters may advance sooner than expected. Your baby will offer signs if the flow is not fast enough and it’s time to move up a level. Typical signs include baby:
With newborns, especially premature babies, the nipple flow rate can actually be faster than your infant can tolerate. If your baby is exhibiting any of these signs while eating, you may want to try a slower flow (lower level) nipple:
To address all feeding stages and styles, Dr. Brown’s offers a series of bottle nipples with increasing flow rates.
Premmie Nipple, 0 months+
Level 1 Nipple, 0 months+
Level 2 Nipple, 3 months+
Level 3 Nipple, 6 months+
Level 4 Nipple, 9 months+
Y-Cut Nipple (9 months+)
Some infants need a flow that is even slower that a Premmie nipple. Typically used by medical professionals with premature or medically fragile babies, the Ultra-Preemie Nipple offers the lowest flow rate from a Dr. Brown’s nipple. For more information about the Ultra-Preemie Nipple, visit the Dr. Brown’s Medical web site.
]]>
Welcome to Dr Brown’s Baby blog, Tot Spot! This space is for all things baby and parent related. If you have questions you’d like answered, message us on our Facebook or Instagram page and we will respond there. We may even do some FAQ blog posts so everyone can have their questions answered in one place.
Is your baby starting to teethe and struggling to know how to ease their pain? Read on to find out some ways to help both bub and you relax!
Teething begins at around 6 months of age, with the first tooth appearing anywhere between 3 and 12 months of age. Often bottom middle teeth will appear first, with the two top front teeth showing shortly after. All 20 teeth should be in their little mouths by the age of 3.
What to look out for
Teething signs vary between babies and toddlers. While some may find teething painless, others will find the opposite. The most common symptoms to keep an eye out for include reddened cheeks, waking up in the middle of the night, higher temperature, crying or irritability, rubbing of an ear or earlobe, excessive dribbling, teething rash (found around the mouth and chin), and refusing food or milk.
Helping to soothe the pain
Some of the best ways to ease your bub’s discomfort include frozen or cold foods like pieces of banana or cucumber. They should be large enough for your child to avoid inhaling or swallowing them accidentally. Little games like Peek-A-Boo or Surprise can help distract from the pain and help soothe them. Dr Brown’s Teether range, including Flexees, Nawgums, and Coolees each assist in different ways to ease your little one’s painful teething journey.
]]>Today on Tot Spot we’re exploring children’s books from around the world! Storytelling and more broadly, reading, are so important in the development of your child.
Reading allows a number of important developments to occur including:
• The understanding of sounds, words, and language
• Developing early literacy skills
• Lessons and morals found in stories
• Illuminating imagination and curiosity
• Learning how to manage change and differing emotions
Dr Brown’s has compiled a number of stories from around the world for you to explore with your child, helping them to dive into this important pastime.
Possum Magic by Mem Fox – Australia
This Australian tale sees Grandma Poss and Hush travel all across Australia in search of the secret to Hush’s visibility. How many Australian animals can you help your child to spot?
Tiddalik the Frog – Indigenous Australian Aboriginal Dreaming
Australia’s Indigenous First Nation People passed down this story from generation to generation. Tiddalik drinks up all the water found in Australia! All the native animals are thirsty! Who will help them solve this problem?
Lighthouse Keeper’s Christmas by Ronda Armitage – New Zealand
Mr Grinling and his great-nephew, George are stuck in a New Zealand lighthouse on a stormy Christmas night. Mrs Grinling is not home and neither are the presents or food! How will they make sure Christmas isn’t ruined?
The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran – India
Shoba and her monkey named Fuzzy are on the way to Mumbai, India for a wedding. Along their journey, the pair meet many characters and face new experiences. When they arrive at the wedding, there is a disaster! How can Shoba and Fuzzy save this… or will they need some help?
Mother of Monsters: A Story From South Africa by Fran Parnell – South Africa
Princess Ntombi is the courageous Chief’s daughter and she doesn’t fear the scary Ilunge River. But during a swim with friends one day, she enrages the Mother of Monsters! How will her quick thinking save her?
Various Fairytales by Hans Christian Anderson and The Brother’s Grimm – Denmark and Germany
From Denmark and Germany respectively, these men are famous for some of the World’s most popular fairytales! From Snow White to Hansel and Gretel, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. There is certainly a tale for all children to enjoy!
Are any books we listed well-loved favourites in your home? What stories helped stir imagination for you when you were little? Comment on our Facebook post and show us what books are helping your bubs to growing up big and strong!
