The information on this page will help you with the key information that you need if you have chosen to formula feed your baby.
The early days with your baby are a great time to get to know and love each other.
Keeping your baby close to you, enjoying skin contact, noticing for signs that your baby is hungry and feeding your baby according to these tips will help.
Babies feel more secure if most feeds are given by their parents, especially in the early weeks, as this will really help you bond with each other.
Click the button below to view ten steps to responsive formula feeding:
Responsive formula feedingFor information and support about how to safely prepare formula and tips for getting off to a good start with formula feeding, click the button below:
Guide to bottle feeding How to safely prepare infant formulaIf you are planning to formula feed in hospital
Do
Bring small, ready-to-feed bottles into hospital with you. As a guide, your baby will need approximately eight feeds per day.
Bring only first stage infant formula – we do not recommend a particular brand
Don’t
Bring powdered formula into hospital – we do not have the facilities to prepare this safely
Bring larger bottles of ready-to-mix formula into hospital – we do not have the facilities to store formula once opened
We do not recommend the use of infant formula preparation machines.
There are a number of infant formula preparation machines on the market. There are problems with these devices that can lead to your baby becoming seriously unwell.