Close Alert Banner
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.
Skip to Content
Region of Durham Logo
Contact Us
Engage
  • Living Here
    • 311 – Connecting you to our services
    • A to Z Services
    • Accessibility
    • Age-Friendly Durham
    • Animal Services and Control
    • Climate, Energy and Resilience
    • Conservation Authorities
    • Counselling
    • Crime Prevention and Public Safety
    • Early Learning and Child Care
    • Education and Schools
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Emergency Services
    • Emergency Social Services
    • Food Banks
    • Housing and Homelessness
    • Libraries
    • Living with Low-Income
    • Long Term Care and Adult Day Programs
    • View More...
    View our Garbage and Recycling page

    Garbage and Recycling

    View our My Property page

    My Property

    View our Roads and Traffic page

    Roads and Traffic

  • Discovering Durham
    • About Durham Region
    • Arts and Culture
    • Bike Month
    • Cycling and Walking
    • E-mobility
    • Local Food and Farmers' Markets
    • Maps
    • New to Durham Region
    • Parks, Trails and Conservation Areas
    • Spectator Sports
    • Sport Tourism
    • Sports and Recreation
    • Tourism
    • Tourism Festival and Events Calendar
    • Transportation and Transit
    View our Tourism page

    Tourism

    View our Tourism Festival and Events calendar

    Tourism Festival and Events Calendar

    View our Transportation and Transit page

    Transportation and Transit

  • Doing Business
    • Applications, Licences and Permits
    • As-Built Drawing Request
    • Bid Opportunities
    • Business Directory
    • Business Count
    • Community Social Investment Framework
    • Construction and Your Business
    • Construction Liens
    • Design and Construction Specifications
    • Economic Development
    • Events
    • Garbage and Recycling Collection on Private Property
    • Housing
    • Municipal Consent
    • Operating a Child Care Centre
    • Planning and Development
    • Public Health Inspections for Businesses
    • Purchasing
    • Project Reports, Studies and Plans
    View our Agriculture page

    Agriculture

    View our Business Directory page

    Business Directory

    View our Purchasing page

    Purchasing

  • Health and Wellness
    • Alcohol, Cannabis, Drugs and Smoking
    • Babies and Toddlers
    • Child Health and School-Age Children
    • Clinics and Classes Calendar
    • COVID-19 Update
    • Domestic Violence
    • Dental and Oral Health
    • Environment and Your Health
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Health Check-Up, Performance Reports and Health Plans
    • Health Information Services
    • Healthy Living
    • Illness, Infection and Disease
    • Immunizations and Vaccines
    • Injury Prevention and Safety
    • Mental Health
    • MPOX
    • Pregnancy
    • Public Health Inspections and Investigations
    • View More...
    Launch the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker

    COVID-19 Data Tracker

    View our Health Care Professionals page

    Health Care Professionals

    View our Report Immunizations Online page

    Report Immunizations Online

  • Regional Government
    • A to Z Services
    • Access to Information
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Awards
    • Bill 23
    • Budget and Financial
    • By-Laws
    • Careers and Volunteering
    • CityStudio Durham
    • Community Engagement
    • Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
    • Contact Us
    • Court and Traffic Tickets (Provincial Offences)
    • COVID-19 Information and Resources
    • COVID-19 Recovery Framework and Action Plan
    • Departments
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Durham Region 101
    • Durham Region Strategic Plan
    • View More...
    View our Council page

    Council

    View our Open Data page

    Open Data

    View our Regional Services map

    Regional Services

I'd Like To...

Apply or Register For

  • Applications, Licences and Permits
  • Bidding Opportunities
  • Careers and Volunteering
  • Freedom of Information Request
  • Housing

Learn About

  • A to Z Services
  • Being New to Durham Region
  • Budget
  • By-Laws
  • Council
  • Durham Region Transit
  • Public Health Inspections

Report an Issue

  • By-Law Infraction
  • Downed Sign
  • Health Protection Complaint
  • Illegal Dumping
  • Missed Garbage or Recycling Pickup
View our Twitter Page View our Facebook Page View our YouTube Page view our LinkedIn page

A mother breastfeeding her baby.

