Baby Formula

Baby formula is the only nutritionally acceptable artificial substitute for breast milk and, for bottlefeeding babies under 12 months of age, it is recommended that an iron fortified variety be used. It is available in powder or ready to feed forms.

Care must be taken to prepare the baby formula following the instructions exactly, adding too much formula or water or too little could prove harmful to baby. All equipment must be sterilized prior to each use and it is no longer recommended that feeds be made up in advance even if stored in the fridge, far better to use boiled water which has been kept in a sealed flask and allowed to cool for no more than 30 minutes and add fresh formula when required.

Bottle warmers can be used if ready-to-use baby formula is going to be used but never heat a bottle in the microwave as it does not heat uniformly and a pocket of hot milk could scald baby's mouth. It is also possible that the intense heat from the microwaves could destroy the nutrients in the formula.

Bottles of any variety of baby formula should not be re-warmed, likewise, any left over feed should always be thrown away after 1 hour as harmful bacteria can start to build up.

If a freshly made up feed needs cooling it is best to run the bottle under the cold tap making sure the cap is covering the teat.

It is also useful to note that some babies are actually quite happy to take cold baby formula although not directly from the fridge.

For advice on establishing a good feeding pattern and for more tips on bottlefeeding click here