If you have used another sterile container to collect the milk, make sure the bottle you put it into before feeding the recruit is sterile.

Milk in the refrigerator may separate. This is fine. Just shake the contents of the bottle gently.

How to prepare a formula bottle
Ideally, formula is prepared as needed. Pour the mixture with cold water, stir and bring to body temperature by immersing the bottle in warm water or placing it in a heater. You will need:

• powder milk formula for newborns;

• sterilized bottle;

• clean hands and an accurate eye.

Frozen breast milk can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. It must be frozen in sterilized bottles or in special plastic bags for breast milk. Not заполняйте их доверху, так как молоко в процессе замораживания имеет свойство увеличиваться в объеме. Frozen breast milk should be thawed in the refrigerator before use. Repeated freezing of milk is not allowed.

On the packaging of any milk formula, instructions from the manufacturer are necessarily printed. Always follow it exactly. This is an absolute rule! Never dilute the mixture "by eye": an excess or lack of powder can lead to serious problems. If you reduce the concentration of the mixture, the recruit will not get the right amount of nutrients if you increase it, it can provoke constipation and dehydration.

Formula feeding safety rules.

1. Only boiled water should enter the bottle. Follow the dosage exactly. Add cold water, bringing the amount of the mixture to the required.

2. Use a special measuring spoon. Scoop up the powder and gently tap the back of the measuring spoon with a clean knife to ensure there are no air pockets in the powder (do not tamp the mixture) and run the blunt side of the knife across the surface of the measuring spoon to remove any excess.

3. Close the bottle with a cap and shake well until the powder dissolves without residue. If you can't find the cap, pinch the hole in the nipple with your finger (very clean) and shake the bottle.

4. Warm up the bottle as described above and on p. 32. Try to cook for the recruit exactly as much mixture as he needs in accordance with his age. Notдоеденную смесь выбрасывайте (повторное использование смеси не допускается, так как это крайне благоприятная среда для развития бактерий).

For a video on how to prepare a liquid formula bottle, see http://www.commandodad.com (Resources).

How much milk does a recruit need? Alas, there is no exact answer to this question. Every day you will understand your recruit better and learn to distinguish between the signals he gives that he is still hungry or, conversely, full. Until that time, just estimate the amount of the minimum required daily ration. It depends on the weight of the recruit. On average, in the first month of life, a newborn should drink 100 g of milk with 6-7 meals a day.

How to heat a bottle of formula and breast milk
1. As already mentioned, the temperature of milk for a recruit should be equal to body temperature or slightly higher.

2. Not следует пользоваться микроволновкой, в которой молоко нагревается слишком быстро и неравномерно. There may be areas of too hot milk in the bottle, which can burn the recruit.

3. Heat milk slowly. Place the bottle in a saucepan or pot of hot (but not boiling) water.

4. Remove the bottle and shake the milk to make sure it heats up evenly.

5. Put a few drops on your wrist to check the temperature of your milk.

B. Excessive caution does not hurt. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you are sure the milk is at the optimum temperature.

If you're on the march, try to make sure you have access to the field kitchen to warm up the bottles. This is not always possible, so you should buy a thermal container for bottles, which will allow you to transport bottles heated in the base camp. In combat-like conditions, milk can be heated to body temperature by placing the bottle in an inside pocket or under the arm. Remember that breast milk that has been warmed to room or body temperature can only be stored for up to an hour.

For a video on how to heat milk, see http://www.commandodad.com (Resources).

How to bottle feed a recruit
You will need:

• clean hands;

• a clean bottle filled with fresh formula or breast milk;

• a convenient place of deployment, so that there is no need to change position and disturb the recruit.

Successful feeding is only possible if the recruit swallows milk, not air. These are the golden rules of nutrition.
1. Hold the recruit in your arms in a comfortable position so that he breathes through his nose when he swallows. Always support the recruit's head. He will learn to do this on his own no earlier than by six months.

