How to give a baby a bottle

Before you feed your baby a bottle:

• check that the milk is lukewarm
• sit in a safe, comfortable position
• make sure the bottle teat is full of milk

How much breast milk to express

Check the bottle temperature

Make sure the milk is lukewarm. It should feel warm to the touch and not hot. Hot bottles can cause burns and scalds.

Check the temperature by shaking the bottle and placing a drop of liquid on the inside of your wrist. Do this before you give the bottle to your baby.

You will need to cool down a formula-feed bottle after preparing it. You can cool the feed by holding the bottle under cold running water or placing it in a bowl of cold water. Make sure the water does not reach the neck of the bottle.

If the bottle has been prepared in advance, warm it by placing it in a bowl of warm water. Make sure that the level of the water is below the neck of the bottle. You can also use a bottle warmer. Do not warm it for more than 15 minutes.

Storing and warming feeds

How to prepare equipment for bottle feeding

Bottle feed position

Sit in a position that is comfortable for you and your baby.

Always hold your baby in your arms and hold the bottle in your hand.

Paced bottle feeding

When bottle feeding your baby, it's important to pace the feed. This helps your baby control how much milk they drink and how quickly they feed.

Paced bottle feeding is a great way for the baby and carer to get used to bottle feeding. It helps to make bottle feeding as stress-free as possible for your baby. It can also reduce the risk of overfeeding.

Follow these steps to get started:

1. Sit your baby upright in your lap and hold the bottle in a horizontal position.
2. Tickle your baby's top lip with the teat of the bottle until they open their mouth.
3. Let your baby take the teat into their mouth and suck.
4. Tilt the bottle slightly towards your baby so the teat is full of milk.
5. When your baby pauses, tilt the bottle down or remove the teat - this allows your baby to rest for a moment.
6. Alternate feeding and pausing - pay attention to your baby's cues and stop when they have taken as much as they need to.

Do not force your baby to take more if they show signs they've had enough.

This works well because your baby can control the milk flow. If your baby is over 6 months and does not like a bottle, you can use a cup with handles on it.

Only put a small amount of liquid into the cup initially until your baby learns how to feed. This will help you to avoid spilling and wasting milk.

How to do paced bottle feeding (video)

Bonding during bottle feeds

Make the most of this time to bond with your baby.

It can help if you:

• resist the urge to multi-task
• stay in close contact - consider opening your shirt and doing skin-to-skin contact with your baby
• look into your baby’s eyes - this helps your baby feel safe and loved
• take it slowly and enjoy the cuddles

After the feed

At the end of the feed, sit and hold your baby upright and gently rub or pat their back for a while. This will help to bring up any wind. Winding your baby will help get rid of swallowed air.

Throw away any milk not used within 2 hours of starting the feed.

If breast or bottle-feeding in bed, always return your baby to their own cot for sleep. This will help to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (cot death).

Winding your baby

Responsive bottle feeding

Responsive feeding means being aware of your baby’s cues or distress and responding to them.

It means picking up on the early signs of hunger before your baby even cries.

Feed your baby if they are hungry and stop if they are full.

Tips for responsive bottle feeding

Related content

Find out more about:

• combination feeding: bottle and breast
• using a bottle to give expressed milk
• preparing baby formula