FEEDING YOUR BABY

Bottle feeding: sterilising and making up a bottle

Make sure you read the instructions printed on the formula milk that you are about to use, carefully. The ratio of powder to water has been calculated in order to give your baby the right amount of food to water.

Too much water and he or she will not get the energy and nutrients they need, too much formula and they may become dehydrated which is dangerous.

Follow these instructions:

1 Fill the bottle to the correct level of cooled, boiled water.
2 Using the scoop provided, take the powder from the tin. Every time you take a scoop, level it off with a clean knife. Don't compress the powder.
3 Tip the powder into the bottle.
4 Put the top on the bottle and shake it thoroughly until all the powder is dissolved.

Sterilising

All the equipment that you use to feed your baby must be washed and sterilised after use. Wash the bottles with a weak solution of detergent and a long-handled brush that can reach right to the bottom of the bottle. Make sure you rinse all the detergent out with clean water, then sterilise as below.

Microwave sterilising

1 Pour the correct amount of water into the bottom of the steriliser.
2 Place the tray containing the bottles into the bottom section of the steriliser.
3 Put the top on, place in the microwave and activate for the correct amount of time.

Alternative sterilising

You can also sterilise equipment in the following ways:
• Boiling in water for at least 10 minutes.
• Putting the equipment into a container with water and a sterilising tablet for a prescribed length of time.
• Using a steam steriliser.

Making up a day's feeds

• You can make up a bottle each time one is needed, or you can make up a whole day's feeds in one go.
• Made-up milk can be kept in the fridge for 24 hours.
• If you want to warm the milk you can stand a bottle in a jug of hot water. It is very important to keep this well away from your baby. Too many babies have been scalded by tipping a jug onto themselves. The milk does not need to be heated, however.

Topics In This Article:

• Bottle feeding for breastfed babies
• Mixing breast and bottle
• Established breastfeeding
• Weight gain/growth
• Understanding centile charts
• Expressing and storing breastmilk
• What women say
• How breastfeeding works
• How to get your baby to 'latch on'
• Feeding positions
• Help with breastfeeding (including feeding twins)
• Breastfeeding problems
• Bottle feeding: sterilising and making up a bottle
• Back to Introduction