Feeding Your Baby

HomeHealth and WellnessBabies and ToddlersFeeding Your Baby
Decrease text size Default text size Increase text size
Print this page
Share this page
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Babies and Toddlers
    • Babies with Developmental Concerns
    • Baby's First Year
    • Breastfeeding and Newborn Care Online Classes and Videos
    • Bringing Baby Home
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Crib Safety
    • Feeding Your Baby
    • Flat-head Syndrome
    • Infant Crying
    • Infant Sleep and Sleep Habits
    • Parenting Your Child and Positive Parenting
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Shaken Baby Syndrome
  • Alcohol, Cannabis, Drugs and Smoking
    • Alcohol
    • Cannabis
    • Opioids and Overdose Prevention
      • Durham Opioid Response Plan
      • Durham Region Opioid Information System
    • Safe Needle Disposal
    • Tobacco and Vaping
  • Child Health and School-Age Children
    • Bullying
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Child Care and Early Learning
    • Child Development
    • Child Immunization and School Clinics
    • Picky Eaters
  • Clinics and Classes Calendar
  • COVID-19 Update
    • Case Status in Durham Region
    • COVID-19 Case and Contact Information Hub
    • COVID-19 Guidance and Advice for Businesses and Organizations
    • COVID-19 Testing
    • COVID-19 Vaccines
    • Facts and Frequently Asked Questions
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Institutional Outbreaks
    • Masks
    • Mental Health
    • Resources
    • Schools Reopening Toolkit
  • Domestic Violence
  • Dental and Oral Health
    • Brushing and Flossing
    • Fluoride
    • Oral Cancer
    • School Screening Dental Clinics
    • Snacking
  • Environment and Your Health
    • Air Quality
    • Extreme Cold
    • Extreme Heat and Humidity
    • Flooding
    • Harmful Plants
    • Nuclear Awareness
    • Private Wells
    • Sewage and Septic Systems
    • Sun Safety and Tanning
  • Health Care Professionals
  • Health Check-Up, Performance Reports and Health Plans
    • 2021 Health Check-Up!
    • 2020 Health Check-Up!
    • 2019 Health Check-Up!
    • 2022 Health Plan
    • 2021 Health Plan
    • 2020 Health Plan
    • 2019 Health Plan
  • Health Information Services
    • Durham Health Stats
    • Health Care
    • Health Neighbourhoods
    • Information Practices / Client Safety / Customer Service Standards
    • Outbreaks, Recalls, Advisories and Alerts
    • Public Access to Defibrillators
  • Healthy Living
    • Healthy Aging
    • Healthy Communities
    • Healthy Eating
    • Healthy Routines
    • Food Poverty
    • Infection Prevention
    • Low Cost and Subsidized Recreation Programs
    • Physical Activity
  • Illness, Infection and Disease
    • Avian Influenza
    • Facts About...
    • Food Poisoning
    • Infection Control in Institutions
    • Influenza (Flu)
    • Insects, Rodents and Bites
    • Legionella
    • Lyme Disease
    • Meningitis
    • MPOX
      • Information for Health Care Professionals
    • Rabies
    • Reportable Diseases
    • Tuberculosis (TB)
    • West Nile Virus
  • Immunizations and Vaccines
    • Adult Immunization
    • Child Immunization and School Clinics
    • Influenza (Flu)
    • Travel Health
    • Vaccine Safety
  • Injury Prevention and Safety
    • Bike Safety
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Child Safety
    • Falls
    • Healthy Aging
    • Off-roading Safety
    • Playgrounds
    • Preventing Concussions
    • Road and Traffic Safety
  • Mental Health
    • Counselling
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Suicide Prevention
  • MPOX
  • Pregnancy
    • Alcohol in Pregnancy
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Infections in Pregnancy
    • Online Prenatal Classes
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Planning for Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Options
    • Preterm Labour and Birth
    • Substance Use in Pregnancy
  • Public Health Inspections and Investigations
    • Beaches
    • Check&GO! Durham
    • Food Safety
    • Food Safety Training
    • Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Lapse Reports
    • International Agricultural Worker Housing Inspections
    • Know Your Public Health Inspector
    • Operating a Child Care Centre
    • Playgrounds
    • Public Health Inspections for Businesses
    • Rabies
    • Recreational Water
    • Salons and Spas
    • Sewage and Septic Systems
    • Small Drinking Water Systems
    • Smoking, Vaping and Retailer Convictions
    • Submit a Complaint or Concern
    • Tattoos and Piercings
  • School Health
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • School-Based Public Health Clinics
    • Schools Reopening Toolkit
  • Sexual Health and Clinics
    • 2SLGBTQI+
    • Birth Control
    • Pregnancy Options
    • SEXed Manual for Educators
    • Sexual Health Decisions
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

As a new parent, you might have questions about feeding your baby.

Breastfeeding

Breast milk can help your baby grow and develop. Breast milk and vitamin D are all your baby needs for their first six months. Breast milk changes to meet your baby's growing needs. After six months, you can gradually start solid foods. You can continue breastfeeding for two years or longer.

Health Department breastfeeding group calendar.

Information about breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is important for you and your baby

  • Protects your baby from many infections and illnesses.
  • Promotes healthy brain development.
  • Is always available and the right temperature.
  • Is low cost and friendly to the environment.
  • Protects you from breast cancer, ovarian cancer and diabetes.
  • Can have a calming effect on mom and baby.

