Mistakes when mixing powdered milk for children

Not only do breastfeeding mothers have trouble with their babies' eating, but even mothers who feed their babies with formula milk also have many issues to discuss. Mixing formula milk for babies seems like a simple task, but many mothers still do it incorrectly.

As a result, children cannot absorb all the nutrients in powdered milk, and even lead to other bad health and digestive problems. Here are 7 mistakes that women make when mixing powdered milk for their children:

1. Use mineral water or purified bottled water to mix milk.

Some mothers are too careful, sometimes it can harm their children. Currently, there are many types of mineral water on the market, on average, 1 liter of mineral water contains about 11 - 17 mg of calcium, 95 - 130 mg of sodium... Therefore, some parents when raising children under 1 year old use mineral water to mix milk, to supplement minerals for children. Moreover, women think that purified bottled water is the cleanest. But according to nutrition experts, this should not be done.

Mineral water contains too many minerals, leading to excess when mixed with milk. For example: Excess calcium can lead to constipation, kidney stones, high blood calcium, poor kidney function, reduced absorption of other minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium); excess sodium will make the body tired, thirsty, dry cells, and in the long term lead to high blood pressure...

In addition, using mineral water to mix milk for children to drink also has the risk of creating some dangerous intermediate substances. Therefore, mothers should only use natural boiled water that has been cooled down, which is ideal.

2. Prepare milk for your baby to use

Some women, wanting to “kill two birds with one stone”, decide to prepare a large bottle in advance and store it in the refrigerator, then heat it up and feed it to their children when needed. This is not good for children. Prepared milk left at room temperature can only be kept for 1 hour. If a mother prepares a large bottle of milk and stores it in the refrigerator without using it, it should also be discarded within 24 hours of preparation. Pre-mixed bottled milk for children over 1 year old can only be kept for 48 hours after opening.

Prepared milk can only be kept for 1 hour at room temperature (illustrative photo)

3. Save the remaining milk for the next feeding.

Many mothers, because they feel sorry for their children, intentionally leave leftover milk for the next feeding without realizing that when the baby puts his mouth on the bottle, bacteria from the air and the baby's mouth can be transferred to the milk, stay there and affect the baby's health. Normally, a bottle of milk that has been put in the baby's mouth can only be used within 60 minutes.

If your baby drinks too much milk after that time, feel free to throw away the leftover milk or, more economically, give your baby some more milk.

4. Mix milk with thin rice water

Cow's milk contains a lot of vitamin A, while rice water and porridge are mainly starch with lipoxidase - a substance that destroys vitamin A. Adding rice water or porridge to milk accidentally causes mothers to lose the amount of vitamin A that is essential for the development of young children. In addition, the starch in porridge and rice water will compete with calcium for absorption. Children may have slow growth in height, slow teething, restless sleep, crying at night, etc. due to poor absorption of calcium in milk. On the other hand, milk companies have come up with the most standard formula for their products. Milk mixed with thin porridge can cause deterioration or even digestive disorders, leading to weight loss in young children.

5. Reduce or increase the amount of spoonfuls of powder in a given amount of water.

Many mothers, wanting their children to eat more deeply and gain weight better, deliberately add 1-2 spoons of powdered milk to the manufacturer's standard. Some mothers, because they feel sorry for spending money on milk for their children, decide to dilute it. This is completely wrong. For infants under 1 year old, the main source of nutrition is still milk. If the mixture is too thick, the baby will be dehydrated. If the mixture is too thin, the baby may not absorb enough necessary nutrients.

Researchers have spent a lot of time researching the most standard ratio of powder and liquid, so that nutrients and vitamins are completely dissolved and the baby's immature digestive system can absorb them in the best way. Therefore, mothers should not try to "mix" powdered milk according to their own formula. Let the scientists do it.

6. Not sterilizing bottles and nipples

All baby bottles, nipples and other baby equipment must be sterilized at least once before use. After that, mothers can clean them with specialized bottle cleaner and rinse them with boiling water. This is a general recommendation from all manufacturers of baby bottles and baby equipment.

7. Heat milk in the microwave

If there’s anything more important than convenience, it’s your baby’s health and safety. Microwaves not only destroy vitamins and minerals, but they also create hot and cold spots that can burn your baby while feeding. Warm your milk in a bottle warmer or simply soak the bottle in a bowl of hot water for just 30 seconds to 1 minute.

According to Discovery