Couple of Newborn Basic Questions?

Question

Im a new mother, baby girl is 5 days old. I have a couple of new mommy questions
1. right now she is sleeping with me and my husband, which is fine for NOW, but when should she be sleeping in her crib? During the day I do put her in her crib so she can get used to it, but at night time she wants nothing to do with it. I have a night light in her room so it is not pitch dark..I just don't her to get to used to sleeping with us. Any Tips?
2. I am bottle feeding and I have the formula where you do not need to add water. Can she drink it cold or do I need to warm it up? Is powerder better or liquid??
3. Do you know any good bottles? I have had problems with bottles, she would suck and suck and nothing would come out and by the time something would she tired of sucking and her little tummy was full of air. I tried the Playtex VentAir and no no. Right now im using the I think Playtex DropIns? Its seems to working good but if anyone nows of a REALLY good bottle i would love to try them.

Answer 1

CONGRATS!!!

Now then..
1. I don't recommend co-sleeping. It's easy to do, but can be a hazard AND it will be difficulty to transition your baby back to her crib when you finally do stop. She will not easily give up that warmth and closeness! If you prefer this tho, I have noticed there are some products available for co-sleeping, which sperate the baby but also allow you to keep her in bed with you for close access.

2. She can drink it cool or room-temp, but it's better and easier on her tummy when it's warm. I use the powder formula when I use formula at all (I breastfeed) because I can just add warm water, and only make as much as I need with no waste.

3. The BEST bottles out there are Dr. Brown's! They have more parts to clean, but are so worth it! They really do cut down air and gas. I use these with my son and he is 5 months old and has had NO colic when he takes a bottle! The vent system is really cool in how it eliminates the usual bottle vacuum. They are a bit pricey (average $5 each or $17 for the newborn starter set), but were the best investment I ever made for bottles. I don't use anything else.

Answer 2

Congrats on your baby girl! Here are my thoughts on your questions:

1.) I put both my kids in their cribs from day 1, so I don't have any experience with the transition. However, what I have learned is the sooner you break a habit, the better. Babies learn VERY quickly what they like and don't like. So it's either pain now or pain later.....take your pick. Since you are so sleep-deprived in the early days, it may be easier to let her sleep with you now(hopefully not in your bed as others have noted), and start the transition to the crib around 6 weeks. Also, regarding the night light -- it's not necessary for a baby. They don't have any concept of being afraid of the dark. That doesn't come until kids have budding imaginations. In fact, she probably prefers complete darkness; think about how dark it was in your womb!

2.) She would probably prefer it warm, since most babies do, but I don't think you *have* to warm it up. There's no difference between powder and liquid in terms of nutrition. There is a big difference in price, however. Ready-to-drink is much more expensive; it's also much more convenient. If you're feeding her formula 100% of the time, then there are no worries of opening a bottle and having it spoil before you can use it all. So it's up to you -- easy/costly vs. more work/cheaper.

3.) I hated the VentAir, too. Totally didn't work. My kids both loved the Avent bottles. I have friends who swear by Dr. Brown's. You could also try Nuk nipples -- I have friends who said their babies refused anything else. Make sure you don't have the top screwed on too tight. I had that problem with my first baby. I would screw the top on so tight so it wouldn't leak that it didn't allow the milk to flow. Like you said, he would suck and suck and suck and practically nothing would come out. Once I loosened it a bit, it worked just fine.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 3

1- I think a bassinet would be better if you wanted her to sleep in your room, a lot less walking around to get the baby when they need something. You'll also sleep a bit better if you have your own space and she has hers. I put my son in his own room at about 2 months. When he was sleeping well at night, and I just felt like the time was right. Make sure when she is in her crib it's for sleep time only, not play time.

2- I would recommend warming the bottle, it's more soothing/relaxing for the baby. As for powder or liquid, it's your choice really. The powder is cheaper, the liquid has to be used within 48hrs if I'm not mistaken, powder doesn't have to be refridgerated.

3- Avent bottles are great, Playtex Nursers are great too. The drop ins are easier on their stomach/less air.

Answer 4

I'd start working on her sleeping in her crib at night, now. It'll just get harder and harder the longer you wait. SHe used to sleeping in her crib during the day, not at night. My son slept in his crib from day one, they are perfectly fine in a crib at that young of an age, just get a baby monitor so you can hear her at night. She'll never leave your bed if you don't start now. My sister had her son sleep in the bed with her, and he's 9 and still hasn't left her bed. As for formula, she can drink it cold, but she may not like it, I'd get powder as it lasts longer than the ready made. If you really want to use the ready made buy the ones' that come in separate bottles, so th en you can feed them at room temp, and yo udon't have to worry about mixing or heating the bottles. I can't tell you what bottle would be better, I'm breastfeeding, my son likes the Avent bottles. If nothing is coming out of the nipple buy a nipple that has a bigger hole in it.

