Feeding your baby or child

Did you know you that your relationship with your baby starts before he/she is even born?

 Attachment and bonding during pregnancy: Ready Steady Baby!

Please see useful information about how your body prepares for feeding your baby after he/she is born.

How your body prepares to feed your baby: Ready Steady Baby!

For more information on expressing breastmilk towards the end of your pregnancy (36-37 weeks), please click on the following information leaflet.  See also the hand expressing video within the breastfeeding section below.

You can also find lots of useful information in Off to a Good Start: 

Off to a Good Start

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 This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them

Breastfeeding Network

 Twins Trust: provide online Antenatal classes for parents expecting twins or multiples. This is funded via Scottish Government

Regardless of your feeding intention, skin-to-skin contact is the best start for every baby. If this is not possible immediately after birth, try to have some skin-to-skin time as soon as you and your baby are able to.

This first magical hour (which can be recreated later) is a natural process of nine stages your baby will go through and naturally make their way to the breast.  For more information on this please see  Off to a Good Start.

Off to a good start

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 This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them

For those who wish to breastfeed, this will get breastfeeding off to a good start.

For all babies this time is invaluable. This is a calming, bonding time between mum and baby and it will help your baby to set up a healthy immune system, calm your baby and help you fall in love with your baby.

If you decide to formula feed it is best to give the first formula feed in skin-to-skin contact with mum to enjoy the same benefits.

 Meeting your baby for the first time: Ready Steady Baby

Meeting your baby for the first time: UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative  

Building a Close and Loving Relationship with your Baby

Babies love to be close to their parents in skin-to-skin contact as this helps them feel more secure and loved. When this happens, both you and your baby produce a hormone called oxytocin which calms your baby down and helps with developing their growing brain.

Building a happy baby: UNICEF baby friendly initiative leaflet

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The importance of relationship building: UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

  Developing a relationship with your baby:  Ready Steady Baby

For information about feeding baby during the night, please look at the safer sleeping section under Looking after your child.

Breastfeeding has many benefits for babies and for mums. Your breastmilk is unique and is ideally suited to your baby. Breastmilk is especially beneficial for babies if they are born prematurely

Off to a good start

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This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them

Global Health Media videos cover all sorts of topics from breastfeeding positions to how to know whether your baby is getting enough milk, and are translated into several different languages.

Responsive feeding

This is about responding to your baby’s cues for feeds

 Learning your baby's cues:  Parent Club.

It is also about listening to your own body and offering the breast anytime you feel full. Responsive feeding is a very valuable way of being able to soothe and comfort your baby if they are unsettled or upset, or if you just want to spend a bit of time with your baby. You are not going to overfeed or spoil your baby by doing this.

Off to a Good Start booklet has more information and the link is at the start of this section

 Responsive breastfeeding: The Breastfeeding Network

Positioning and Attaching Baby at the Breast

The clip below from Best Beginnings shows how to achieve good attachment at the breast:

Positioning and attachment video

This clip from Best Beginnings shows how ineffective attachment happens and how it

can cause sore nipples

Suck/Swallow Pattern of a Breastfeed

The image below shows the sucking and swallowing pattern of a breastfeed. It can be helpful to understand what this looks like. For more information see page 45 of your Off to a Good Start booklet.

Throughout a breastfeed, baby receives a range of calories and nutrients: 

• Beginning of a feed - your baby will suck quickly and receive a high amount of liquid along with carbohydrate and fat 

• Middle of a feed – Rhythmic sucking, the volume of fat becomes more concentrated  

• End of a feed - ‘Flutter’ sucks, very high fat milk, low volume of liquid 

All parts of the feed are important for your baby, and this is why we encourage baby to stay on the breast until your baby comes off naturally.  

Wind your baby then offer the second breast at each feed. Baby may not always take it, but it's important to offer.  

Hand Expressing

This video guides mothers on how to hand express and talks about the times when hand expression might be useful

Hand expression video - UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

Further information on how to hand express and store breastmilk can be found in your Off to a Good Start booklet

Exclusively Expressing

You may find yourself in the position where you are exclusively expressing breastmilk, either temporarily or long term.

 Exclusively Expressing Breastmilk for Your Baby: La Leche League GB

How to tell that breastfeeding is going well

Please see the link below which has useful information about the signs to look for that tells you if breastfeeding is going well.

 How do I know my baby's getting enough breast milk?: Parent Club

 Breastfeeding checklist: This handy checklist from UNICEF is also a useful tool to help you check that things are going well

Breastfeeding Challenges

 Feeding Your Baby: Parent Club, see here for information about challenges you may face when breastfeeding and what can help.

