One major thing to look forward to while feeding your little one is the bond that you can develop with them and the quality time that you spend with them whilst doing so. It doesn’t matter if you’re bottle or breastfeeding, feeding time is a special moment for you and your baby no matter what.  

There are some great ways to boost the baby bond whilst feeding and if you’re bottle feeding or expressing and then feeding your little one later, your partner or family members can help with mealtimes and grow their own bond with the baby as well.  

How to bond with your baby while bottle feeding  

If you're looking to make the most of feeding time, we’ve got some easy things that you can do to boost the baby bonding whilst bottle feeding. This isn’t just for Mum either – partners can practice all these tricks to connect and build a bond with their little one, especially in the early days.  

Keep eye contact  

Something as simple as locking eyes with your little one while you’re bottle feeding them can have huge benefits for your little one. As well as increasing the bond between the two of you, it can also improve their non-verbal communication and boost their social skills.  

Skin to skin contact 

We’ve all heard of this one! But stripping off a little while bottle feeding your baby can be a great way to improve your relationship early doors. Skin to skin contact releases oxytocin (the love hormone) which warms up the feeders body and makes your baby comfortable and relaxed – how adorable?! 

Pay attention to your baby  

We know you sometimes have a million things going on and multi-tasking during bottle feeding can seem attractive to get some extra jobs done. But taking a few minutes to hold your baby close and pay extra attention to them while they’re enjoying their meal can be a really special bonding experience.  

Talk and sing to your baby 

Talking and singing to your little one while bottle feeding creates a really powerful and emotional bond with them, even from a really young age. As well as this, it can help to develop their language and thinking skills and improve their learning when it comes to school time!  

Follow your baby’s feeding cues 

Your baby can’t talk but they sure can communicate. Following feeding cues like stirring, stretching, crying or putting their hands to their mouths (among other cues) can make your baby feel secure. Bottle feeding also makes following cues a whole lot simpler as you can rely on a bottle instead of relying solely on Mum.   

If you’re at all worried about disturbing the bond between you and your baby from not breastfeeding, you just have to remember that, whichever way to end up feeding your little one, you’re still pretty much guaranteed to be their all-time favourite person.

Formula fed babies don’t automatically have a worse relationship with their parents and even if you do breastfeed, that doesn’t mean that your bond will be stronger from the get-go. It all depends on how you tackle feeding – making sure it’s a special and calm time for you and your little one.    

Helpful bottle feeding products 

There are a bunch of bottle feeding products that can make feeding time a whole lot simpler. From teats that your baby will love, to prepping perfection – these gadgets will save you time and sanity while bottle feeding your little one.  

Bottles and teats 

It’s no secret – babies like boobs. But that doesn’t mean they can’t learn to love a bottle! There are some incredible bottles and teats out there (ours are the best, FYI) that are shaped just like Mum so your little one will latch on with ease.  

• Our Closer to Nature Teats encourage a natural latch with nipples that are shaped just like Mum. Plus, they flex and stretch to suit wriggly babies who are used to the shape of Mum’s breast. They also come in 4 different kinds of flow to suit little ones at any age. Plus, we have a range of bottles that are sure to suit your and your babies needs for feeding time.  
• Closer to Nature Silicone Baby Bottle – Our newest bottle is made from super soft silicone that feels as soft as skin and is super comfortable for baby to touch.  
• Advanced Anti-Colic Baby Bottle – Fight against the colic symptoms with our cleverly designed anti-colic bottle.   
• Closer to Nature Glass Baby Bottle – Easy to clean and eco-friendly, this glass bottle is perfect for planet-minded parents looking to reduce their plastic use.  

Sterilising equipment 

Something that comes with the package of bottle feeding is sterilising. It sounds a little intimidating but its genuinely easy peasy once you get your head around it. Plus, we have a bunch of clever sterilisers that make the process easy and fit around your lifestyle. 

• Ultra UV 3-in-1 Steriliser, Dryer & Storage  - This incredible product uses UV light to kill 99.9% of harmful germs – no heat, steam or harsh chemicals.  
• Advanced Steri-Dryer Electric Steriliser - Use the all-natural cleaning power of steam to sterilise up to 6 bottles in just 40 minutes!   
• Micro-Steam Microwave Steriliser - Pop 4 bottles in this nifty steriliser and put the whole thing in your microwave for just 4 minutes – easy peasy.    
• Super-steam Advanced Electric Steriliser  - Always be ready with a bottle with this super quick and effective steriliser – sterilise 6 bottles in just 5 minutes.   

Bottle prep products 

Stocking up and storing milk is a top-notch plan! Just grabbing a bottle from the fridge is a hassle-free and convenient alternative to breastfeeding. But there is some prepping you’ll need to do to get your little one’s bottle perfect for them.  

• Perfect Prep Day & Night – If you’re formula feeding your little one, this product will become your best friend! Your perfect temperate bottle will be ready in just 2 minutes with very little effort from you – makes getting a bottle ready a night a breeze.   
• 3-in-1 Advanced Bottle and Pouch Warmer – This small but mighty bottle warmer warms your baby’s feeds in as little as 4 minutes. Plus, it sets the warmer time based on the temperature of the bottle, so you can easily warm from frozen.  
• Easi-Warm Bottle and Food Warmer – The gentle warming helps to preserve essential nutrients without overheating your baby’s food and milk.