Dr. Aisha Mohammed, a consultant paediatrician, reports that studies indicate 14 percent of ear issues in infants are linked to bottle feeding.
Working at the Paediatric Department of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital in Bauchi State, Mohammed explained that ear infections can impact both the inner and outer structures of the ear.
Naijatraffic learnt that, In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Bauchi on Thursday, she also revealed that bottle feeding can lead to dental caries in children.
She defined dental caries, commonly known as cavities, as the deterioration of tooth surfaces caused by a combination of bacteria, acids, plaque, and tartar.
According to Mohammed, dental caries are prevalent among both children and adults, primarily arising from inadequate dental hygiene.
The paediatrician recommends using spoons and cups for feeding babies once complementary foods are introduced.
She emphasized that , “the use of cup and spoon method should be adopted to mitigate ear problems and dental caries in babies.
“This is because the use of feeding bottles can affect the outer and inner ear of the baby due to either dripping from the bottle
or forced feeding.”
She elaborated that feeding bottles can compromise a baby’s inner and outer ear due to dripping or forced feeding.
The paediatrician criticized the practice of forcibly feeding infants, which is observed in some communities, as it can lead to aspiration pneumonia, a condition resulting from inhaling sterile gastric contents.
She thus urged mothers to follow best practices for breast and complementary feeding to prevent choking in infants, noting that “choking can also lead to aspiration pneumonia.”
Furthermore, she advised mothers to pay attention to their babies’ eating habits to determine appropriate foods during complementary feeding.
“If the baby is refusing to take the provided food in a normal and gentle way, then something is wrong with the meal and the baby should
not be forced”, she stated.
