Bottle feeding kit checklist
Built around the feed that happens at 3am as much as the one at lunchtime — the kit that's already set up is the kit that actually gets used.
15 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Bottles×6More than seems necessary, so there's always a clean one at 3am without washing up first.
- Teats×8Matched to the flow rate for their age — the wrong flow causes gulping, gagging or a frustrated baby.
- Steriliser, steam or cold water
- Bottle brush and a teat brush
- Formula, if using itThe same brand and type throughout unless a health visitor suggests changing — swapping unsettles a stomach for nothing.
- Kettle or a supply of freshly boiled water for making up feedsMade up fresh each time and cooled to the right temperature — check the exact method with the packet or a health visitor.
- Bottle warmer, if wantedNot essential — a jug of warm water does the same job for less money.
- Formula dispenser pots for being out of the house
- Insulated bag for bottles or made-up formula out and about
- Labels for expressed milk, with date and timeOldest first. An unlabelled freezer is a guessing game nobody wants at 2am.
- Dishwasher basket for small partsTeats and valves escape a normal dishwasher basket and end up melted on the element.
- Muslins×6
- Night feed station: chair, water and a dim light already set upSet it up once so a 3am feed doesn't start with hunting for anything.
- Drying rack kept just for feeding equipment
- Thermal flask for water when out for the day
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- How many bottles do I actually need?
- About six to start, more once feeds settle into a rhythm. Enough that there's always a clean one, so washing up is never the thing standing between you and a hungry baby.
- Does the water for formula need to be boiled every time?
- Yes — made up fresh with water that's recently been boiled and cooled to the right temperature, following the packet or a health visitor's guidance on the method.
- Is combination feeding — breast and bottle — fine?
- Yes, plenty of families do both, whether that starts from day one or gets introduced later. Neither this list nor the breastfeeding one assumes you're only doing one.