Mom Vs Dad: Who's Doing More?

Parenting is about sharing the responsibilities, but does your spouse really think you are pulling all your weight?

We partnered with Fatherly to get to the root of the household duties. 

While most women said they handle the majority of bottle feeding in their households, more than one-third of men surveyed said they handle 50 percent or more...

Continue Reading: Why You Need To Pick Up The Bottle And Split Feeding Duty

Why is it important for both parents to bottle feed baby?

There are two main reasons parents should always keep in mind when deciding why, when, and how they should share bottle-feeding duties. First and foremost, splitting bottle time between you both promotes better flexibility in everyone’s schedules. Both parents are able to get more done, relax, and do their share of work if they have each other’s backs throughout the day or week. Secondly– and more importantly– is that both parents’ participation in bottle-feeding offers the chance for more bonding between baby and both Mom and Dad. Feeding time builds trust, joy, and understanding between your little one and both parents. If one parent isn’t participating as much, there’s more likely to be a lack of bonding and trust built with your baby.

How else can dads bond with baby more?

Because moms tend to spend more time with baby– and naturally bond through breastfeeding– it’s important for Dad to get his quality time in, too. Newborns think and feel more than we may realize, and it’s crucial to start bonding early on with both parents. Dad can practice skin-on-skin bonding, playtime, helping get baby to bed, and diaper-changing in order to stay present throughout each day with baby outside of feeding time. Showing baby that she has two parents who share their time and duties will help her attach to both parents, individually and together.

Should Dad be feeding baby more than Mom?

Not necessarily– although moms bond more naturally with babies from breastfeeding, this doesn’t require counter-balancing by making Dad the primary bottle-feeder. Splitting the time equally will help yield the best bonds between the entire family. If both parents’ schedules allow it, alternating feeding duties will give both parents the time needed with baby to create a strong, trustworthy bond to grow into.