Signs your baby isn't getting enough milk: Parent Club

Frequent feeding

 Feeding your baby at night: Parent club

Breast compressions can help increase milk flow, support baby's feeding, and improve milk transfer—especially useful if baby is sleepy or not feeding effectively. Watch this short video to learn how to do it.

 Tongue Tie:  Parent Club Scotland general information.  Watch this video below for support and advice around breastfeeding  

Information for parents about Tongue-tie

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If you have any concerns about breastfeeding, or have any concerns about your baby, please contact your Health Visitor who will be able to support you. If you are having more complicated feeding problems, they will also be able to assess if you need onward referral to our specialist Infant Feeding clinics.

This video features local GGC mums Alisha, Aimee and Linda talking about their breastfeeding challenges

Top Tips for Breastfeeding Out and About and Returning to Work, Training or Education

In Scotland the law says you can feed your baby wherever you are going when you are out and about. You can't be stopped or asked to move on.

You also have options to continue breastfeeding when returning to work, training or education. Please see the leaflet below for more information.

Top tips for breastfeeding out and about

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To download the PDF above in other languages - please use this ink

 Getting out and about while breastfeeding:   Parent Club

This video features local GGC mums Aimee and Linda talking about their experiences of breastfeeding out and about:

Breastfeeding Stories - Out and About

The Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme

This is a national scheme to support breastfeeding families. Businesses such as cafés and restaurants who have signed up to this will make an extra effort to welcome breastfeeding families and will display Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland stickers and/or posters.

To see which businesses have signed up across Scotland look at this interactive map.

Breastfeeding Support

The National Breastfeeding Helpline is open 24 hours a day every single day of the year, offering non-judgemental, evidence based, friendly breastfeeding support and information to anyone in the UK who needs it.

National Breastfeeding helpline – 0300 100 0212 

The Breastfeeding Network and Parent Club offer breastfeeding support across Greater Glasgow and Clyde

 The Breastfeeding Network

Breastfeeding Support (Parent Club) 

This video features local GGC mums Aimee and Alisha talking about the support they received when breastfeeding and what that meant to them:

Breastfeeding Network Glasgow; Antenatal sessions. Join online and meet our trained Community Peer Supporter to hear about how to get breastfeeding off to a good start. Meet other parents in a relaxed and friendly online environment. Partners are welcome and encouraged to join the session - informed, supportive partners are a key part of a successful breastfeeding journey. Only one free ticket is required per family

Breastfeeding Support for Families having Twins or Multiples

 Twins trust – multiple birth information  Registered charity UK, our mission at Twins Trust is to provide our families with the information and support they need to enable them to thrive

Breastfeeding Twins: 

 Breastfeeding Twins and Triplets UK:  This is a charity set up for parents to share their stories and have peer support

***Danone recalls several Aptamil and Cow & Gate First Infant Milk and Follow on Milk formula *** 

Please click on link for full information on the recall

***Update 2: Nestlé recalls several SMA Infant Formula and Follow-On Formula***

Please click on link for full information on the recall 

If you are formula feeding your baby, your Health Visitor or Family Nurse will discuss during visits how your baby's feeding is going. They will check that you know how to:

• prepare formula feeds safely
• clean and sterilise your feeding equipment.

Formula feeding: How to feed your baby safely - Public Health Scotland

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 This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them

What type of infant milk should my baby have?

• First infant formula (whey-based formula milk) is the most suitable formula for infants in the first year of life (unless your doctor or health visitor gives you different advice) 
• From around 6 months, babies are introduced to solid foods (see section on introducing solid foods). Continue to also give a first stage infant formula alongside introducing solids until 12 months of age.  Cow’s milk can be used for cooking from around 6 months with the introduction of solid foods. 
• From 12 months of age, infants should be given full fat or semi-skimmed cow’s milk, a suitable plant-based alternative, or water as their main drink

There are a range of formula milks which would not be recommended, unless advised by your GP or health visitor.  These include: 

• Soya milk formula 
• Goat’s milk formula 
• Comfort / Reflux formula 
• Hungry Baby formula 
• Follow on formula (not required at all and not suitable under 6 months old)  
• Toddler and Growing Up formula (not required at all and not suitable under 12 months) 

If you have any issues or concerns about your baby’s feeding including worries about cow’s milk allergy, reflux, growth, or other concerns please speak to your Health Visitor/Family Nurse or GP for further assessment and advice.  

What brands of infant formula milk are recommended?

