Infant formula provides the best alternative to breast milk if you choose not to breastfeed or if you stop nursing before the end of the first year. We recommend a formula such as Enfamil with Iron or Similac with Iron be fed until your baby is one year old. Cow's millk(whole or 2%)should not be fed to your baby before the end of the first year.
Your newborn baby will probably take 2-4 ounces of formula per feeding. When you see your baby is emptying a bottle, gradually increase the amount in the next bottle.
As you feed your baby, you should sit in a chair in which you can be comfortable and relaxed. Your baby should be hungry and fully awake, warm and dry. Hold your baby in the nursing position, with the head slightly raised, resting in the bend of your elbow and close to you. You should not have to spend more than 30 minutes trying to feed your baby.
Hold the bottle so the formula fills the nipple, this avoids the chance of your infant swallowing air. Too much air not only gives your baby a false sense of being full but might also make your baby more uncomforable later.
The size of the nipple hole should never be large enough that milk drips at a steady rate without forming a stream. If milk pours out too rapidly, discard the nipple.
You should never prop your baby's bottle to feed him or her. Bottle propping not only deprives your baby of physical contact, but may also be dangerous to small infants who may choke on formula if left unattended.
Bottles and nipples should be sterilized the first time they are used. Subsequently, washing them in hot soapy water or dishwater is sufficient. It is not necessary to boil the water used in preparing formula if you are sure your water is of good quality. Prepare only enough formula for 24-48 hours at a time. After this, discard any unused formula. Similarly, only put as much formula in the bottle as your baby will likely take at each feeding. Discard any formula your baby did not drink within one hour of starting the bottle.