2. Tilt the bottle at an angle so that the nipple is filled with milk, not air.

3. Hold the bottle just above the recruit's mouth.

4. At times, recruits get so carried away that they flatten the nipple, and the milk stops flowing through the hole. In this case, gently rotate the bottle to get rid of the vacuum in the nipple.

5. If a recruit wants to rest for a while during the feeding process, do not interfere with him. Better help burp the extra air.

6. When the recruit is full, help him get rid of excess air.

7. If you have leftover mixture, it should be discarded. Leftover breast milk can be frozen in a sterilized bottle with a sterilized cap.

For a video of recruit feeding, see http://www.commandodad.com (Resources).

How to help a recruit burp his breath
Bloating can be very painful. Not давайте новобранцу страдать. regurgitation air should become one of the essential elements of every feeding. A light burp will reduce bloating and help you avoid spitting up milk, even if you don't see the connection between the one and the other.

You will need:

• a burp diaper (absolutely any piece of soft, clean cloth to cover your shoulder) - the recruit will be soft and comfortable, and your clothes won't get hurt.

Fulfill!

• Support the recruit's head.

• Be patient. Excess air may not move immediately or not move at all.

There are several ways to help a recruit burp. Here is the most common one.

• Cover your shoulder with a diaper.

• Hold the recruit in your arms with his head resting on your shoulder and his tummy on your chest.

• Notжно похлопывайте новобранца по спине или массируйте ее фуговыми движениями, пока не услышите звук отрыжки (напомню: можете и не услышать).

• Gently rocking back and forth will help calm the recruit a little if he is suffering from gas.

other methods

• Sit on a chair. Grab the recruit with one hand and rest your chin on your palm, between your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, massage the recruit's back as above.

• Lay the recruit face down on your knee. Support his head just above his chest. With your other hand, massage the recruit's back in any of the above ways.

For videos of different ways to help recruits burp, see http://www.commandodad.com (Resources).

How to prepare a bed for a recruit
After the first six weeks, you can begin to accustom the recruit to sleep. См. главу 3 «Dream и другие ночные операции».

Before…

• Arrange a bed for a recruit in your room. This will be more convenient for both the recruit and you and the recruit's mother, especially if she is breastfeeding.

• Not кладите новобранца к себе в постель, особенно в первые дни. The risk of crushing him is too great!

• If you decide to put the recruit in the crib right away, put it in your bedroom. In the first months, I recommend using a cradle or basket - in the crib, the recruit runs the risk of freezing. In addition, the cradle is convenient to use as a mobile bed.

• Make sure the recruit's bed is as comfortable and comfortable as possible. safely:

- there should be no pillows or blankets in the crib or cradle. Cover the recruit with thin natural fabric covers or use a newborn envelope;

- the mattress must be precisely fitted to the size of the berth or cradle so that the recruit does not get his hand or foot stuck in the gap between the side and the edge of the mattress. It is recommended to put a waterproof cover on the mattress, and lay a sheet on top;

- the recruit should be placed on his back, with his legs closer to the side of the crib or cradle, which will prevent him from crawling under the covers;

- to avoid overheating, do not cover the recruit with his head.

• The optimal temperature in the barracks is the key to a healthy and sound sleep of the recruit, and therefore of the entire personnel. The ideal temperature is around 18°C. To control the temperature in the base camp, you can use a central heating thermostat or a regular room thermometer.

After the first days
Bathing a recruit
recruits не нуждаются в ежедневном тщательном мытье. Notкоторые педиатры не рекомендуют купать новорожденных первую неделю, чтобы в кожу как следует впиталась первородная смазка (белесоватая творожистая масса, покрывающая кожу ребенка при рождении).

The recruit must wash his hands, face and genitals daily.

Bathe recruits twice or thrice a week.

You can swim more often, less often you can’t. The head should be washed once a week.

I bathed my three recruits in a baby bath, but if you don't have one, a very clean sink will do.

Basic safety rules for bathing a recruit
Fulfill!

• Hold the recruit firmly but gently. With the palm of one hand, support his head and shoulders, with the other hand, scoop up water and