Do:
• Wash your hands before preparing your baby's bottle.
• Have someone else introduce your baby to the bottle by 4 weeks old if you want to begin using a bottle in addition to part of your nursing regimen. Your baby will associate mom with breast-feeding and may resist if you try to give him the bottle yourself.
• Wean your baby from a bottle by 12 months of age. By that time, they will be ready for a sippy cup.
Don't:
• Heat formula or breast milk in the microwave. (See my previous blog "Got Warm Milk?")
• Give your baby a bottle of milk or formula to suck on during the night or at naptime, it causes tooth decay. Don't mix bottles and bed.
• Prop up your baby with a bottle. The "feed yourself" practice can lead to choking, ear infections, and tooth decay. Your baby needs cuddling and human contact, which all babies crave.
