I’m planning to bottle-feed. What items do I need to get in advance?

One of the advantages to bottle-feeding is that fathers and carers can feed your baby and give you a bit of a break. You can use formula or you could express breast milk for your baby to have. Some parents use a combination of both expressed breast milk and formula. The items you will need to bottle feed are plastic bottles (teats are included), a sterilising unit or kit and your preferred formula. Each of these items comes in a range of options, so you will need to decide what will work best for you. As you get to know your baby you may find you have to change the type of teat and or formula that he/she prefers. So it is not advisable to buy too many before the birth. A good sterilising unit usually comes with all you need as a starting unit. The sterilising equipment can be an electric steam steriliser, one that fits into a microwave or a cold water and chemicals system which uses tablets dissolved in water. NHS direct also gives useful advice about bottle feeding http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/