Formula feeding

Formula labelled ‘first milks’ are all you need for your baby's first year. These are also known as ‘stage 1’ or ‘first stage’ milks. There's no benefit to spending more on infant formula milk than you need to. Higher price doesn’t mean higher quality as all first infant formula must meet the same nutritional standards. 

Watch out for milks claiming added extras, such as preventing allergies, colic or wind. There's no proof that these are needed or that they even work.

Yes, however these can be more expensive than powdered infant formula milk and you only need to use first milks or stage 1. Our section on ‘Feeding your baby formula milk safely’ below has advice on how to use ready-to-feed formula safely.

If you’re struggling to afford to buy formula, help is available. Speak with your midwife, health visitor, family nurse or GP as soon as you can and ask for support. If you need urgent help with money for essentials including food or fuel, you could contact your local authority regarding possible Scottish Welfare Fund crisis support and any other locally available cash-first advice and support.

Our page on supports and benefits for parents has more advice and information about help that may be available to you.

You don't need 'follow on milk' at any stage, and after a year ordinary full fat cow’s milk is fine. All brands are very similar, and it doesn't matter if you choose cow's or goat's milk for your baby.

Talk to your midwife or health visitor before opting for soya-based milk. You should only give your baby soya milk if it’s prescribed by your health visitor or GP, and even then only from 6 months.

You should make up the infant formula milk following the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure you always add the number of scoops of formula required. Limiting the number of scoops can lead to your baby becoming unwell and also means your baby isn't getting all the nutrition they need to grow and develop.

Don’t add anything else to your baby’s bottle, such as baby rice, as this can be a choking hazard.

Always make sure the milk is an appropriate temperature before feeding. Test it on your arm first to make sure it’s lukewarm and not hot.

This video takes you step-by-step through making up a bottle safely.

In this situation, you should use ready-to-feed infant formula milk instead. Ready-to-feed liquid infant formula milk is sterile until opened. However, all feeding equipment will still need to be thoroughly washed and sterilised prior to use.

Once opened, any unused infant formula milk needs to be stored at the back of the fridge on the top shelf with the with the lid on or cut corner turned down, for no longer than 24 hours.

No. It’s not safe to use any bottled water to make up infant formula feeds. This is because bottled water contains other nutrients or minerals that may make your baby unwell. 

If you can’t access previously boiled water to make up your baby’s infant formula feeds, then you should consider using ready-to-feed formula as an alternative. 

If you don’t have access to a steam steriliser or boiling water to sterilise bottles, teats and caps, you can also sterilise using cold water and sterilising tablet, which you can buy in most supermarkets and chemists. You don’t have to buy a special cold water sterilising container – any clean tub with a lid of the correct size will do. Follow the instructions for the sterilising tablets and remember to change the sterilising solution every 24 hours.

This video shows you how to safely clean your baby's feeding equipment.