Too Many Options For Feeding Your Newborn

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , October 23, 2018 () – I wish I was old enough to have my kid in the 1980s.

Three weeks ago today, my son entered this world. Daniel Charlie Barich—a perfectly healthy baby boy weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces—was born on Oct. 2 at 6:24 p.m. Pacific time.

At around 6:30 p.m. that night, the conflicting advice on how and when to feed him began.

Back in the 80s, I was told by my parents and in-laws, feeding babies was pretty basic. When they started screaming, feed them. You could breastfeed. You could use formula. There was no stigma either way. And if you did use formula, there wasn’t 25 million different types of choose from. Your options were limited and it was probably simpler that way.

But in the present day, feeding your baby is complicated to say the least. It’s gone way beyond bottle or breast. Let’s start with breastfeeding. First off, you have the enormous pressure to breastfeed because of the latest data showing how breastmilk is better for the baby than formula. Then there’s the argument of whether the baby must feed by sucking on the nipple or if it’s OK to put the breastmilk in a bottle and give it to the baby that way. And then there’s the bottle itself. I’ve determined that there are about 8 million different bottles out there, all of them touting that their design helps the milk go down “easier” for the baby. And if you even consider using a bottle other than one of these specialized bottles that cost as much as a semester of college, you’re shunned as a bad parent.

And then there’s formula. Beyond the previously mentioned stigma of going with a man-made option instead of nature’s milk, there’s tons of formula options to choose from. Organic, natural, easily digestible, similar to breastmilk, better than breastmilk, tailored for newborns, tailored for later months. While in the hospital, I dared to give my kid a quarter-ounce of generic formula (because the pediatrician recommended we do so, for reasons I don’t remember) and my wife is still yelling at me about it. God forbid my son should digest something that doesn’t have a fancy product claim!

But despite being overwhelmed by too many options and my own naivete as a new parent, my child seems relatively healthy at this point and time.

It must be that bottle I use with the bendable nipple.

It prevents gassiness, don’t you know.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. We invite you to come take a look at our service. Call us today at 310-553-0008 and we’ll schedule you for a 15-minute demo.

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