Bottle Feeding

There is so much talk about the advantages of breastfeeding, so why do people use infant formula at all? Commercial infant formulas have been widely available since the late 1950s, and they are considered to be the closest alternative to breast milk. Most healthcare professionals would agree that breastfeeding trumps infant formula when it comes to its infection and disease fighting properties, but there are advantages to formula too. For a start, it has none of the undesirable side effects of breastfeeding - such as discomfort or embarrassment of feeding in public. In addition, it is a food that can be prepared and fed to your baby by anybody, meaning that you can leave your baby with someone else to be fed and also that Dad can be more involved in feeds - particularly the night feeds!

If you are going to feed your baby infant formula then you will need to be organised ahead of their arrival as you need bottles and teats, as well as the formula powder or ready prepared bottles of formula milk. The choice of different types of bottles and different brands of formula can seem overwhelming at first, so you need to give yourself some time to digest all the options and work out what is really 'necessary'. Remember that you will also need to plan how you will be cleaning your bottles too, for the first 12 months all bottles and teats will need to be sterilised. There is a lot to be said for the choice we have today when it comes to buying feeding products, but it can make it difficult to decide what to buy. Our articles will help you to make a more informed decision so that you can choose the most appropriate products for your family, without wasting money. We will also help you to understand why the guidelines are so particular when it comes to preparing and storing feeds, and the easiest way for you to follow them. Feeding a baby is yet another aspect of parenting that seems very complicated to start with, but once you've got the facts and the equipment you need you will soon be able to manage it in your sleep - indeed you may feel like that's exactly what you're doing in the months to come!