Bottle Feeding

If you have made a choice to bottle-feed your baby and you have decided which formula to use, then you need to know how to get yourself really organised before each feed, so that both you and the baby can relax and enjoy the experience.


Making the formula:

Wash your hands with soap before preparing feeds.
Boil the kettle and fill each bottle to the required level. Insert the teat in the bottle, upside down, place the disc and ring to seal the water and keep it sterile. After you have checked the measurements refrigerate the bottles.

When you are ready to make a bottle, fill the scoop provided in the tin with powdered milk and level it off using the back of a knife. Don’t pack the milk down in the scoop or the feed will be to concentrated. Always add the correct number of scoops – too much and your baby may become dehydrated and constipated, too little and your baby will not be receiving adequate nourishment at meals.

Put the disc and ring on the bottle to seal the milk inside.
Shake the milk in the bottle till completely mixed.
With clean hands take the disc off and put the teat on the bottle, ready to feeding.
If you are not going to feed straight away, put the cap over the teat o keep it clean until you are ready to feed.

Feeding your Baby:

Check the temperature of the milk inside the bottle by letting a few drops drip onto the inside of your wrist, where is should be lukewarm.
Sit your baby on your lab. Young babies feed best if they are lying semi-upright: older babies may prefer to sit more upright.

Use a feeding as a time to bond: cuddle her, look into her eyes while she drinks, talk and sing to her. Let her take her time.
As she sucks, keep the bottle tilted so that the teat fills with milk, not air. After your baby has been sucking for a while, the teat may go flat.

Pull on the bottle slightly to let the teat fill up again.
Some babies may need to be winded halfway through the feed as well as the end. Bring up wind by holding your baby against your shoulder and gently rubbing or patting her back for a couple of minutes.

Safety and Hygiene Tips:

It’s important to use a formula designed for a new baby. Choosing the right formula can be confusing so get advice from a midwife or paediatrician. If you are unhappy about the type or the brand and you want to change, first get advice from the experts as chopping and changing can upset your baby’s delicate digestive system. Never feed a young baby cow’s milk, or milk products other than infant formula.