MEDICAL EXPERT LINK BOTTLE FEEDING OF BABIES TO EARING PROBLEM
By: Kingsley O. Bayode
Dr. Aisha Mohammed, a pediatrician at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, has warned that bottle feeding can lead to ear problems and dental caries in infants. According to Dr. Mohammed, research has shown that 14% of ear problems in infants are caused by bottle feeding. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, she explained that ear infections can affect both the inner and outer ear.
Dr. Mohammed also noted that bottle feeding can cause dental caries, also known as tooth decay, due to poor dental hygiene. She explained that dental caries are erosions of the surface of the tooth caused by the combined effects of bacteria, acids, plaque, and tartar.
To mitigate these risks, Dr. Mohammed recommended spoon and cup feeding of babies after introducing complementary foods. She emphasized that the use of feeding bottles can affect the outer and inner ear of the baby due to dripping or forced feeding.
Dr. Mohammad also advised against forced feeding of babies, a practice common in some communities, as it can cause aspiration pneumonia, a serious lung infection. She urged mothers to adopt best practices in breast and complementary feeding to avoid choking in babies, which can also lead to aspiration pneumonia.
Finally, Dr. Mohammed advised mothers to observe their babies' eating behaviors to determine the best foods to introduce during complementary feeding. She cautioned that if a baby refuses to take a particular food in a normal and gentle way, something may be wrong with the meal, and the baby should not be forced to eat.
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