The liquid-dispensing pacifier comprises a nipple, a fluid dispenser, and a guard. The guard prevents the liquid-dispensing pacifier from being swallowed by the baby. The nipple is shaped to resemble a female human teat and provides one or more apertures through which a fluid may exit the nipple from a chamber within the nipple. As non-limiting examples, the fluid may be breast milk or formula. The fluid is introduced into the nipple from the fluid dispenser. The fluid dispenser may be a reservoir or syringe that is coupled to the nipple. Fluid may travel from the reservoir to the chamber in the nipple via a valve or feeding tube. The valve may be opened by sucking action of the baby. The syringe may inject fluid into the chamber through one or more apertures, values, or tubes.

Nipple shields can be used by breastfeeding mothers to facilitate the feeding process. The disclosed embodiments relate to nipple shields with a port through which liquid supplement can flow from a supply tube into an interior section of the shield. The liquid supplement can be drawn through ports in a tip of the shield in order to augment a naturally expressed flow of milk. A flap of material is bonded to an interior portion of the nipple shield over an optional channel formed in the interior portion so as to form a closed, flap-covered channel leading from an input port on a lower portion of the shield to a an interior location near the tip of the shield.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a medication administration device may comprise a sucking part having outlets, a cylinder part having a discharge hole, coupled with the sucking part, and containing a medication, a piston part discharging the medication from the cylinder part through the outlets, and an operating part operating the piston part in the cylinder part. The discharge hole may extend to the outlets.

The apparatus and process described, allows the premature infant to continue the enjoyable in utero experience of sucking and swallowing that is halted upon birth. In particular the infant is afforded the opportunity to practice tasting, sucking, and swallowing on an individualized basis. This oral enjoyment and practice allow for positive association with feedings and provides a sensory-motor experience that may lead to earlier suck, swallow, breathe (SSB) synchrony. The process engages the esophagus and cardiac sphincter to function while the infant is still being fed through the feeding rube. Ultimately, the apparatus and process may also result in earlier weaning from feeding tubes, the reduction of feeding difficulties, and earlier discharge home.

A breastfeeding device adapted to fit over a natural breast is provided. The device includes a reservoir that stores a received liquid and has an inner surface and an outer surface. Additionally, the device includes an access opening that is formed in the outer surface of the reservoir and is adapted to receive an attachment. The inner surface of the reservoir is attached onto a surface of the natural breast emulating a contour thereof.

The invention is a hollow nipple containing a side-entry tube and aperture that solves the problem of administering fluid medicines to infants or babies by combining the comfort of a common baby bottle, containing accustomed milk or formula, with the use of an industry common, over-the-counter oral medicine syringe by allowing for the syringe to be inserted into the side-entry tube and aperture so that the medicine can mix with the milk or formula and be quickly consumed while the care provider has the option of manually regulating the flow of the medicine into the nipple. The invention therefore avoids the need for administering such fluid medicine directly into the mouth, or even mixing it into the contents of the bottle where the medicine may not be fully or timely consumed. The invention has applications not only with human infants and babies but also in the field of animal care.

The disclosure includes embodiments of an apparatus, a device, and methods to transform an infant feeding bottle into an infant gavage feeding apparatus. According to an embodiment, an infant gavage feeding apparatus can include an infant feeding bottle, a gavage milk delivery component, a retaining ring, and a cord component. In another embodiment, an infant milk dual-delivery device to transform an infant feeding bottle to an alternate nipple feeding and gavage feeding apparatus includes a gavage milk delivery component, a retaining ring, and a nipple receiving component. The gavage milk delivery component and the nipple receiving component can be positioned in a branched or a stacked configuration. The device can include a flow closure component and a controller to transition the milk flow for a gavage feeding and nipple feeding. The device can include a funnel to allow milk in the nipple to flow back into the infant feeding bottle.

Devices for controlling delivery of a breast milk supplement are described which include a housing sized for placement on a surface near a breast region of a lactating female, the housing including one or more supplement reservoirs, at least one of the supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve, a data storage component including a breast milk supplement regimen, and a control unit including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the data storage component and to the controllable valve, the circuitry including actuation circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve based on the breast milk supplement regimen; and at least one delivery tube having a first end and a second end, the first end of the at least one delivery tube in fluid communication with the port, the second end of the at least one delivery tube configured for placement in proximity to a nipple of the lactating female.

Devices for controlling delivery of a breast milk supplement are described which include a housing sized for placement on a surface near a breast region of a lactating female, the housing including one or more supplement reservoirs, at least one of the supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve, a data storage component including a breast milk supplement regimen, and a control unit including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the data storage component and to the controllable valve, the circuitry including actuation circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve based on the breast milk supplement regimen; and at least one delivery tube having a first end and a second end, the first end of the at least one delivery tube in fluid communication with the port, the second end of the at least one delivery tube configured for placement in proximity to a nipple of the lactating female.

Briefly, a feeding device embodying features of the present invention approximately conforms to the shape of a human breast and includes at least one housing for storing fluid coupled to a dispensing portion having an apertured dispensing tip for delivering the fluid to an infant.