Video shows newborn eating by alternative 'cup feeding' method

This method is safe and useful in certain situations

Newborn nurses with a different method (Facebook)

An incredible video of a mum cup-feeding their infant is going viral - and it shows the multiple different realities of being a parent.

In a video shared to the Facebook page Breastfeeding Mama Talk, the newborn baby laps milk from a tiny cup, in a method called cup feeding, rather than a bottle or from breastfeeding.

According to the post, the method can be “a great alternative in some situations,” and from the comments, it seems many new mums agree.

Although many doctors and new mothers advocate for breastfeeding, there are certain situations where it is not possible. And when a newborn refuses to latch onto a bottle, or simply cannot, cup feeding is a safe alternative.

Responding to a question of whether the method would cause the baby to swallow a lot of air, a moderator for the Facebook page responded: “If not done right, yes, but the same thing goes for bottle feeding. That being said, some babies cannot drink from a bottle or breast and they still have to eat.

“As I mentioned, it can be a great alternative in some situations. No one is suggesting that we skip bottles all together, but all babies have different needs and cup feeding is just one option out there of many to help meet the needs of babies,” she wrote.

According to the NHS, new mums should consider a feeding cup “when your baby needs to have feeds greater than three to five millilitres.”

And “Cup feeding encourages your baby to use their tongue and lower jaw in a similar way as they would when breastfeeding. They are also able to smell and enjoy the milk when using a cup.”

Cup feeding can also be useful as a step before breastfeeding, as it does not confuse the newborn as a bottle may.

Cup feeding is completely safe for a baby (Facebook)

In the comments on the video, which has been views eight million times, new mums are praising the method for successfully feeding their babies when other methods didn’t work.

The method is especially useful when babies suffer from jaundice, a liver condition, or if the baby simply goes “on strike” and refuses to nurse.