Infant formula can provide the nutrition your baby needs to grow and thrive.
You can feed your baby infant formula alone or in combination with breast milk. Our staff can help you learn how to safely prepare and feed infant formula. Call our Healthy Families Hotline if you have questions about infant formula or if you can not access the formula you need. We're here to help!
Healthy Families Hotline: 519-258-2146 ext. 1350
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.
Videos
How to bottle feed your baby: paced bottle feeding (Peel Region)
How to Prepare Infant Formula (Baby Friendly Initiative Ontario) - English
How to Prepare Infant Formula (Baby Friendly Initiative Ontario) - French
Services
Health Canada Information for families on the limited supply of infant formula
Health Connect Ontario 8-1-1 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007)
Links
Health Canada Information for families on the limited supply of infant formula
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.