Adding foods to your baby's bottle can:
- cause damage to their teeth, even if they do not have teeth yet
- lead to them gaining too much weight
- cause upset to their tummy
- be a choking risk if they are under 6 months old
Don't
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do not give anything to your baby other than breast milk or infant formula until they are at least 17 weeks old - and ideally closer to 26 weeks
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do not add sugar, rusks or baby rice to your baby’s bottle
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do not add any medicines to your baby’s bottle
Adding foods to your baby's bottle will not help your baby sleep longer. It will also not help relieve constipation.
Starting your baby on solid foods (weaning)
Other drinks
If you feed your baby formula, you can also give them cooled boiled water. This is if recommended by your GP or public health nurse.
Do not switch to using follow-on formula at 6 months.
Do not give your baby tea. Tea will reduce your baby’s iron intake.
Drinks for babies 0 to 12 months
No fruit juice
Do not give your baby any fruit juice. This includes pure, diluted and unsweetened juices.
Fruit juice can damage their teeth even before they have fully emerged. It can also give them a 'sweet tooth' and a preference for sweetened drinks.
Expressed breast milk
Don't
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Do not mix infant formula and expressed milk in the same bottle.
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Do not feed your baby formula or expressed breast milk that has been left out for more than 2 hours.
Cups and beakers after 6 months
From about 6 months, plan to gradually introduce a cup or free-flow beaker for drinks.
Aim to replace all bottles with a cup or free-flow beaker by the time your baby is about 1 year old.
Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn to sip and is better for your baby’s teeth.
It might be messy at first but be patient, your baby will gradually learn how to drink from an open cup.