As a new parent, it can be confusing when trying to decide which brand of infant formula is best to buy. In the UK, all brands of first infant formula milk all meet the same strict compositional standards, meaning they are all very similar. Any first stage infant formula milk is suitable from birth and there is no need to buy a more expensive brand for your baby.

Struggling with the cost of buying Infant Formula

• First Steps Nutrition Trust have produced a range of very useful infographics that advise how you can safely save money while formula feeding your baby
  • Infographics — First Steps Nutrition Trust.
• You may be eligible for Best Start Foods as part of a Best Start Grant entitlement. This entitles the user to a pre-paid card towards healthy food and can be used towards first infant formula.
  •   Best Start Food - Scottish Government
• You may also be entitled to other benefits:
  • Children and family - Scottish Government.

Your Health Visitor/Family Nurse will always be happy to discuss any financial issues or concerns you may be having and will be able to support and refer you on to a range of services that can help you.

Cleaning and sterilising your feeding equipment

It is very important that you know how to properly clean and sterilise your baby’s bottles, teats and feeding equipment to prevent them getting infections and stomach upsets. Please see pages 3 to 9 of Formula feeding booklet and the Parent Club website

Parent Club Website: Formula feeding section

This Parent Club video also has a useful demonstration on how to clean your feeding equipment 

Safe preparation of formula

It is very important that you make up your baby’s formula feed safely. Infant formula powder is not sterile and can sometimes contain harmful bacteria. Although this is rare, these bacteria can cause infections and make your baby seriously ill. Please follow the instructions on pages 10-19 formula feeding booklet on how to do this safely

Parent Club also has a useful video showing a Health Visitor talking to a mum about how to make up a Formula feed

Formula milk prep machines

We would not recommend formula prep machines as a recent study Exploring the safety of at home powdered formula preparation | Food Standards Agency has shown that most formula prep machines do not make up formula at the 70°C required to kill off any bacteria.  

Responsive bottle feeding

Babies should be fed when they are showing signs that they are hungry (often referred to as feeding cues) rather than feeding them according to a schedule

Learning your baby's cues: Parent Club

Keeping your baby close by will help you to pick up on your baby's cues for feeding and attention. In the first few weeks, it's great if you and your partner are feeding your baby; this helps them feel more secure and helps them continue to bond with you. Page 20 to 25 of your formula feeding booklet has more information about feeding your baby responsively 

Responsive Bottle Feeding: UNICEF baby friendly initiative

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Safety

Babies should always be held for feeding, encouraging responsive, paced bottle feeding. Feeding pillows or props are not recommended for bottle feeding as they do not promote responsive feeding and are a choking hazard.

Why breastmilk matters when your baby is born too soon or sick 

Having your baby on the neonatal unit can be a really worrying time. Giving your baby your breastmilk is one of the best things you can do. It will protect your baby from infection and is uniquely made to meet their needs. Breastmilk is especially important if your baby is born very early or is sick after birth and needs to come to the neonatal unit.

Making milk for your baby 

Expressing as soon after your baby is born will get your milk supply off to the best start. The staff on the neonatal unit can help you with this. Even if you never intended to breastfeed, giving your baby breastmilk in the early days is like a medicine only you can give.

If your baby was born very early, you may need to carry on expressing for many weeks. This can feel relentless at times. Double pumping (pumping both breasts at the same time) will save time and increase your milk supply. Expressing 8-10 times in 24 hours including once overnight will help you make enough milk for your baby in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Skin to skin contact 

As soon as your baby is stable, both you and your baby will really benefit from spending time in skin

-to-skin contact. This can be a very special time for you both and it helps to steady your baby’s heart rate and breathing and keeps them snug and warm.

Skin-to-skin contact helps babies grow, reduces their stress levels and is the perfect way to soothe and calm them after a medical procedure. Skin-to-skin contact will also calm you, which can help if you have had a busy or stressful time getting to the hospital. Spending lots of time in skin-to-skin contact with your baby has been shown to shorten hospital stays and help your baby learn to feed more quickly.

Moving on to breastfeeding 

All of the staff on the unit can support you with building your milk supply and transitioning to breastfeeding if that is what you want to do. We also have breastfeeding champions and peer supporters who have dedicated time to support you with feeding your baby. Ask your nurse if you want to speak to one of the infant feeding team.

Neonatal infant feeding: Royal Hospital for Children neonatal infant feeding web page

If you know your baby is going to be on the neonatal unit and want to speak to one of the infant feeding team to find out a bit more about why breastmilk is important/how to express use the contact details on the leaflet below.  

