 Some women begin bottle feeding from birth. Others will breastfeed for a long time then move to bottle feeding when their baby is older. For all parents who choose to give their baby a bottle at any time there is a wealth of types of formula to choose from.
So which formula is appropriate for your baby? Here is a look at some of the most popular types;
From Birth to Six Months - Normal Digestion
For full term babies or slightly early babies with a good birth weight then the most usual type of formula to choose is a Stage One Formula.
This is the nearest formula to breast milk, although it obviously does not provide the anti bodies found in breast milk. They are cow's milk based and iron fortified.
From Birth to Six Months - Hungrier Babies
Some babies are hungrier for others and if, after a month or so, you find that you are still giving an unusually high number of feeds because your baby seems constantly hungry then a "hungrier baby" formulation may help.
These have the same vitamins and ingredients as the normal Stage One formulas but are casein based rather than whey dominant so take longer to digest. They are also useful for slightly older babies if you want to delay weaning onto solids but normal formula just doesn't seem to be enough.
From Six to Twelve Months - Stage Two Formula
Around six months most parents will begin to wean their child onto solids. This is not an overnight switch however and it can take from a few weeks to a year to get your baby onto a healthy and balanced diet. If you manage it in a few weeks then you can keep your baby on Stage One formula but for the rest of us who aren't yet the Ultimate Parenting Champion, Stage Two formula can reassure us that baby is still getting everything they need.
The most important element in Stage Two formula is iron as by the time a baby reaches 6 months they have used up the reserve of iron which they brought from their mother when they were born.
Also found in greater amounts in Stage Two formulas is calcium along with some other vital proteins and vitamins.
Much like the Stage One Hungrier Baby formulations Stage Two formula is is casein dominant so takes longer to digest. Stage Two formulas can often be used up until age 2.
From Birth - Babies With Special Diet Needs
For babies who are lactose intolerant you can buy soy formula instead of the normal cow's milk based formula. A similar type of formula is elemental formula which does have cow's milk proteins however has had the lactose elements removed. They are made with hydrolysate proteins so are good for babies who have protein allergies. A doctor should be consulted before deciding if a child is lactose intolerant.
From Birth - Babies with Infant Reflux
Some babies have infant reflux. This is often due to the esophageal sphincter being weak and so allowing stmach contents and stomach acid back up from the stomach. Babies do grow out of this and there are both techniques and medicines to deal with it however the second port of call for most parents if the techniques aren't working and medicine seems too drastic is to use a staydown formula.
Staydown formulas are usually casein based and often have added rice and so are heavier. If whilst using this significant reflux still occurs you may need to see your doctor.
From Birth - Premature and Low Birth Weight Babies
For premature babies there will be many problems which may present themselves with regards to feeding. The most usual problem is that it can take them longer to drink a small amount of formula than it takes a full term baby to drink a lot more formula. This therefore can result in them using up more energy in drinking their formula than they actually gain from it. Premature babies also need more energy to be able to keep their body warm and do the growing that they would have been doing in the womb during those last few weeks or months of pregnancy.
To help these babies to get the energy they need there are specially formulated High Energy formulas. These are usually only available at doctor recommendation and have the higher protein and calorie content needed by premature and low birth weight babies
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Feeding by Age 
