Be it breast or bottle feeding, hygiene is something that cannot be overemphasized when it comes to feeding the baby. In this report, VERA ONANA writes about unhygienic feeding techniques that could make the baby sick.
Eleven-months-old Lilian was dehydrated by the time her disheveled mother brought her to the paediatrician. The baby looked psale and frail. According to her mother, she suddenly started passing out watery stool which was later accompanied by fever and vomiting. The little girl was taken immediately to the emergency room but her mother was further probed. The doctor’s finding pointed towards possible contamination which may have led to bacterial infection.
“Bacteria are ubiquitous and while a percentage of such organisms may be non-pathogenic, the few that are can do a great deal of damage if not curtailed by proper hygiene techniques,” said Adewale Adekunle of the Department of Microbiology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
According to experts, mothers often times, unconsciously expose their babies to pathogenic organism that could be capable of predisposing babies to infections by certain unhygienic habits. Paediatricians stress the need for thoroughly cleaning and sterilizing all equipment used for feeding and preparing babies’ feeds. “ If these precautions are not strictly adhered to, the baby could come down with a range of symptoms associated to pathogenic pathogens of food and water,” experts say. A mother may be exposing her baby to illness if her hands are not thoroughly cleaned before touching sterilising or feeding equipment. Also, if the feeding equipment and the preparation equipment are not thoroughly washed in hot soapy water, a baby may not be safe. It is important that the bottle and teat brushes should for scrubbing inside and outside of bottles and teats are free of any food residue but in cases where this happens, contamination of the food and infection of the baby may be imminent. Breastfeeding mothers, who do not make personal hygiene a priority, expose their babies to illness by contamination, experts’ advice.
Adekunle explained that some hygienic habits like ensuring the water used in the preparation of the baby’s food is sterile will help prevent the baby from falling ill since young babies are at higher risk of getting sick from germs and bacteria because their immune systems are still developing.
He added that the equipment also used in the preparation of the food from plates to cups to spoons and bottles must be adequately sterilized. The handlers also must maintain a good level of hygiene by washing their hands before and after food preparation to avoid cross contamination. “In the case of breast feeding, the mother must ensure to take regular baths and wear clean underwear and clothes at all time,” Adekunle said.
According to medical and nutritional experts the following step by step guide to preparing a powdered-formula feed should be followed at all times to ensure safety:
- The water should be freshly boiled and mothers must avoid the usage of water that has been previously boiled.
- The freshly boiled water should be allowed to cool until it is lukewarm for at least 30 minutes.
- Mothers should ensure to clean and disinfect the surface on which the baby formula is goint to be prepared. This can be done with mopping the surface with cotton wool dabbed in disinfectant.
- A mothers’ hand should be washed thoroughly, using soap and then dried.
- If a cold-water sterilizer is being used, it is advisable to shake off any excess solution from the bottle and the teat, or rinse the bottle with cooled boiled water.
- The bottle should be placed on a clean surface and mothers should ensure to keep the teat and cap on the upturned lid of the sterilizer, not on the work surface.
- The manufacturer’s instructions must be strictly followed and by holding the edge of the teat, it can be placed on the bottle and screwed to the retaining ring onto the bottle. The bottle must be properly shaken to ensure that the powder dissolves.
- Mothers are advised to test the temperature of the infant formula on the inside of their wrist before giving it to the baby. It should be body-temperature, which means it should feel just warm, but not hot. Also, if there is any made-up infant formula left after a feed, it is advisable to throw it away.
Bacteria in infant formula
According to experts, powdered infant formula is not a sterile product. Even when tins and packets of powdered infant formula are sealed, they can sometimes contain bacteria but the risk of a harmful infection remains low if the formula is prepared properly.
Infants are not at risk from bacteria when formula is prepared properly with lukewarm (body temperature) previously boiled water, and used within one hour of being made. However, babies may be at risk when conditions allow bacteria to multiply to harmful levels, such as through poor storage practices.
To effectively control the growth of bacteria, experts advise the following:
Formula should always be prepared in a clean area.
Fresh water should be boiled, then allowed to cool until lukewarm.
After adding the powder to the measured water in the bottle, mix well and test the temperature of the milk with a few drops on the inside of the wrist. It should feel just warm, but cool is better than too hot.
Ideally only one bottle of formula should be prepared at a time, and it should be offered to the baby without delay.
A feed should take no longer than one hour. Any formula that has been at room temperature for longer than one hour should be discarded.
Any formula left at the end of the feed must be discarded.
If formula is prepared in advance (for example for a babysitter) it must be refrigerated (at 5°C or below) and used within 24 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate prepared sterilised bottles of boiled water and use as required, first warming by standing bottle in a container of warm water and then adding formula.
Preparation and hygiene of infant formula
A baby’s immune system is not as strong or as well developed as an adult’s. This means that babies are much more susceptible to illness and infection. Therefore, good hygiene is very important when making up a feed.
All equipment used to feed your baby must be sterilised. Bottles, teats and any other feeding equipment need to be cleaned and sterilised before each feed to reduce the chances of your baby falling sick or getting diarrhoea. Boiling is the preferred option for sterilising bottles and other feeding equipment.
Adekunle stated that cleanliness is critical to prevent contamination of prepared baby’s formula, bottles and components used for feeding. “Harmful bacteria can be carried on preparation utensils, preparation surfaces, and hands, particularly after using the toilet or changing a diaper. The same cleaning practices should be followed before cleaning the feeding and preparation equipment and before preparing the formula,” he admonished.
Bottles, bottle nipples, cups, scoops, and spoons should be washed in hot, soapy water, and clean bottle and nipple brushes should be used to thoroughly remove any remaining formula. Bottles and their components should be rinsed in clean water. They also can be sterilized in a commercial home sterilizer or by boiling.
If not used immediately, all bottle components should be fully assembled to prevent the inside of the bottle and the bottle nipple from becoming contaminated.