The suckling instinct in babies is an amazing first talent, but some babies will switch from the breast to a teat far more easily than others. If you find you want to or are able to feed your child solely from the breast for the whole of the first year, you do not need to use bottles at all but can move straight on to offering slightly warmed cow's milk from a toddler-friendly cup at the age of one. However, even breastfed babies sometimes need to be fed with bottles, and usually work (or other demands on a mother's time at some point in the first year) mean that getting your baby uses to formula milk at least for some feeds, becomes a necessity.

A new experience
First there is the change in position. Even though you are holding your baby close to you, it does not replace the feeling of their cheek against your skin as they feed. Practice and reassuring words from you will ease this transition. It might be necessary to get someone else to do the first bottle feeds when you are not present while your baby gets used to the change.

NUK accessories
Getting used to the bottle
If you have not used bottles before, you may get lucky and instantly hit on one that your child likes. However, teats have differing flow sizes to suit different ages of baby, so check you are using the right one otherwise your baby may be deluged by milk or get frustrated when a feed takes hours longer than he or she is used to. The packaging will guide to you to the right one for your baby's age.
For more about what other features different baby bottles may offer to make this transition easier, check out our Buyer's Guide to Feeding Bottles.

Going for the 'nipple' experience with the right teat
Those babies who have real trouble getting used to a teat, at any age in their first year, often do better with a latex teat (rather than a silicon one), which has a softer and more nipple-like feel to it. These should be available at a well-stocked chemist and in many larger baby product stores, even if they are not stocked as widely as regular bottles and teats. The brand NUK are good for these.

Finding the milk that's right for your baby
Formula milks are graded depending on the age and needs of a baby. Hopefully you have managed to breastfeed for at least four to six months, in which case you need to look for 'follow on' milk. World Health Organisation advice is to solely breastfeed for the first six months. If you have had to use formula milk before this age (for example, many women need to return to work by six months), be guided by the packaging to make sure you are using the right milk for your child. Do NOT use cow's milk in the first year of life.
You are unlikely to be able to switch instantly to just formula as your baby may take a while to adjust, so if you are suddenly not going to be around at all, due to returning to full-time work for example, make sure you ease your child on to formula over a few weeks beforehand. (However, you can still mix breast and formula by doing the morning and night feed yourself if you want to, and this can help you and your baby deal with the separation better.)
Then there is the taste of the formula milk. Whether you go for one of the big brands or even something like organic nanny goat formula milk, your child will know it's not what he has been drinking from the breast, so again, a little trial and error - and patience - might be in order. Make sure the milk isn't too hot (nanny goat formula milk, for example, can get a little bitter if it has been overheated) and think about trying milks in small ready-mixed cartons so that you haven't invested in a huge box of one formula only to find your baby hates it!
Some experts claim that your child will not be affected by the differing tastes so just stick to your guns with one choice. This might be a scientifically favoured view but in experience with babies, a less hard and fast attitude might be preferable!

If you want to get your baby used to a bottle but he is are reluctant, you can get him used to it by using a bottle for cool boiled water or for expressed breast milk some weeks before trying a formula.