Birth to 6 Months

Hello World

I’m your baby. You are my everything.
Please help me grow strong in body, heart, and mind. I grow best when you:

Hold me skin-to-skin or cuddle me. This is where I feel most safe.
Smile and talk to me. I learn so much from you.
Listen to me when I “talk” to you. I use my body movements and noises to tell you when I am hungry, full, uncomfortable, or just tired.

Breastfeeding

You have what I need to grow.

Breast milk is the perfect food and all I need to grow and develop for my first 6 months.

It has all the nutrients I need to help me stay healthy and not get sick.
Your breast milk changes as I grow. The longer we breastfeed, the healthier you and I will be.

Talk with our healthcare provider if we are exclusively breastfeeding to ask if I need extra vitamin D. Ask about an iron supplement when I’m about 6 months old.

Formula Feeding

If I drink formula, it’s important to mix the ingredients the right way. Follow the mixing directions on the can.

If I drink powder formula always add water to the bottle first, then the powder formula.

Always use the scoop provided in the can of formula and make sure to use a level scoop.

Use prepared infant formula within 2 hours after taking it out of the refrigerator.

Once I start feeding, throw away any formula left in the bottle after 1 hour.

Paced Bottle Feeding

Whether it’s breast milk or formula in my bottle:

Start by offering only a small amount at a time, 2 to 3 ounces of breast milk or formula.

Let me be in control of how fast I drink from the bottle.

Trust me to know when I am full. Please don’t make me finish a bottle.

Never microwave breast milk or formula. “Hot spots” can burn my mouth. Ouch! Warm up my bottles in hot water instead.

To learn more about paced bottle feeding visit https://www.itsworthitct.org/uploads/7/6/2/7/76278053/breastfeeding_child_care_toolkit_mom_2-6-19.pdf

I Need Your Touch

Hold me when you feed me.
I feel safe with you and love to look at your face.

Sometimes I may take a break from eating, even though I’m not full yet. I just want to rest or share some special time with you.

Help me stay awake while you feed me. Please don’t prop up my bottle. I could choke or get an ear infection.

I Need to Eat Often

My stomach is small. Whether I breastfeed or drink expressed breast milk or formula from the bottle, my tummy can hold about 2 to 3 ounces at a time. I eat often for this reason. I will do my job to take what I need so I can be healthy.

Birth to 3 Months

My tummy can hold about 2 to 3 ounces at a time.

I will want to eat 8 to 12 times in 24 hours.

Feed me every 1½ to 3 hours.

4 to 6 Months

My tummy can hold about 4 to 6 ounces at a time.

I will want to eat about 6 to 8 times in 24 hours.

Remember, all babies are different. I may eat different amounts from one day to the next. As I become older and my stomach grows, I may eat less often, but can eat more at each feeding.

Look for My Signs

I use body movements and make noises to let you know what I need. If you look for these signs, you can respond to me before I start to cry. I am much easier to feed when I am calm.

When I’m starting to get hungry, I might:

Bring my hands to or near my mouth
Move my arms and legs
Make sucking noises
Move my mouth or tongue
Turn my head or search for the nipple (root)

When I’m feeling full, I might:

Suck slower or stop sucking
Relax my hands and arms
Turn away from the nipple
Push away
Fall asleep
Frown, fuss, or kick if you keep feeding me

Growth Spurts

As I grow, my routine might change, and I may want to eat and sleep or seem more unsettled than usual. These are called growth spurts.

All babies are different, but my growth spurts might happen when I’m around the ages of:

Your body also knows what I need and will make more milk to keep up with my growth spurts. The more often you breastfeed or pump, the more milk you will make.

If I act hungry after I finish a feeding, offer me the breast again. If I am taking a bottle, offer me another ounce or two.

Play with me!

I’m ready to learn about you, me, and the world we live in. I want to discover what my body can do.

When I’m alert and relaxed, put me on a blanket on the floor. Stay with me and watch how I stretch and kick my legs and move my arms. I’m making them stronger.

Playing helps me learn, improve coordination, build strength, explore, and bond with you!

Give me tummy time when we play.

Look what I can do!

I learn best when I feel happy, loved, and safe.

Birth to 3 Months

The world is new to me. It can be scary. I may cry a lot at first.

Crying is my way to say I need you.
When we are skin-to-skin, I calm down. I learn that you care.
Holding me will not spoil me.

I must learn what day and night are.

At first, I sleep, wake up and eat, and go back to sleep often. This is normal and helps me grow.
After I am 3 months old, I may sleep for longer periods of time.
Please be patient as I learn.

I know your voice.

I like to watch you and learn what you do.
Show things to me and tell me about them.

3 to 6 Months

I start to settle into a routine.

I can sleep longer at night.

I’m growing strong and active.

I can hold my head up.
I use my hands to pick things up and put them in my mouth. Keep an eye on me so I don’t choke.
I know my name when you say it.
I babble ba-ba-ba!
I can laugh.
Let’s play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.

Please read to me.

Show me the pictures and tell me what they are.

Keep me safe and healthy.

Always put me to sleep alone on my back, and in my crib or pack-n-play.

We can share a room, but not the same bed. I could suffocate if a blanket, pillow, or toy covers my mouth or nose.

Wash your hands before making my food and feeding me.

After I eat, wipe my gums with a clean, soft, wet cloth, especially before bed.

Wait until I’m about 6 months of age before offering solid foods. I need time to develop my immune system and strengthen the muscles in my mouth to eat and swallow foods properly.
If I’m given solid foods before I’m ready, I could choke or get sick.

DO NOT let me have these foods until I am at least 1 year old:

Cow’s milk or other non-dairy milks (like soy or almond milk). It’s too hard for me to digest and may cause health problems.

Honey and foods made with honey. Honey can contain bacteria that cause infant botulism, or food poisoning. These bacteria are harmless to older kids and adults.

Introducing Peanut Butter

If my healthcare provider says it is ok, let me try peanut butter around 6 months of age. Doing this might help prevent a peanut allergy as I grow older.

In the morning, mix one teaspoon of peanut butter with breast milk or formula. Make it thin and easy to swallow.

Use a spoon to offer a taste of the thinned product. Wait 10 minutes, then offer more. Watch for any reaction for the next 2 hours.