Bottle Size and Baby’s Weight
March 6, 2018
The Question: Does the size of the bottle used to feed formula-fed babies influence the baby’s weight gain?
The Study: The doctors followed 865 infants in the study. Forty-five percent of the babies were solely formula-fed and the rest were breastfed. Each infant’s weight was recorded at all the well-baby check-ups. The bottle size was recorded at the two-month-old visit as either small (< six ounces) or large (≥ six ounces). The Results: Fifty-five percent of the parents used “small” bottles. Hispanic parents were half as likely as white parents to use a “large” bottle. At the six-month-old visit, babies fed with a “large” bottle were, on average, .21 kilograms (about half a pound) heavier than their peers fed with a “small” bottle.
Comment: Bottle size makes a difference. The rule of thumb is to let the baby control how much formula she takes. Once she loses interest, stop feeding. Don’t encourage her to take more “just to finish the bottle.”
Read More: Pediatrics, 07.16