Basic Information About Bottle Feeding

Many women feel that breastfeeding a baby helps develop a closer mother-child bond, as compared to bottle feeding. But that's not entirely true. When you bottle feed you do get a chance to hold your baby close to your body and nurture and strengthen the relationship with him. There could be various reasons for introducing a baby to a bottle. Maybe the mother needs to get back to work and hence the baby needs to start off on a bottle, the mother has some physical ailment which makes it impossible to breastfeed, or it could be time to wean the baby from the breast to a bottle. Whatever the reason, you should be fully aware of the bottle feeding techniques which will ensure the safety and good health of your infant. For a newborn, it's fairly easy to start off on a bottle, whereas for a breastfed baby, introducing a bottle can be as easy as a pie, or turn out to be a nightmare for some parents.

Introducing the Baby to a Bottle
There is no fixed time for this. Every baby is unique, and as the mother, you are probably the best person to judge when your kid should start using a bottle. A sign that your baby might be ready for it is when he nurses less than usual. It's not just the baby, weaning an infant can be hard for the mother too. So give it a good thought before you think of starting the bottle, keeping yours and your baby's needs in mind. As much as breastfeeding has its advantages, bottle feeding scores when another caregiver, especially the dad can also hold and feed the baby. To make the switch easier, start with combination feeding, breastfeeding thrice a day, and the remaining times use a bottle. Begin by feeding your baby expressed milk, and then slowly transition to formula. Breast milk is easier to digest than formula, so the feeding frequency and bowel movements too change accordingly. The transition phase may be stressful for your infant, so hold and cuddle your baby more. Never ever quit breastfeeding cold turkey!

Choosing the Right Baby Bottles
Baby bottles are available in both plastic and glass. The advantage of plastic bottles is they are much lighter and do not break. If you opt for plastic bottles, look for ones that are labeled BPA-free.

Bottle nipples are either made from silicone or latex and available in several sizes. Whichever material you use, ensure that the size of the hole is right, and the flow of the liquid through it isn't too less or too much. You can check how the liquid flows from the nipple. Fill the bottle with water, attach the nipple and invert it. You should get a steady drip. The water should not rush out, nor should it be so slow that you have to shake the bottle hard. You may want to try using a few till you realize which fits your baby's needs best. With prolonged use, nipples can get worn out and even fade in color. Discard them immediately.

Sterilizing Baby Bottles
Before initial use you must sterilize the baby bottle, including other parts like the lid, nipples, and any cap that may come with it. Boil water in a large pot and while it continues to boil, immerse all the bottle parts in it for 5 minutes. For subsequent use, after every feed, wash everything using hot water and a mild soap. Properly clean the nipple hole by squirting water a few times through it. Bottles can also be washed in a dishwasher.

Preparing the Formula
For formula preparation, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Do not add extra formula and do not dilute it either. Always use iron-fortified formula. Use boiled water that has been cooled down. Always use water that is lukewarm or at room temperature. If your baby prefers warm water, fill the bottle with warm water before you add the formula. Or immerse the bottle in hot water for a few seconds to warm up the contents. Never add cold water and microwave the bottle. Microwave heats food unevenly, and your baby could be at a risk of scalding his mouth. The bottle might even explode inside the microwave.

After you have prepared the formula, shake the bottle well, and do a temperature test. Allow a drop to trickle on the back of your palm or the inside of your wrist and see how warm it is. Unused formula should be refrigerated right away. Do not use prepared formula that has been lying in the bottle, unrefrigerated for over an hour.

Positioning the Baby
Before you hold the baby, make sure you are sitting comfortably. Tie a bib around the baby. Now pick up the baby and hold him close, at a slight incline (the head should be higher than the rest of the body). This prevents the buildup of gas when the baby is drinking. Put the nipple against the baby's lips and hold the bottle such that the neck of the bottle is filled with the milk. Support your baby's head throughout the feed. Never feed a baby who's lying on his back. This is dangerous as babies can choke and such feeding puts them at greater risk of ear infections. Never leave the baby alone with a bottle, propped up against a pillow.

How Much Milk Should the Baby Drink
For a newborn, start off with not more than 2 ounces for a single feeding. Increase the quantity gradually, when your baby finishes all at one go and look for cues that he is hungry for more. A hungry infant might continue to suck even after emptying the bottle. In such a case, offer more milk or formula. For an infant that has made the switch to a bottle, give him as many ounces of milk as half his weight. Don't expect your baby to finish everything at one go, and don't force it either. Babies instinctively know when they are full, and will stop feeding automatically by turning away their mouths and looking uninterested. If you are worried whether your baby has had enough milk, notice the signs which tell you he is feeling contented after a feeding and check whether he is gaining weight regularly.

Once the baby has finished feeding, you must burp the baby. At all times keep a burp cloth ready. Gently put the baby on his stomach over a burp cloth and slide your hands over his back a few times till you hear a burp. Or hold him such that his head is over your shoulder, and pat his back gently. You might want to drape the burp cloth over your shoulder when you burp him this way. Babies might not always emit an audible burp. But rubbing your hands over his back and patting him will eliminate the buildup of air bubbles from his body.