Click on image to open PDF

Neonatal Breastfeeding Assessment Tool

Hand Expression Video 

Contact numbers – Neonatal:

RAH neonatal unit - 0141 314 7035

PRM Intensive care unit (NICU) - 0141 451 5221 or 0141 211 6356

PRM special care unit (SCBU) - 0141 451 5222

Royal Hospital for Children neonatal unit level 1 reception - 0141 201 2261 or 0141 211 6356

Royal Hospital for Children neonatal unit level 2 reception - 0141 232 4334 or 0141 232 4335

Donor human milk (DHM) is breastmilk donated to a human milk bank by mothers who have extra to spare. The donors are screened to ensure their milk is suitable, and their milk is tested for bacteria before being heat treated. Just like with blood donations, the breastmilk is freely donated, and its use is tracked and recorded.

• DHM is mainly offered on a temporary basis as a supplement to your own milk whilst you build your supply

• It is mostly needed when babies have been born early or are very small

• Your colostrum (first milk) and the milk produced after a few days are the most suitable first feeds for your baby, especially those that are tiny and sick. If there isn’t enough or your baby is not able to have your own milk, DHM is usually the preferred supplement in the early days and weeks when being cared for on a neonatal unit.

You can also donate breast milk that is stored and less than 90 days old. Once breastfeeding is established, usually around 6 weeks, you can express on a regular basis, usually once a day, to donate. You can donate up until your baby is two.

 Can I donate my milk: on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde site has further information and screening forms

 Milk Bank Scotland page on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde site will give you more information

Starting Solids Events are listed in the local information section of the app

Local Information

In this section you will find information about introducing solid foods to your baby. Introducing or starting solids is also sometimes called weaning, or complementary feeding; they all mean the same thing.

Public Health Scotland recommends starting solids at around 6 months, when your baby is developmentally ready.  The signs that your baby is ready are:

• They can stay in a sitting position and can hold their head steady
• They can reach out and grab things accurately; for example, they may look at a toy, pick it up and bring it to their mouth by themselves

If your baby is around six months of age and the signs above are there, you can try offering a spoonful of soft food to see how they cope. 

Starting solids is an opportunity to introduce a wide variety of flavours and textures to your baby.  Babies are naturally curious and will enjoy exploring food – let them see, touch, taste, smell, hold and squish lots of different foods.   Starting solids can be an anxious time for parents, but with the right information and support it can be a fun (and messy!) time too. Babies are all different and, like with anything, some will take to eating solid foods quickly while others will take a bit longer to get used to it - and that’s okay. 

Once your baby is around 6 months old, breastmilk and formula do not provide enough of certain nutrients, for example iron, for your baby, which is why it is important to start them on a wide variety of foods at this stage.  Learning to eat and cope with different textures also helps with their speech development

Starting solids is a great opportunity to introduce healthy eating habits that continue through childhood and into adulthood.  

Fun First Foods - Public Health Scotland

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To see list of other languages and formats such as Easy read or Audio click Link

To find out much more go to Greater Glasgow and Clyde's web pages for ideas, help and videos - some samples of the videos are below:

Starting Solids Show – Getting Started (Part 1)

Creamy Lentil and Vegetable Curry - Starting Solids Show: Cookalong Videos

Cottage Pie with Mash - Starting Solids Show: Short Video Recipe

First Steps Nutrition Trust is an independent public health nutrition charity that provides brilliant, free resources about eating well from pregnancy to five years

Drinks and cups for babies and young children NHS.uk/conditions weaning and feeding 

Food & Eating Healthy eating resources to download from Parent Club website

 Henry: A programme for all parents

 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are working in partnership with Early Years Scotland (EYS) and Possibilities for Each and Every Kid (PEEK) to deliver the HENRY programmes and workshops.  You will find the registration forms in the how and where to access HENRY section of our website.

Introducing solids to your premature baby

Parents with a baby born early can find it difficult to know when they should start their baby on solid foods, as babies born preterm may develop more slowly (e.g. sit at a later age) than babies who were born at full-term.

Parents may also feel unsure about how their baby will manage weaning after such an unplanned or unexpected start to life.

This Bliss guide is full of useful information: Weaning your premature baby | Bliss

Allergy Information 

General information for healthy babies 

When your baby is developmentally ready, at around 6 months, introduce foods that are commonly associated with food allergies (foods known to cause allergic reactions, for example egg, peanuts/other nuts, dairy foods, fish/seafood and wheat)  

• Introduce each of these foods one at a time 
• Start with a small amount and increase gradually 
• Try to introduce these foods early in the day (to monitor baby’s reaction) 
• Once introduced into your baby’s diet, keep giving them regularly 

For babies at higher risk of developing a food allergy   

Risk factors: 

• Eczema (especially if eczema is very bad) 
• An existing food allergy 

During weaning, the early introduction of foods associated with allergies has been shown to be protective against developing food allergies for all babies, even those with risk factors. 

