Bottle feeding
Expressed milk: storing, warming, feeding
About 10 min
Why it matters
Bottle feeding lets mom rest and gives you time to bond with your baby. Storing and warming milk properly keeps it safe.
What you need
- A clean, sterilized bottle and nipple
- Expressed breast milk or formula
- A bowl of warm water or a bottle warmer
- A burp cloth
Step by step
- 1 Wash your hands. Wash the bottle and nipple in hot soapy water, rinse and sterilize.
- 2 Storage: freshly expressed milk keeps 4 hours at room temperature (up to 25 °C), 4 days at the back of the fridge, and ideally 6 months in the freezer (up to 12 months is acceptable). Label it with the date.
- 3 Thawing and warming: thaw overnight in the fridge or set the container in warm water. Never use a microwave; it heats unevenly and can burn the mouth.
- 4 Use thawed milk within 24 hours and never refreeze it. Milk left over from a feed must be used within 2 hours, then thrown away.
- 5 Formula: follow the measurements exactly. The NHS advises making it with boiled water that is still at least 70 °C, then cooling it.
- 6 Drip a little on the inside of your wrist: it should feel lukewarm, not hot.
- 7 Hold your baby semi-upright and the bottle close to horizontal, so the nipple is full but the flow stays slow. Pause now and then and follow your baby's pace.
- 8 Never prop the bottle up and leave your baby to feed alone. Burp them after the feed.
Common mistakes
- Warming milk in the microwave.
- Saving leftover milk for the next feed.
- Adding too much or too little formula powder.
- Feeding your baby lying flat, or propping the bottle.
When to see a doctor
- Keeps refusing feeds or sucks very weakly.
- After day 5, fewer than 6 wet diapers a day.
- Projectile vomiting or weight loss.
- Turns blue, coughs or chokes during feeds.
This guide gives general information and doesn't replace a medical exam. If you're worried about your baby, talk to your doctor.