Show This document is not intended to take the place of the care and attention of your personal physician or other professional medical services. Our aim is to promote active participation in your care and treatment by providing information and education. Questions about individual health concerns or specific treatment options should be discussed with your physician.
St. Jude complies with health care-related federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATTENTION: If you speak another language, assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-866-278-5833 (TTY: 1-901-595-1040). ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-866-278-5833 (TTY: 1-901-595-1040). تنبيه: إذا كنت تتحدث باللغة العربية فيمكنك الاستعانة بخدمات المساعدة اللغوية المتوفرة لك مجانا. .يرجى الاتصال بالرقم. 5833-278-866-1 (الهاتف النصي: 1040-595-901-1). Let me just start off by saying, my daughter is breast fed through out the day and has a bottle of formula right before bed time and that’s usually the only time she’ll have formula. Tonight while making the 4oz bottle I accidentally diluted the formula by only putting one scoop instead of two. This is the first time this has happened. What should I do? Experts warn parents of the dangers of inexact mixing of infant formula. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Mixing infant formula can become so routine, it’s easy to lose sight of what a baby bottle contains. But that formula, designed to meet an infant’s nutritional needs, should never be taken lightly, say pediatric experts with Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “You have to be precise in mixing the formula,” says Lana Gagin, MD, the medical director of the hospital’s Well Baby Unit. “If you mix formula incorrectly―if you water it down or make it too concentrated―it disturbs the electrolyte balance, which may lead to serious neurological consequences.” The wrong balance of formula and water can cause nutritional deficiencies or dehydration. In the most severe cases, it can lead to a stroke, seizure, coma or even death for an infant.
Getting nutrition right, day in and day out, is crucial for rapidly growing babies, says Daniel Fain, MD, a pediatric neurologist. “Babies’ nervous systems are developing at an astounding rate,” he says. “If they are iron-deficient, or deficient in trace minerals, or especially deficient in protein or fats, that’s going to lead to nutritional problems.” In the first two years of life, for example, a child develops most of the myelination of the neurons in the brain. Myelin, a fatty coating on the axon of each neuron, “is crucial for proper information transmission and storage in the brain,” Dr. Fain says. “It’s important for memory, for fast reactions, for processing information and acting on it in the environment. It’s just vital.” Follow directionsThe use of infant formula affects families across the country. Although 79 percent of newborns in the U.S. breastfeed, only 49 percent still breastfeed at 6 months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pediatricians do not advise giving cow’s milk to children until they are at least 1 year old. So, a lot of babies rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs. “Unfortunately, mistakes happen―not very often, but they do happen,” Dr. Gagin says. First-time parents, overwhelmed with advice, education and the demands of caring for a newborn, are especially vulnerable, she says. She encourages parents to reach out to their doctors for additional support or to alert them if they suspect any problems. Dr. Gagin offers the following tips in preparing formula:
Standard infant formula delivers 20 calories per ounce. “That is close to the calorie load in breast milk,” Dr. Gagin says. “This is what a healthy term baby needs.” In some cases, with babies who are premature or have special needs, a pediatrician might recommend a slightly different mix of formula―one that would deliver 22 or 24 calories per ounce. Parents with any questions or concerns should not hesitate to go over the directions carefully with their physician, she says. Early signs of problemsThe physicians also advised parents to be alert to signs of nutritional problems in their babies. “If a child has a nutritional issue or is dehydrated, they are going to be lethargic, typically,” Dr. Fain says. “Excessive sleeping, inactivity, regression of development―those would be the big concerns.” If a baby’s fontanelle―the soft spot on the skull―looks sunken, that also can be a sign of problems. Often, a decrease in wet diapers can be a first sign of dehydration. If parents struggle to afford infant formula, Dr. Fain encourages them to seek help. WIC, the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, may provide assistance. Dr. Gagin also urges parents to get medical advice if they see signs of problems―or even if a caregiver accidentally mixed the formula wrong. “Parents need to be proactive,” she says, urging caregivers to call their pediatrician or specialist any time, day or night, if there is a concern. “We would much rather hear from our patients if they are ever in doubt.” “I want parents to know they are not alone,” Dr. Fain adds. “There is help. If they are struggling to provide nutrition or if they have questions, they can reach out to their providers. “Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to speak up about anything when it comes to your baby.”
Baby formula is expensive, and a hungry baby can gobble up 30 or more ounces per day, costing parents as much as $3,000 per year, or more if their baby needs specialized formula. As a parent on a tight budget, you may be tempted to water down the formula to make it last longer, but that practice can be very harmful for your baby. If the price of formula is a hardship, your pediatrician may be able to provide samples free of cost to you. In addition, some formula companies will send you free samples, especially if you've given birth to multiples. Water IntoxicationToo much water is dangerous for infants, according to ScientificAmerican.com. Babies don't have the ability to process water out of their bodies until they are at least 10 months old, and too much water can dilute their blood and interfere with their electrolytes, causing sodium and potassium levels to plummet and possibly resulting in brain damage or seizures. A Florida mother tried to save money by shorting each batch of formula by two scoops, according to a report on ABC News, and her 5-month-old son suffered a seizure, was underweight and almost died because of water intoxication. Baby formula is designed to give babies the exact nutritional building blocks they need to grow and thrive, including protein, fat and carbohydrate as well as vitamins and some minerals. Changing the concentration of the formula will affect the nutrition your baby receives from it. Baby formula is specifically designed to give your baby the appropriate nutrition for age and weight. Some formulas are fortified with additional minerals, such as iron, to meet specialized needs of babies. Diluting baby formula means you're also diluting the iron your baby needs, potentially causing anemia. Fluoride OverdoseBabies are sensitive to the fluoride that exists in tap water, reports the Fluoride Action Network. If you dilute your baby's formula with water that has been treated with fluoride -- as most public water sources are -- you risk a fluoride overdose for your child. Excessive fluoride can permanently damage tooth buds, causing your child's teeth to be stained brown or black when they emerge. Check bottled water, too, as much of it is treated with fluoride. Sodium OverdoseSome treated tap water has high levels of sodium. A study cited at Doctor's Guide Channels showed that babies developed hypertension when given too much sodium-infused water when formula was prepared according to the manufacturer's directions. Overdiluting formula can cause sodium levels to increase even more. Dangers and Symptoms of Failure to ThriveWhen you see a baby face with round cheeks that you just want to pinch, that is a good sign. Fatty tissue usually means your baby is thriving and eating well. The absence of fatty tissue is a symptom of failure to thrive, or poor growth. Excessively wrinkled skin, tiny arms and legs, visible ribs and thin buttocks are also symptoms to look for. Malnutrition in an infant can lead to brain damage and possible death, according to a report from the Child Welfare League of America. |