Safety issues with bottle feeding

Bottle feeding is an alternative to breastfeeding. Many new mothers, who are unable to breastfeed or want to feed formula milk along with breastfeeding, choose to bottle-feed their children. Some mothers even feed breast milk through bottles. Health experts nowadays are, however, worried over the feeding bottle. Although the plastic container that has been seen as many a modern mother's readymade solution to soothe a crying baby, it is one of the major causes of diarrhoea in infants, according to paediatricians. The risk of infection is high as microorganisms may stick on the neck of the bottle and transmit to the infant with reuse of the bottle. Diarrhoea in malnourished and underweight infants can prove life-threatening. And it is a reason why bottle feeding should be discouraged.
Feeding bottles require intensive sterilisation and regular cleaning, something which is not feasible in Bangladesh, where access to drinkable water and sanitation are problematic. In developing countries where disposable bottles are the norm, bottle feeds may not pose a problem, but most of our households reuse and rewash the bottle several times. So, what are the paediatricians telling our young mothers? Simply use a spoon and a little cup for this.

Abu Elias Linkon,
Banasree, Dhaka,
lightening_sparkle@yahoo.com