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Infant Feeding Day
June 6
About Infant Feeding Day
Infant Feeding Day is an annual awareness day held on 6 June, created to celebrate and support all the different ways parents and carers feed their babies. The day was founded to set aside judgement and promote a worldwide community of encouragement, recognising that every infant-feeding journey is unique, every parent’s circumstances differ, and every choice made in the best interests of the child is worthy of respect and support.
When is Infant Feeding Day?
Infant Feeding Day falls on 6 June each year. In 2026, the observance lands on a Saturday.
History and Origins
Infant Feeding Day was founded in 2019 by Feed, an independent charity based in the United Kingdom. Feed was established to provide practical support, information, and a non-judgemental community for parents navigating the often complex and emotionally charged experience of feeding a newborn.
The charity created Infant Feeding Day to give the issue of infant feeding its own dedicated moment in the calendar, distinct from the breastfeeding-focused awareness events that already existed. The founders wanted a day that affirmed all feeding choices equally, whether a baby is fed at the breast, by bottle, by tube, via expressed milk, or through combination feeding methods.
The day was registered with Days of the Year and has grown each year since its founding, attracting participation from parents, healthcare professionals, midwives, health visitors, and infant feeding organisations across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Why Infant Feeding Day Matters
Feeding a newborn baby is one of the most fundamental tasks any new parent faces, and it is also one of the most emotionally loaded. The decisions parents make about how to feed their babies are shaped by a wide range of factors: the mother’s health, the baby’s needs, hospital support, cultural expectations, workplace policies, financial circumstances, and personal preference. Yet these decisions are frequently subject to external judgement, unsolicited advice, and social pressure.
Many parents who struggle to breastfeed report feelings of guilt, shame, or failure. Parents who choose to formula feed may encounter criticism or dismissal from healthcare providers and peers. Parents who feed by tube, who use donor milk, or who combine feeding methods often feel isolated from both breastfeeding and formula-feeding communities.
Infant Feeding Day challenges these dynamics by affirming that what matters is that the baby is fed, nurtured, and loved. It encourages healthcare providers to offer balanced, non-judgemental support, and it encourages the broader community to celebrate and support parents in whatever feeding journey they are on.
What Infant Feeding Encompasses
Infant Feeding Day is explicitly inclusive of all methods of feeding a baby. This includes:
- Breastfeeding: Direct feeding at the breast, whether exclusively or in combination with other methods.
- Expressed breast milk: Milk expressed and given by bottle, cup, or other means, including milk from a donor.
- Formula feeding: Infant formula given by bottle, cup, or other means.
- Tube feeding: Feeding via nasogastric, gastrostomy, or other medical tubes for babies who cannot feed orally due to medical conditions or premature birth.
- Combination feeding: Any combination of the above methods.
Each of these approaches has its own challenges and supports, and parents navigating any of them deserve accurate information and non-judgemental care.
How to Get Involved
- Share your story: Post to social media using #InfantFeedingDay to share your own feeding journey, whether past or present. Stories from real parents are among the most powerful tools for reducing shame and building community.
- Support a parent: Reach out to a parent you know who is navigating infant feeding. Offer practical help, a listening ear, or simply let them know their choices are valid and they are not alone.
- Learn more: Visit Feed’s website (feeduk.org) to access resources, information, and community support around all aspects of infant feeding.
- Healthcare professionals: Use the day to reflect on the guidance and language you use with parents. Non-judgemental, evidence-based support that respects parental autonomy makes a significant difference to feeding outcomes and parental wellbeing.
- Raise awareness: Share information about Infant Feeding Day with your networks to help more parents find the support and community they need.
Infant Feeding and Wellbeing
Research consistently shows that maternal mental health is closely linked to infant feeding experiences. Parents who feel unsupported, judged, or pressured in their feeding choices are at higher risk of postnatal depression and anxiety. Conversely, parents who feel well-supported and respected in their decisions tend to have better mental health outcomes and stronger early bonding with their babies.
Infant Feeding Day contributes to better outcomes by normalising the full range of feeding experiences, reducing the isolation many parents feel, and encouraging a culture of support over judgement in maternity and health care settings.
Noteworthy Facts
- Infant Feeding Day was founded in 2019 by Feed, an independent charity based in the United Kingdom.
- The day is explicitly inclusive of all feeding methods: breastfeeding, expressed milk, formula, tube feeding, and combination feeding.
- Feed’s founding principle is “bottle, boob or tube” – all feeding choices are worthy of support.
- Research links maternal mental health to infant feeding experiences, with non-judgemental support improving outcomes for both parent and baby.
- The day is observed by parents, midwives, health visitors, and infant feeding organisations internationally.
- Tube feeding is a relatively common necessity for premature babies and those with certain medical conditions, yet it receives little awareness compared to other feeding methods.
Hashtags
#InfantFeedingDay #FeedingOurBabies #FeedUK #BreastfeedingSupport #JuneAwarenessDays
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