Infant formula and responsive bottle feeding

This simple, concise guide provides parents who are bottle feeding with an overview on how to bottle feed responsively and, for parents who are formula feeding, how to choose an infant formula.

Bottle feeding as responsively as possible can help support the development of a close and loving parent-infant relationship. More tips on building a close and loving relationship with babies can be found in our Building a Happy Baby leaflet for parents.

UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative is firmly committed to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. However, in the UK bottle feeding remains very common and so we also work to ensure the best outcomes possible for babies when they are not breastfed. When considering use of our materials outside of the UK, we suggest taking into account the country context and individual needs before deciding whether or not our materials are suitable for use.

Further reading

• Responsive feeding infosheet
• Department of Health’s Guide to Bottle Feeding
• NHS Health Scotland’s Formula feeding: How to feed your baby safely
• Guidelines on providing information for parents who formula feed
• First Steps Nutrition Trust guides to infant milks for health professionals
• How the Baby Friendly Initiative supports parents who formula feed