]]>Welcome to Dr Brown’s Baby blog, Tot Spot! This space is for all things baby and parent related. If you have questions you’d like answered, message us on our Facebook or Instagram page and we will respond there. We may even do some FAQ blog posts so everyone can have their questions answered in one place.
Struggling to know how to handle your finicky feeder? Read on to find out some ways to tackle their habit!
Fussy eating in children is relatively normal but this doesn’t make it any easier to cope with. Oftentimes, fussy eaters want to become independent and this is presented by what they choose not to eat. The preference of not liking the shape, colour, or texture of foods is very common. Another normal habit for children is to enjoy eating something one day and not at all the next. What’s important is to know that the fussiness tends to subside the older they get, eventually learning to love a whole range of foods.
Making mealtime fun
Ensuring the environment for your child is pleasant, distraction free, and low in stress during mealtime should help. Make sure mealtime is regular and a positive. Worrying about food mess is easy to do but try not in order to keep your child relaxed. Set a time limit of about 20 mins for meals, if nothing has been eaten in this time, take away the food and only offer food at the next planned meal or snack time. Cutting up food into fun or interesting shapes can help them take an interest in new foods.
Giving independence around food
Supporting your child’s independence is important. As a way to encourage but still keep them interested in new foods, ask them to help with family meal preparation. This can be done by washing fruits and veggies, choosing from a list of recipes or helping you to toss the salad! These tasks will help them to feel accomplished and more likely to eat food they’ve participated in helping with.
Introducing new food
There’s a number of ways to give your child confidence or encouragement to try new food. Placing a small bit of new food next to well loved food will encourage them to smell, touch or even lick the new food. Turning meals into pictures and shapes can also help them to have fun whilst choosing new food. Continuously offering your child the refused food is important, as it will often take 10-15 times of seeing that food on their plate before it is even tried. Another way of introducing food is by getting them to try different types of the same food group. For example they may not like eggs but like beans – both good forms of protein.
The process can feel long and difficult but it’s important to keep at it! Try not to use bribing as a way of encouraging them to eat. Being bribed with ‘sometimes’ food may discourage healthy eating and get them to see eating healthy food as irritating.
We know you can do this, we’re cheering for you!
Got any tips for us and other parents? Let us know on social media!
]]>Is there a right time to wean your child onto solids?
In this Tot Spot update, we’ll be sharing some ideas and insights into how to know when it’s best to give baby bottle feeding and your breasts a rest.
]]>Is there a right time to wean your child onto solids?
In this Tot Spot update, we’ll be sharing some ideas and insights into how to know when it’s best to give baby bottle feeding and your breasts a rest.
The first 6 months of your child’s life should see them exclusively breast or bottle fed with weaning taking place 12 months into your child’s life. In some cases, the process starts much later with baby being 2 or older. It can even happen when mum has simply had enough of breast or bottle feeding. Each child’s weaning process will be different.
Generally, your bub will begin to naturally wean off the bottle at the time that other foods are introduced into their diet. This includes water, juice, other milks, and solid foods. Weaning is often thought of as the time when babies begin to have fewer breast or bottle feeds with their diet completely replaced by other foods and drinks but this is not the case.
At the first sign of other solid foods, weaning naturally starts. This mutual weaning process is nature’s way of transitioning your baby from bottle to food and is a common form of transition. However, there may be two other ways where the weaning process can be initiated by either mother or child. These processes are baby-led weaning and mother-led weaning.
Baby-led Weaning
Don’t be surprised if your baby decides they’ve had enough bottle or breast milk and are ready to move on. This may cause feelings of rejection or sadness for you, which is particularly normal.
The unexpected push by your child to stop feeding, combined with huge changes in hormones can see this process become difficult. Let them take charge, this refusal may be temporary. Baby-led weaning can turn into mutually-led weaning over time.
Mother-led Weaning
There can come a time when mum has simply had enough of breast or bottle feeding. This is particularly common for mums with older babies and toddlers. Children that love to feed frequently, often at nights can need a bit more of a push towards weaning.
Here are some steps to help encourage your bub to stop breast or bottle feeding thanks to The Australian Breastfeeding Association:
At Dr Brown’s Australia and New Zealand, we have just the right transitioning options for mum. Try our Dr Brown’s beginning range of bottles with attachable silicone handles and for those who are a little older, straw and insulated cups work a treat. Soft-Soup Cups, Straw Cups, Insulated Cups, and Solid Feeding Utensils. We also have the Snack-A-Pillar for those up-and-go moments.
You can explore our range of options for your child’s growth stage below.
]]>