Answer 5

I will address your first question. I know the common advice is that you shouldn't sleep with your baby. I did it because this is what felt natural to me and my son. To have a newborn sleep alone in a large crib in the dark just doesn't seem right. Unless the people sleeping with the baby have had alcohol or drugs, the dangers are reduced. If you are still wanting to instill a certain patern for your baby of sleeping alone, try a bassinet beside the bed. That way, baby will be close but not in the same bed.

As for your question regarding powder vs. liquid, they are nutrionally equivalent. Powder is much cheaper so there is an advantage, but it also tends to clump and be a tad bit messier. If your budget permits liquid, then stick with that. At her young age, your baby would probably prefer her bottle to be room temperature.

Last question, I don't know of any better bottles than Vent Air.

Good luck with your new baby girl!!!

Answer 6

1. Put the baby in the crib now. Nip it in the bud early so you don't have major problems later on.

2. Room Temperature will be just fine and it is a lot easier than warming up bottles. (they used room temperature bottles in the NICU with my son) I think liquid is mixed better than powder formula but I used the powder and my kids did fine.

3. The only bottle my kids would take is the Advent bottles. To me they were the best. They are worth every penny.

Congrats and good luck. Enjoy your baby now because she will get big so fast.

Answer 7

1. Co-sleeping is not commonly accepted by pediatricians in America...risk of rolling over on the baby, etc...(*rolls eyes*) if you are comfortable with it then do it for a couple of weeks....I personally couldn't sleep with my son in the same bed.
2. It doesn't matter whether you heat it up or not...I suggest heating it a little in some warm water (not the microwave) before bedtime to help with sleeping. I like the powder formula better....I can have water already measured in a bottle and formula in th diaper bag and don't have to worry about it going sour.
3. Just the plain old Gerber bottles work great! And there's a plus: they are thinner than most so babies learn to hold their own bottle earlier!

Answer 8

If you let her sleep with you once she will be used to it, and appears she already is. Get a bassinet, or move her crib into your room.
I am assuming that you use the formula in a can and put whats left in the frig? If that is what you do, then you do need to warm up the bottle. Neither of my kids would take bottles cold. I think when it is warm it is easier for them to digest. I always used the powder formula, very rarely did I use the premade formula. But it is up to you.
If she is doing fine with the bottles that you are using then stick with it. They can get confused if you change the shape of the nipple a lot. With both of my girls we used just the plain old bottles, and if you burp them after every feeding, then they should be fine. We never had problems with neither of ours with gas using regular bottles.
Good luck, and enjoy her, she will grow up FAST.

Answer 9

I think you need to do what "feels right" for you and baby right now...worry about getting her into her crib when she is around 4 months. Ready made formula sometimes is better than powered because there are less bubbles which means, less gas. Everybody of course has their own opinion on that though. As far as bottles, I swear by the Dr. Browns bottles...the are a little expensive and kind of a pain to clean...but so worth it. They really reduce gas and spit up. I recommend heating her formula, because it will be easier on her lil tummy...but it won't hurt her to drink it room temp. Another good bottle is the avent. Good luck and Congrats!!

Answer 10

1. Bad idea to let your baby sleep with you in the bed... it puts her at risk for SIDS not only because you 2 could roll over her in your sleep but the fluffy pillows soft matress and blankets also ad to the risk. Put her in a pack in play if you don't have a bassinet until she is big enough for the crib (when she can roll over is when you go to the crib) if you want her close to you pull the bassinet or pack in play close to the bed with you, thats what I did with both of my sons.
2. The powdered formula is the easiest for my sons. You can use tap water to fix it (only if you have city water not well water) and don't have to boil it or spring water. You don't have to heat it up that way.. As long as the formula is at room temp, don't warm it.
3. Dr. Browns bottles are great! That is what I have used with my second son, I used the vent air with the first, and the Dr Browns bottles seem to last a lot longer, and are of better quality... plus I can put them in the dishwasher to clean them. They are known for reducing the symptoms of "colic" which is a mythical term... its just a fussy baby with a tummy ache. ANyways the dr brown bottles are wonderful, and you can see the air going out of the nipple away from your babies mouth.