Mother feeding baby

Feeding posture tips for parents

Parents spend hours on end feeding their newborns, which can lead to aches and pains. So whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle feeding or doing both, make sure you check out our feeding tips to help protect your posture while feeding.

1. Are you sitting comfortably?
When giving your baby their milk, it’s important you’re both comfortable. Make sure you keep your spine tall to avoid slouching, use cushions to support your back and relax your shoulders.

2. Is baby cuddled in close?
The closer your baby is to you, the easier and more comfortable it will be to hold them for longer periods of time. Keep your centres of gravity close together.

3. Have you swapped sides?
This is necessary when breastfeeding, but remember to alternate sides when bottle feeding too. Not only will swapping sides give your arms and shoulders a bit of a rest, it is also a great way for baby to learn to feed in slightly different positions.

4. Have you tried different feeding positions?
Posture related pain tends to come from spending too long in one position. If you’re starting to get aches and pains, try switching feeding positions. For ideas on different feeding positions, click here.

5. Is baby’s head free to tip back?
It is especially important for breastfed babies to be able to tip their heads back, as this allows them to open their mouth wide and get a good latch. If you need more support with positioning and attaching your baby, talk to your midwife, lactation consultant or local breastfeeding group to get help.

We hope this helps but if you have ongoing aches and pains associated with childcare, give us a call to find out how we can help.

For more tips and advice on feeding your baby, click here