We often see that babies drink too slowly when thickened feeds are given with a teat that’s too small or when the baby is older and needs a faster flow. In both cases, it’s advisable to switch to a larger teat size, even if your baby is younger than the age indication on the teat packaging.
Tip: Thickened feeds such as rice cereal, grain cereals, and even carob bean gum, continue to thicken as they cool down. This can cause the feed to flow well at first, but become harder to suck through towards the end, leading to restless feeding or the baby not being able to get anything out.
This can be easily remedied by slightly thinning the last bit of feed with a little water or milk (just a few millilitres can make a difference), or by preparing and warming the feed in two portions.
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