Breast milk is the most natural food for your baby. Formula milk is made of modified cow’s milk and however hard manufacturers try they can never mimic human breast milk. However, if you are not comfortable with breastfeeding or are not able to breastfeed you can still give your baby a good start with formula milk.

The advantages of bottle-feeding.

• You can see exactly how much milk your baby is getting at each feed.

• Your partner can share in the pleasure of feeding his baby – and he gives you a break at the same time.

• Formula milk is harder to digest than breast milk and stays in a baby’s stomach longer so babies tend to go longer between feeds.

• You have more freedom as you are not the only person able to feed your baby, which also means that your partner can get up in the night sometimes, allowing you to get a good night’s sleep!

You will need to give your baby infant formula milk up until the age of one year. Ordinary cow's milk is not suitable as your baby's main drink before one year as it does not contain enough iron and nutrients for proper growth and is too high in sodium.

Iron is critical for your baby's healthy growth and development during the entire first year and a baby's iron reserves run out at around 6 months. A lack of iron is the most common nutritional deficiency in young children so its important that your baby has an iron rich diet of breast milk or iron fortified infant formula.