You may have a lot of questions about breastfeeding

  • How do I know if my baby is getting enough?
  • How will I know if my baby latches properly?
  • What do I do about sore nipples or breasts?
  • What is skin to skin?
  • When can I exercise?
  • What medications are safe to take?
  • Where can I get help?

For more information, read Breastfeeding matters: An important guide to breastfeeding for women and their families.

For frequently asked questions about breastfeeding see:

  • Expressing and storing breast milk
  • Blocked ducts
  • Breast infection (mastitis)
  • Thrush

You can also find information on the breastfeeding information for parents website.

Can I drink alcohol while breastfeeding?

Alcohol is transferred through breast milk. There is no safe level of alcohol in breast milk for a baby. Speak to your health care provider if you have questions about alcohol and breastfeeding.

Finding support

There is help to support you with feeding your baby.

Durham Health Connection Line

  • Speak to a nurse who can answer your questions.
  • Nurses will also give you information about breastfeeding groups, breastfeeding home visits and the breastfeeding clinic.
  • Contact Durham Health Connection Line

Durham Region breastfeeding resources

Health Department breastfeeding group calendar.

Find breastfeeding groups, lactation consultants, equipment rentals and more breastfeeding resources.

Telehealth

Speak to a Registered Nurse 24/7. Call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000

Breastfeeding multiples

It is possible to breastfeed two babies at once and will take time and patience to learn. You may need help from a friend or family member. Before feeding two babies at the same time, get comfortable feeding each baby alone.

Double football hold breastfeeding illustration.

Double football hold (double-clutch hold)

This position is good if:

  • You are learning to breastfeed.
  • Your babies are small or premature.
  • You have large breasts.
  • You had a caesarean birth.

Follow these steps:

  • Use a breastfeeding pillow for twins or place two pillows on your lap.
  • Position the baby with the stronger suck first.
  • Place one baby on each pillow with their face towards your breasts and their feet towards your back.
  • When the first baby is latched on, adjust the pillow to hold them in position.
  • Their bodies should lie under each of your arms.
  • Repeat steps for the second baby.
Double cradle hold breastfeeding illustration.

Double-cradle hold (criss-cross hold)

This position is good if:

  • You are comfortable with breastfeeding.
  • Your babies are latching well.

Follow these steps:

  • Place a pillow under each elbow and one on your lap.
  • Position one baby at a time on your breast.
  • The baby should be raised to the level of your breast.
  • The babies will be lying on their sides and they will criss-cross.
  • Use your arms to support their backs and wrap your hands around them to pull them close to you.
Cradle football hold breastfeeding illustration.

Cradle-football hold

This position is good if:

One or both babies has difficulty latching.

Follow these steps:

  • Place pillows on your lap as needed for support.
  • Hold the first baby in the cradle position facing you. Their head is in the bend of your arm and their body is across your chest.
  • The second baby is in the football hold on your other breast facing you with their body tucked under your arm.
Upright hold breastfeeding illustration.

Upright hold (like the double-cradle hold)

This position is good if:

You are breastfeeding at night.

Follow these steps:

  • Position one baby at a time on your breast.
  • The baby should be raised to the level of your breast.
  • The babies will be lying on their sides making a "V".
  • Use your arms to support their backs and wrap your hands around them to pull them close to you.
Nursing strike

Nursing strike (also called breast refusal) is when a baby who has been breastfeeding well suddenly refuses the breast. This mostly happens before baby is 12 months old and can last a few days or longer. This is not the same as natural weaning when the baby moves from breast milk to other sources of food.

Causes

Sometimes the cause is unknown. Possible causes may include:

Baby

  • ear infection, cold or other illness
  • mouth pain from teething or thrush
  • acid reflux
  • recent immunization
  • stress, upset, easily distracted or overstimulated
  • allergy or sensitivity caused by new maternal medication, foods or vitamins
  • reaction to new soap, lotion, deodorant or detergent mother may have used

Mom

  • new pregnancy
  • low milk supply or fast flow of milk
  • negative reaction when baby bites
  • long separation from baby

What to try

  • breastfeed in a quiet place
  • breastfeed when baby is sleepy
  • change breastfeeding positions
  • place baby skin to skin
  • hand express before latching to start milk flow
  • breastfeed based on feeding cues
  • baby wearing (allows baby to see, smell, touch and taste at the breast)
  • if breasts are full try pumping and giving expressed breast milk by cup
  • avoid bottles or pacifiers
  • if baby takes a bottle, start with the bottle and when actively sucking slowly take the bottle out and latch baby to the breast
  • keep feeding times happy

The Baby-Friendly Initiative

The Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) is a worldwide program from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO partnered with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The aim is to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Durham Region Health Department is a "Baby-Friendly" facility.

