Cup feeding is a safe alternative feeding method that is used for many reasons including:
* Babies are born prematurely as young as 29 weeks.
* Babies are temporarily unable to breastfeed due to separation from their mother.
* Babies have medical conditions like cleft palates, tongue tie or weak sucking muscles.
* Babies refuse the breast.
* Mother takes a break from breastfeeding for any reason.
* Baby needs supplemented and families want to avoid using bottles
Cup feeding does not require a lot of equipment and cups can be cleaned and sterilized easier than bottles.

Before feeding, make sure your baby is in a quiet, awake and alert state. Hold baby upright so they don’t choke on the milk as they drink. Never have baby on their back while feeding. If they’re moving around a lot or their hands are you in the way, consider swaddling or wrapping their arms in a blanket, but not too tightly.

The best way to describe cup drinking is for baby to “slurp”, sip, or lap the milk up, similar to how a kitten drinks milk. Do not pour the milk into baby’s mouth, which may cause them to choke. The baby should be in control of drinking while you are facilitating by keeping the milk easily accessible.

* Stimulate baby’s rooting reflex by tapping their lower lip with the edge of the cup. This signals them that it’s feeding time.
* You want to make sure your baby’s tongue can move easily at the cup’s lower edge.
* Gently tip the cup to allow the milk to touch the cup’s edge. Keep the milk at the edge while allowing breathing and rest breaks.
* Allow baby to use their tongue to lap the milk from the cup.
* Stop feeding occasionally to burp (after about every 1/2 ounce).

Watch baby closely for cues that they’re done eating or getting overwhelmed by the milk. It should be a pleasant experience for both the feeder and the baby.
If the baby becomes stressed, stop and allow the baby to calm down.

#cupfeeding #cutebaby #bottlefeeding

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