When and how to start bottle feeding should be entirely a personal choice, and not influenced by what others say or think. Every baby will have his unique feeding schedule and it will be some time before both you and the baby adjust to it. If you have any doubts, voice them to the pediatrician, he or she is the best person to guide you when it comes to the well-being of your baby.

Tips for Color Washing Furniture

We recently visited a creative arts studio. The room was filled with an air of creativity all around, what impressed us was the furniture that was a part of the interiors. A rusty and country look dominated every piece of furniture, it was simply stunning. It was not a fancy layout with the most expensive finishes, but a simple yet creative idea. The technique of color washing furniture is creating superb finishes and the out come is a special make over to old furniture. It is one of the most popular techniques among the different furniture painting ideas.



Furniture makes up most of the interiors and color washing furniture is just the right and inexpensive way to revamp even the smallest piece of it. Color washing rules a washed and rusty look, however, you can choose different color washing techniques, contrasts and colors that can give you a variety of looks as per your tastes and style. It will change the complete look of the furniture. Not only is it used for coloring walls but also for making creative items, for furniture, and more. It is an easy process that can be mastered. If you thought making furniture look pretty was just a task for skilled hands, you might just want to try color washing furniture. The only skills required here are creativity, creativity and creativity. For beginners and the not so beginners, here are some tips on color washing furniture that will make color washing an easy and fun experience.



How to Color Wash Furniture

Color washing is done by coating a surface base color with translucent latex paint and glaze mixed with another color. This is done in layers, and the effect is a great combination of luster and texture. Most commonly color washing is done using a paint brush, however, you can use many other things like a sponge, or hard cloth, etc. Below mentioned is a detailed way to color wash furniture.

• The pattern should be decided first. When you color wash, it will give you a specific texture and effect. You may want to try this on a small part of the furniture first, or even a small piece of cardboard. For beginners too, it is advised to first try it on another surface, before the final hand on the furniture.
• Now the materials you will need are: painters tape, rough cloth, paint brushes, paint colors that you wish to color wash the furniture, and sand paper.
• Furniture that can be painted can be anything like old chairs, tables and even cabinets. Whatever the texture of the furniture, a color wash can be easily applied.
• Cover any flooring or other area properly with cloth, to avoid spoiling and coloring unwanted places and things. Next if there is one part of the furniture that you do not want the color wash in, cover it with painters tape. Or if you want a different color or texture in a certain part, cover that part with tape.
• Take sand paper, and smoothen out the surface of the furniture, you can use a 200 grit sand paper. But do so very lightly, if you want some texture of the wood to be seen. Once finished wipe the piece of furniture with a rough cloth. Paint the furniture with a base color and leave it to dry, at least for an hour.
• After it is dry, use glaze mixed with the desired color, and coat the surface of the furniture. The proportion can be in the ratio of 4:1. That means 4 parts of glaze for every 1 part of paint. You can use a hard brush, or sponge or cloth for this. It depends on what kind of texture or finished surface you want. A soft cloth will give you a very subtle color wash, while a sponge can be used for moderate texture, a brush will give you fine lines.
• You can either give crisscross strokes, horizontal or vertical strokes, or you can even give a circular finish. Use your creativity here. A sponge can be used in a circular motion for a color wash, while a brush is best used for lining and crisscrossing. You can also stipple the surface of the color wash with a hard brush.
• When this coat is semi dry, you can dab a cloth or use a soft brush to soften the look further. You can also use one or more coats of glaze, depending on the final output that you want.
• During this process, the base color is also seen. You can also see the wash of glaze and other contrasting color on the top coat in the color wash. You can create stunning contrasts, texture, depth and designs when color washing. Experiment on a small card board first to check what will look best. You can also coat with transparent latex varnish.

The color wash style and combination will also depend on the type of furniture. The place or area that it will be kept. For an open porch, lawns and gardens, used earthy and rustic colors with textures, crisscross or simple fine lines. The dining areas can have more warm colors. The living room can have fun colors, while the bedroom can be a little subtle by using sponge or a cloth used for color washing.



Color washing is a simple yet unique way to redesign your furniture and create a different and new look. It can be used just on any surface and anything like on walls, artifacts, ceramics and more. It can also help you retain old furniture with a new look, which is good for the environment too. So thinking of refurbishing? Think of color wash. Simple. Stunning. Creative.

How to Correctly Grip a Squash Racquet

Mastering a sport, while definitely requiring practice, also requires the player to start off with the correct techniques of playing the sport. If you pick up wrong techniques and continue with them, your game can suffer, and it will take a lot of effort from your side to correct these techniques later on. Once you have familiarized yourself with the basic rules of squash, you can move on to choosing the right racquet and grip, the right shoes, and so on... The correct grip can add that power, zing, spin, accuracy, and variation in your shots, giving you an advantage in your game.



The term 'Grip' can mean two things. One refers to the way you hold the racquet, while the other refers to the padding on the handle, which is fitted on it to make the handle fit properly in your palm. Both are important when it comes to squash. The correct size of the grip will make the racquet fit more snugly in your palm and thus give you better hold on the racquet.