Nothing can compare to the goodness of mother's milk for a baby. While benefits of breast milk are immense for a child at the beginning of his/her life, it also proves fruitful in making the baby grow up to be healthier. It has many advantages for the mother as well, some of which we discussed here.

Sadly, many moms are "too busy" with their own lives and can't give time to their infants or toddlers. In such cases, handing a bottle to your baby is quite easy. But did you know that the bottle is doing your baby more harm than good? It's World Breastfeeding Week and we decided to list out the reasons why breastfeeding is better than bottle-feeding.

Also read: Lesser known benefits of breastfeeding

Nutrients:

[caption id="attachment_6609" align="alignnone" width="300"] Breast milk is the healthiest form of nutrition for your baby[/caption]

Breast milk is the best food for your baby. The nutrients present in mother's milk are healthier and far easier to digest for your baby. Baby food or formula milk won't have the same amount of nutrients and nourishment that breast milk contains.

Also read: Ways to play with a 6-month-old baby

Over-feeding: While it is always good to keep your newborn well fed and nourished, over-feeding him is not advised. When you feed your baby with the bottle, you are constantly monitoring the quantity of milk intake and just to finish the bottle you might end up feeding him more than what he actually needs. While at the breast, the baby suckles as much as he wants and can monitor his intake on his own.

Colic:

[caption id="attachment_6607" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bottle-fed babies develop colic pains due to intake of air[/caption]

Breastfeeding doesn't allow any air to enter the baby's tummy. But bottle-fed babies are not so lucky. There are greater chances of your baby getting colic pains due to intake of air while being bottle-fed.

Also read: Advantages of breastfeeding

Dental issues:

[caption id="attachment_6608" align="alignnone" width="300"] To avoid improper tooth formation, breastfeed your baby[/caption]

Research has proven that bottle-fed babies are more prone to dental issues in the long run. Constant use of bottles can cause improper dental development of teeth leading to orthodontic problems. Why add to the trouble when you can easily breastfeed your baby to his full sans the problems.

Nipple confusion: This is more serious than it sounds. Some mothers shuttle between bottle and breast to feed their baby. This may cause nipple confusion which can lead the baby to refuse to take proper feeds. For instance; if the baby gets acquainted with the silicon nipple, he might refuse to take feeds at the breast. This would keep the baby off breast milk which is a rich source of nutrients and enzymes essential for your baby's good health.

All the lactating mothers and pregnant women, let us promise ourselves to give the best to our babies and spread awareness on this World Breastfeeding Week 2014.