Use a mixed feeding tracker to keep breastfeeds, expressed milk and formula in one timeline. Label each feed by its method. For breastfeeding, save the start, end and breast used when you know them. For a bottle, save what was in it and the measured amount taken. Leave unknown amounts blank instead of converting breastfeeding minutes into millilitres.
Keep the sequence in one place
A breastfeeding timer on one phone and bottle notes in a message thread make the last feed hard to find. Choose one place for the record, whether that is a notebook or an app, and use the time the feed happened.
The word "bottle" leaves a question unanswered. Was it expressed breast milk or formula? Give each its own label so your partner can read the entry without asking you.
If a bottle follows a breastfeed, keep separate records for the two parts. Each has its own method and details. A short note such as "bottle after breastfeed" preserves the connection without combining minutes at the breast with a bottle amount.
Match the details to the feeding method
For a breastfeed, record the start and end times and the breast used, left, right or both. If you do not know when it ended, do not invent a duration. Leave the amount empty unless you have a measurement.
For expressed breast milk in a bottle, save the feeding time, milk type and measured amount taken. Keep pumping separate from feeding. Milk expressed at one time and offered later describes two different events.
For formula, save the feed under its own method, with the time and measured amount taken. A note can preserve how much you prepared and what remained. That makes the amount field easier to interpret later.
Bottle entries do not need a breast side. For breastfeeding, an unknown side should stay unknown. "Both" means both breasts were used.
Agree on what the bottle amount means
Use the amount field for milk taken, and put the offered amount and remainder in a note. This avoids one parent entering a full bottle while the other enters only what was taken.
Suppose the bottle markings showed 70 ml before the feed and 20 ml afterwards, with no spill. The difference is 50 ml. You could enter 50 ml and add "offered 70 ml, left 20 ml." These numbers illustrate a record, not a recommended feed size.
If some milk spilled or nobody checked the remainder, the amount taken is uncertain. Keep the amount field empty and write what you do know, such as "prepared 70 ml, remainder not recorded." An empty field preserves that uncertainty.
Always keep the unit with the number. Millilitres and grams are different measurements and should not be added together as one total.
A short example of a combined log
This example shows the format of a record. The times and amounts are not a feeding schedule.
- 1:40 a.m. breastfeed started, left breast; 2:00 a.m. ended. No amount entered.
- 2:10 a.m. formula by bottle, 50 ml taken. Note: "offered 70 ml, left 20 ml, after breastfeed."
- 5:20 a.m. expressed breast milk by bottle, amount unknown. Note: "remainder not measured."
Your partner can see the sequence and the gaps without having to interpret three different note formats. For other everyday details, see what to record after a feed or diaper change.
Correct a feed without creating another one
Before adding a missed feed, check the entries around that time. Your partner may already have saved it. If the entry exists with the wrong milk type, time or amount, edit that entry.
Two entries close together are not automatically duplicates. A breastfeed followed by a bottle can be two accurate records. Remove an entry only when you can confirm that it repeats the same event. If you remember the order but not the time, add that context to a known entry instead of choosing an exact minute.
A combination feeding log records facts
The NHS describes mixed or combination feeding as breastfeeding alongside bottles of expressed milk or formula. Keeping a record of those feeds does not tell you when to introduce formula, how much to offer or which feeds to replace.
A log cannot decide whether your baby is getting enough milk. Take feeding questions to your midwife, health visitor, doctor or a breastfeeding specialist. If you want to bring the record to an appointment, see how to prepare a feeding and sleep log for your baby's doctor.
Record the method in Closeby
In Closeby, open a feeding entry in the history to edit its details. The feeding types include breastfeeding, breast milk by bottle and formula. You can save left, right or both breasts, a measured amount and its unit, and a note. You can also leave the amount empty.
A timer has separate start and end entries. Keep the feeding details on its start entry so you do not repeat the same amount on both. If a bottle followed the breastfeed, record it separately with its own type.
Open your latest feeding entry, choose the method and add only the details you know.