Durham Region Health Department is committed to:

  • Giving you up-to-date information about feeding your baby.
  • Supporting and respecting your decision on how to feed your baby.
  • Supporting mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life.
  • Supporting the addition of iron-rich complimentary foods at six months.
  • Supporting mothers to continue breastfeeding up to two years and longer.
  • Welcoming and encouraging mothers to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.
  • Working with the community to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Where can I get more information on the baby-friendly initiative?

  • Breastfeeding Committee of Canada
  • World Health Organization
  • UNICEF
  • Baby-Friendly Initiative Ontario

Artificial baby milk (formula)

Think about these questions when you decide to feed your baby formula:

  • What type of formula do I want to use?
  • How do I sterilize the equipment?
  • How do I make the formula?
  • How much will my baby need?
  • How do I feed formula to my baby?

Get the facts to make an informed decision about formula feeding your baby.

For more information, read Infant formula: What You Need to Know. This information is for healthy babies born full term. Speak with your health care provider to learn about formula for preterm or babies who are unwell.

More tips on how to prepare and feed your baby formula:

  • Informed decision making
  • Getting ready to make formula
  • How to prepare ready-to-feed liquid formula for healthy babies
  • How to prepare concentrated infant formula for healthy babies
  • How to prepare powdered infant formula for healthy babies
  • How to bottle feed your baby and transport formula

Feeding your baby during an emergency

During an emergency, normal infant feeding patterns may be disrupted.

During emergencies such as floods, power outages or nuclear disasters, many homes may lose access to clean water, electricity and food. These situations may make it hard to safely prepare infant formula.

The following recommendations will help you prepare for an emergency to make sure your baby continues to receive safe nutrition:

  • Powdered infant formula is not recommended when there is no access to clean water or unlimited hot water used for sterilizing.
  • Ready-to-feed infant formula is the best option in these situations.
  • Make sure you have enough supplies for a minimum of three days (72 hours).
  • Do not feed your infant solid foods unless they have reached six months of age or older.
  • Do not use any infant formulas that are expired.

Starting solids

You may have questions about starting solid foods. Use these tips to help you get started.

When do I start?

Solid foods give your baby iron and other nutrients they need for energy and healthy growth. Babies can start solids around six months of age. They can also start when they show signs they are ready.

Your baby is ready for solids when they can:

  • Sit up with or without support in a high chair.
  • Open their mouth when they see food coming.
  • Keep their mouth open when they want something.
  • Turn their head away if they do not want something.
  • Close their lips over a spoon.
  • Keep food in their mouth.
  • Show interest in food when others are eating.

What textures should I start with?

You can start your baby with a variety of food textures such as:

  • Pureed
  • Mashed
  • Finely chopped
  • Lumpy
  • Soft finger foods

What foods should I start with?

The first solid foods offered should be rich in iron. Examples include:

  • Baby cereal with added iron.
  • Meat, well-cooked mashed eggs, tofu, lentils or beans.

After iron-rich foods, try:

  • Well-cooked mashed sweet potato or squash.
  • Soft-cooked pieces of carrots or broccoli.
  • Pieces of banana, mango, pears or peaches.
  • Full fat cheese and yogurt - grated cheese, plain cottage cheese or yogurt.
  • Strips of whole grain toast, "O" shaped cereals and well-cooked pasta.

For information on how to start solids, how much your baby should be eating, food ideas and what to do if your baby refuses new foods, read:

  • Introducing Solid Food to Your Baby
  • Making Your Own Baby Food
  • How to Build a Healthy Toddler (18-35 months)
  • Finger Food for Babies

Transition to cup

Children should start drinking from a cup by 12 months. After this age, drinking anything other than water from a bottle can increase the risk of tooth decay.

Tips to introduce a cup:

  • Offer a cup as early as six months.
  • Offer a cup at meal and snack time.
  • If using a spill-proof training cup, take out the valve so your child learns to drink without sucking.
  • Do not let your child walk around with a bottle.
  • Do not put your child to bed with a bottle.
  • Let your child choose a new cup at the store.
Who should I call with questions?

Durham Health Connection Line
Public health nurses provide phone advice, as well as written information.

Telehealth Ontario
Get free advice from a registered dietitian on nutrition and healthy eating.
Call 1-866-797-0000

 For more nutrition information, visit unlockfood.ca.

Receive email updates

Contact Us

Region of Durham logo

Living HereDiscovering DurhamDoing BusinessHealth and WellnessRegional Government

© 2023 Durham Region, 605 Rossland Road East, Whitby, Ontario L1N 6A3, Canada, Telephone (within regional limits): 311, Telephone: 905-668-7711, Toll-Free: 1-800-372-1102

HomeTerms of Use and Privacy StatementAccessibilityAccess to InformationCareersA to Z ServicesContact Us
By GHD Digital