Emotional and practical benefits of bottle feeding

Many mothers wonder about the benefits of bottle feeding compared to offering breastfeeding. Bottle feeding can basically come in two forms. You can give breast milk from the bottle or you give infant milk from the bottle. When you give breast milk from the bottle, you get the benefits of breastfeeding. We've told you before about these important benefits of breastfeeding. Now we would also like to highlight the benefits of bottle feeding, by which we mean feeding infant milk or follow-on milk to your baby.

The benefits of bottle feeding are of other value

When we put the benefits of formula alongside those of breastfeeding, it becomes immediately clear that the benefits of formula are of a completely different level. Do you want to make the best choice for your baby purely based on nutrients? Then breastfeeding is always the best option. Still, this may just be very unpleasant, painful or even impossible for you. You can then choose good quality formula just fine. The benefits of breastfeeding are mainly in terms of health, while the benefits of bottle feeding are mainly emotional and practical. We give you insight into 5 key benefits of bottle feeding.

1. You have more freedom

As a mother, you have significantly more freedom when you bottle-feed than when you breastfeed. Are you breastfeeding? Then you should always be around when your baby gets hungry. When you bottle feed, you can also leave feeding your baby to someone else if you need or want to get away from home for a while. You have more freedom, which certainly has advantages if you want to go back to work.

2. You know how much your baby is ingesting

It is always good to know how much your baby is actually taking in. This makes it easy to keep to a feeding schedule and you will notice immediately if your baby is not taking in enough. One of the advantages of bottle feeding over breastfeeding is that you can see exactly whether your baby is getting enough food. If you breastfeed, you cannot check this.

3. The number of feeding times decreases

Bottle-fed babies do not need to be fed as often as breast-fed babies. Of course, in both cases, the number of feedings per day decreases with time. In the first few weeks, your baby will clearly indicate when he or she is hungry. If you are breastfeeding, this will happen significantly more often than if you are bottle-feeding.

4. More people can bond with the baby

The feeding moment is also the time when a bond is built with the baby. If you are breastfeeding, then obviously you as the mother are the only one who can build a bond with the baby in this way. If you bottle-feed, then others can also build a bond with the baby through feeding. The most important person in this is of course the father, but you can also let siblings build a first bond in this way.

5. Benefits of bottle feeding for you as a mother

Physically, there are also some advantages to bottle feeding for you as a mother. Some women find it emotionally difficult to breastfeed. The threshold of feeding your baby yourself is lower with bottle feeding, which may make it less demanding emotionally. Make use of a feeding pillow to make the moment between you and your baby especially special. There are also women who experience a lot of discomfort or even pain while breastfeeding. Pain during breastfeeding can be quite intense and last for the duration of several weeks. Therefore, a major advantage of bottle feeding is that you do not experience these pain symptoms. So it can definitely be the best solution for you if you just really suffer a lot from offering breastfeeding.

Are there any disadvantages to bottle feeding?

Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages to bottle feeding compared to breastfeeding. One very important disadvantage is that formula does not provide the same protection against infections, diseases and illnesses as breast milk. In addition, offering formula also comes with a cost. Not only do you need the formula itself, but you also need to purchase other items, such as bottles and rubber teats. Of course, it is also true that breastfeeding is always available, whereas you have to prepare formula first and warm it up to the right temperature when your baby gets hungry.

The benefits of combining bottle feeding with breastfeeding

It is certainly not the case that you always have to make a choice between breastfeeding or bottle feeding. For you, a combination of both might be the best solution. This is very personal and is mostly up to you to discover. Order a practical feeding pillow from us that will provide more comfort for you and your baby both when breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Do you still have questions? Then feel free to contact us.