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Bottle feeding your baby
Feed your baby with love and care
Feeding your baby is more than a time to give them milk. It is a time to connect, communicate and bond. During a feed you can hold them close, look, talk softly, smile, hug, touch and care for them so that they feel safe and loved.
Partners and trusted family members can help fed your baby. This helps everyone bond with the baby and supports their social and emotional development.
Read more information on how fathers and partners can help support their baby.
Responsive bottle feeding
Responsive bottle feeding means paying attention to when your baby is hungry or full and following their signs. It helps your baby learn how to regulate their milk intake and supports healthy feeding practices. Here are some simple tips to help you practice responsive bottle feeding:
Follow your baby's signs
Let your baby decide how much milk to drink.
Look for signs they are hungry like:
- Turning their head and searching for the breast or bottle (rooting)
- Bringing their hands to their mouth
- Sucking on their fingers or fists
- Opening their mouth
- Making feeding sounds
Crying is a late hunger sign.
Do not push them to finish a bottle if they show signs they are full. Hunger can change from feed to feed.
Look for signs they are full like:
- Slowing down or stopping sucking
- Releasing the teat or nipple
- Turning their head away from the bottle
- Closing their mouth
- Relaxing their hands and body
- Stop sucking
- Falling asleep
Comfortable position
Keep your baby a bit upright while feeding. It helps them to suck, swallow, breathe and control how much milk they drink. Do not prop or hold up the bottle with pillows or towels. Bottle propping is not safe and can cause choking, ear infections, and tooth decay.
Slow down the feed
Feeding your baby usually takes 20-30 minutes, depending on their age. Hold the bottle flat or slightly tipped up so the milk fills the teat and does not flow too fast. If the bottle is too high, it can be hard for the baby to control the amount of milk they are drinking. This will give them time to know when they are full. It is okay to pause during the feed if your baby needs a burp, looks tired or needs a break.
Quiet space
As your baby grows, they become more interested in what's happening around them and may get distracted during feeds. Feeding your baby in a calm, quiet place can help them focus on feeding and help them notice when they are hungry or full.
Check the teat flow
Milk should drip slowly, not pour out. You can check this by turning the bottle upside down, the milk should drip steadily. A fast flow teat can cause gagging, coughing, more wind and tummy pain. A slow flow teat can make baby tired because of the long feeding time and not drink enough.
Choose a bottle teat with a flow that matches your baby's age and feeding skills.
Talk to your Family Doctor or Maternal, Child and Family Health Nurse or lactation consultant for more help and support.
Changes are normal as babies grow
As your baby grows, they may become more awake, easily distracted while feeding and may want to hold their own bottle. Don't worry, this is normal but it is important to stay with your baby and look after them.
Sleep and feeding
It is normal for babies to wake during the night. They may wake up because they are hungry, need comfort, need help settling back to sleep, are unwell, are teething, or are going through a stage of growth and development.
It does not mean your baby needs solid food or extra formula.
What you can do
Feed your baby in a quiet place.
Follow the formula tin instructions when preparing your baby’s formula milk.
Separate feeding from sleeping.
Give solid foods from around 6 months.
- Follow your baby's hunger and fullness signs.
- Hold your baby close whenever you are feeding them.
- Avoid putting your baby to bed with a bottle.
- Supervise your baby whenever they are being fed.
- Start to give your baby a variety of solid foods from around 6 months of age and also continue to give them breastmilk or infant formula milk.
- Ask for help if you have any concerns
