Infant formula can provide the nutrition your baby needs to grow and develop.
You can feed your baby infant formula alone or in combination with breast milk. Feeding provides special time to bond with your baby. Hold your baby close during feedings - look into their eyes; softly talk, hum, or sing to them, or simply enjoy their company.
Breastfeeding note: If you want to maintain your breast milk supply while bottle or cup feeding, breastfeed or express breast milk every 2-3 hours during the first few weeks of life.
View list of breastfeeding services and resources
Resources
Infant Formula: What you need to know (Best Start, 2017)
This booklet provides information on safe preparation, storage, and feeding of formula. Available in English, French, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean,Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Infant Formula Recalls: recalls-rappels.canada.ca (Government of Canada)
This website posted safety concerns with formula and other infant feeding products.Consider subscribing to be notified about new recalls.
Information for families on the limited supply of infant formula (Health Canada, 2023)
This webpage provides guidance about what you can do if you cannot find your usual infant formula during periods of formula shortage.
Videos
Frequently Asked Questions
Your newborn baby will need to feed 8 or more times in 24 hours. Your baby will show you signs when they are hungry. These signs are called feeding cues. Learning to recognize your infant’s more subtle, early feeding cues can reduce your child’s need to cry to let you know they are hungry. Responding earlier can also help your child feel well cared for, can strengthen your bond with your baby, and often results in calmer feeding times. Early feeding cues include:
- Awakening
- Soft sounds
- Mouthing (licking lips or sticking tongue out)
- Rooting (turning the head and opening the mouth)
- Hand to mouth movements
Look for the following signs to make sure your baby is getting enough to eat:
- Your baby feeds at least 8 times every 24 hours.
- Your baby is active and has a strong cry.
- Your baby has a wet, pink mouth, and bright eyes.
- Your baby has enough wet and dirty diapers, according to their age (see chart below).
This chart is available in multiple languages here.
Your baby’s primary healthcare provider (i.e., doctor or nurse practitioner) will also track their growth as another way to make sure that your baby is getting the right amount of nutrition. Your baby’s growth should be monitored one to two weeks after birth and at two, four, six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 months of age and every year after age two. Your baby’s primary healthcare provider may monitor your child’s growth more frequently if there is a feeding concern.
If you notice signs that feeding is not going well, especially if your baby not producing the recommended number of wet and dirty diapers, seek medical attention.