For further information, please contact your healthcare professional (GP or Health Visitor). 

Gagging and Choking 

Parents and carers are often worried about gagging and choking and it’s important to know the difference between the two.  Gagging is a normal reflex that stops your baby from choking and is common as babies figure out how to eat.  See the Parent Club website for more information:

Gagging | Parent Club  and Choking | Parent Club 

The British Red Cross video below shows you what to do if your baby chokes

Healthy eating habits developed in the early years can set your child up for good health later in life.  A healthy diet is about getting the right balance of foods and drinks in the right amounts.  If you can, it’s great to get into the habit of sitting together to eat, making meals a fun and social occasion.

Toddlers and pre-school children grow and develop quickly, so it’s important to make sure they are eating well to get all the energy and nutrients they need.  This is a great time for children to learn about food and eating, so that, if possible, they can get into the habit of having a healthy, varied diet. 

It’s important to offer a variety of foods from the four main food groups every day: 

• Fruits and vegetables 
• Starchy foods, e.g. bread, pasta, rice, potatoes 
• Dairy foods (or unsweetened plant-based alternatives) e.g. milk (if plant-based ensure it is unsweetened and has calcium added), cheese, yoghurt 
• Protein foods (e.g. meat, fish, beans/lentils, nut butters, eggs) 

Children also need fats and oils such as rapeseed oil, olive oil and the oils you get in oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds. 

 Food and eating information pages from Parent Club

First Steps Nutrition Trust is an independent nutrition charity that provides brilliant, free resources about eating well from pregnancy to five years.  Click the link for information on feeding 1 to 5-year-olds, including packed lunches, snacks, vegan kids, and information for South Asian families. 

 First Steps Nutrition Trust: Eating well in the early years

Remember that children are all different, some will eat anything, while others will be much pickier.  Some parents find the Division of Responsibility helpful to remember: 

• The parent/carer decides what, when and where their child eats  
• The child decides whether they eat and how much. 

In other words, you provide, they decide! 

Fussy eating is a normal developmental stage which can start from about 1 year old and can last until approximately age 5, sometimes longer.   

Neurodiverse children in particular can struggle with food and often like to stick to a few safe foods that they are familiar with.  If you are worried about your child’s diet, please speak to your GP or Health Visitor.   

For more information on fussy eating, please see the links below. 

 Food and eating information pages from Parent Club

 Child Feeding Guide: real strategies and tool to tackle fussy eating and create happy mealtimes

 Top Tips for Fussy Eating:  Henry

 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are working in partnership with Early Years Scotland (EYS) and Possibilities for Each and Every Kid (PEEK) to deliver the HENRY programmes and workshops.  You will find the registration forms in the how and where to access HENRY section of our website.

Thrive under 5 (TU5): is a project funded by Scottish Government monies and delivered by Health Improvement staff from NHSGCC. Through a whole systems approach to tackling child poverty in selected places, the programme aims to support children under the age of five to achieve a healthy weight.

We need vitamin D for bone and muscle health. The best source of vitamin D is from the sunlight in the summer, but in the winter months (October – March) our bodies cannot produce enough vitamin D from sunlight and food sources are limited. 

There are groups of people who are more at risk of vitamin D deficiency and should take a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the year; this includes those who are pregnant and breastfeeding, and children under the age of 5. Not taking enough vitamin D can lead to problems with bone health.  

For more information on the benefits of vitamin D, and on groups at higher risk of deficiency, visit:

Vitamin D: advice for parents - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 

The following groups are entitled to FREE vitamin D: 

• Those who are breastfeeding and mixed feeding. 
• All children under 3 years old. If your child is having more than 500ml of infant formula in 24 hours, then they do not require vitamin D supplement as infant formula has vitamin D added. 

If you are breastfeeding at discharge from the maternity unit, you should receive vitamin D drops for your baby and tablets for yourself.  

You can collect more vitamin D free from your local pharmacy.  

Vitamin D for breastfeeding women and children under 3 – NHSGGC. 

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This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them

Vitamin D  This is the link to the NHSGGC pages on why Vitamin D is important and how to get hold of the free drops via pharmacies. 

Vitamin D and You

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This leaflet is available in other languages - use this link to list them