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First six months
From birth to six months of age, babies don’t need any food apart from breast milk or infant formula.
Breastfeeding
Breast milk:
- helps your baby’s growth
- makes infections less likely, and helps babies get better more quickly if they do get ill
- makes babies less likely to get tummy upsets or constipation
If you’re not sure about breastfeeding, it’s best to give it a try right at the start because it will be harder once your baby is used to feeding from a bottle. This also means your baby will get the benefit of your colostrum (the milk you produce in the first few days after the birth). Colostrum boosts a baby’s immune system and helps protect them from getting ill. Also remember it takes time for you and your baby to get used to breastfeeding.
If you are mixing breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, or you’re not breastfeeding, infant formula is the only alternative to breast milk for the first 12 months.
For advice on what to eat when you’re breastfeeding, see the Breastfeeding page.
Bottle-feeding
Choose a cows’ milk infant formula unless your health professional has given you different advice. Carry on giving your baby formula milk until he or she is at least a year old. Once your baby is six months, you can start giving follow-on milk if you want to, but you don’t need to change to follow-on milk at any stage.Making up formula
When you start to prepare a feed, it’s very important to clean the work surfaces and wash your hands first. You’ll also need to sterilise bottles and teats before you use them – follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the steriliser.
Remember to follow the formula manufacturer’s instructions on how much powder and water to use for each bottle. You should also do the following:
- Use fresh tap water (don’t use water that has been boiled before). See the Drinks section for advice on using bottled water.
- Fill the kettle with at least 1 litre of water.
- Boil the water.
- Then leave the water to cool for no more than half an hour.
- Always put the water in the bottle first, before the powder.
- Cool down the milk by holding the bottom half of the bottle under cold running water, with the cap covering the teat. (This is to avoid scalding your baby.)
- Test the temperature of the formula milk on the inside of your wrist before giving it to your baby. It should be body temperature, which means it should feel warm.
- If there is any made-up formula milk left after a feed, throw it away. You should also throw away any milk that has been at room temperature for more than two hours.
You could also use a ready-to-feed liquid formula, which doesn’t need to be mixed. But it is more expensive than formula powder.
Going out
When you are going out, you can put boiling water in a flask and make up fresh formula milk when you need it.If you need to take a made-up feed with you, make it up and cool as above, then put it in the fridge for at least one hour before putting in a cool bag with a frozen ice brick. Feeds stored in a cool bag should be used within four hours.
You should do the same if you need to take a made-up feed to a nursery or childminder – when you get there, take the feed out of the cool bag and put it straight in the fridge. Try to make sure the bottle is used on the same day you take it in.
Different types of formula
Most infant formula is made from cows’ milk and is treated to make it more like breast milk.Formula milk based on goats’ milk protein has not been approved for use by the European Food Safety Authority for babies under a year old, so don’t choose this for your baby. If you are currently using a goats’ milk formula to feed your baby, it’s important to seek the advice of your health professional about the most appropriate type of formula for your baby’s needs, before changing to a different formula.
Only use soya-based infant formula if you have been advised to by your GP.
When to start giving solid foods
You should start giving your baby solid foods when he or she is about six months old.
In recent years, the advice about when to start babies on solid foods has changed. This is because we now know more about when babies are ready for starting solid foods and the effects of giving solid foods too early.
We now know that it’s usually best to wait until six months, but all babies are different so you might want to ask your health visitor or GP for advice about when is best for your baby.
Why wait until six months?
Giving solid foods to a baby before he or she can cope with them can increase the risk of tummy upset.By six months, babies are physically ready to start eating solid foods. At this age, babies can sit up with support, control their heads and move food around their mouths. Their digestive and immune systems are also stronger and they are often interested in food and want to chew. At this age babies need more than milk alone.
If your baby still seems to be hungry on their usual milk feeds before six months, try offering more milk at each bottle feed if they are finishing the bottle and seem to be looking for more. If you are breastfeeding, try feeding more often.
If you’re concerned about your baby’s health, or you want to start your baby on solid foods before six months, talk to your health visitor or GP first. Many foods are not suitable for babies under six months, including liver, pâté, soft and unpasteurised cheeses, and foods that can sometimes trigger the development of a food allergy, such as peanuts, other nuts, seeds, milk (not including formula), eggs, fish, shellfish and foods containing wheat or gluten.
And don’t give any foods apart from breast milk or formula milk to your baby before he or she is four months old (17 weeks). If your baby was premature, talk to your health visitor or GP about the right age to start your baby on solid foods.
