Breast Feed VS Bottle Feed

It is no surprise that in the breast feed vs bottle feed debate, breast milk clearly takes the trophy; but there could be circumstances in which bottle feeding is the best choice, or there could be a tie! It all depends upon your circumstances.

In this section:

Breast feed vs bottle feed: who wins?
- Benefits of Breastfeeding
- Benefits of Bottle feeding
Best of both worlds - the win-win situation

Breast Feed vs Bottle Feed: Who Wins?

Because it's always good to make an informed decision. Before selecting one from breast feed vs bottle feed, it is important for you to weigh the pros and cons of both.

Breastfeeding is not only good for your baby, it provides enormous benefits to the mother as well. But there are circumstances when you cannot or should not breastfeed. In such circumstances, formula milk comes to the rescue.

Below are the benefits of breast feed vs bottle feed. Let's see which suits YOU the most...

Benefits of Breastfeeding:

In the breast feed vs bottle feed debate, here are the advantages of breastfeeding:

1. It fights infections in newborn babies.

Breastfeeding strengthens your baby's immune system making him/ her less prone to numerous diseases as compared to a formula-fed baby. By breastfeeding, you may prevent or reduce the following occurrences in your newborn:

2. Breast milk is the perfect meal.

Breast milk contains essential vitamins and minerals that are required by your newborn to develop. Although formula milk companies are trying their best to replicate the goodness of breast milk, and they are coming closer to an extent, yet there are still many complex enzymes found in breast milk that these companies cannot create in labs.

Today, the formula milk available in the market is undoubtedly of greater quality (than what was produced two decades ago) - it is still not a carbon copy of the all-natural fully organic breast milk that your boobs produce.

Furthermore, breast milk can be easily digested by your little one's body, hence reducing the occurrences of vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Talking about a perfectly digestible meal!

3. Free and convenient:

Breast milk is all natural, organic, and 100% free. Moreover...

You do not require any kind of bottle sterilization procedures (unless you plan to store breast milk for later use).
No need for temperature control of the milk.
And to top it all, it does not run out of stock! (Click here to read our article on 8 effective ways to improve the flow of your breast milk)

In the breast feed vs bottle feed battle, it cannot get more convenient than this!

4. You can freeze breast milk.

Moms who have a hectic working schedule or are constantly on the go can even express and store their breast milk. It's like you breast feed through a bottle - how cool is that?

Read all about expressing your breast milk using various types of breast pumps (manual and electric breastfeeding pump) as well as all sorts of breastmilk storing information (room temperature, refrigerator and freezer) in our highly informative article Expressing and Storing Breast Milk.

5. Helps moms too:

Breast milk is a two-in-one package: it is beneficial for both you and your baby. When we talk about breast feed vs bottle feed, we often forget how the natural feeding technique benefits the mother - something a bottle can never accomplish (in this case breast milk is a clear winner).

Just for a quick laugh!

Let's look at some of the breastfeeding advantages in nursing moms:

Lowers the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
Reduces the chances of breast, ovarian and uterus cancers.
Lowers the risk of diabetes.
Facilitates moms in reducing weight and helps them get back to their pre-pregnancy body shape.
Helps the uterus to contract and go back to its pre-pregnancy size.
Makes the mom feel closer to the newborn and hence strengthens the mother-baby bond. (Also, try Kangaroo Care technique for bonding if you haven't tried it - it really works!)

By now you must be convinced that in the breast feed vs bottle feed debate, breastfeeding has the edge - but wait! Bottle feeding newborn babies has heaps of advantages as well.

Benefits of formula-feeding:

The dad can play an active role in feeding the baby through the bottle. You can also leave your child with a caregiver and go out, without worrying about your baby’s mealtime. (You can also do this by pumping and storing breast milk)
Bottle-feeding a baby in public is a lot more convenient than breastfeeding.
You do not have to worry about producing less breast milk as your baby is dependent on the bottle.
No sore nipples. You do not have to worry about a biting-baby when your baby starts to pop out his pearly whites.
You can eat anything you like. Breast-milk is influenced by what the mother eats. There may be a couple of things that the feeding moms are not encouraged to eat in order to avoid the baby having a gassy stomach or develop some sort of food allergies. You do not have to worry about this if you are bottle feeding (yaay!)
If you have a premature baby, the tiny creature may find it hard to latch onto your boob. A bottle may be a life-saver. There are special formula milk available in the market that are especially made while keeping in mind the developmental needs of your preterm baby. For help, refer to our article on Baby Formula for Preemies.

Best of both worlds...

Why does there have to be one winner in the breast feed vs bottle feed debate? You can also have a combination of both techniques. This way, you could breastfeed your newborn when you are with him, and the dad, grandma, or nanny can formula feed when you are away. Isn't that a win-win situation?

So, Breast feed vs bottle feed - Which one will you go for?

In the breast feed vs bottle feed debate, no matter what your personal choice is, as long as your baby is healthy, active, and happy, that's all your want. At the end of the day, it is your time and love your baby needs the most at this stage - and at all the stages to come. :)

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