Is it possible to move 6mo from breastfeeding to bottle feeding at the same time as weaning onto solids?

[veggie77]

I've been aiming to quit breastfeeding when my Son is 6 months old, but am also currently weaning him onto solids. All the guidance I've found on moving from breastfeeding to formula is written as if you're doing this with a really young baby or a much older baby, e.g. a year old and it's because feeding isn't working out or the mother needs to go back to work. Neither of these are the case with me - breastfeeding is going well but I don't like it now and want my body back. My Son has had a bottle of formula for his 10pm dreamfeed since birth (given by Dad), so should be ok to take a bottle in the daytime. I'd really like to start to quit when he gets to 6 months old in a week or so, as I'm fed up of having my boobs out now and wearing bf bras and bf tops etc. My Son seems really big to be putting to the breast too.
Just anxious about how to move him on to the bottle when we're 3 weeks into weaning onto solids. He is taking food well and eats 3 little 'meals' a day now, (veg puree or fruit puree, but nothing with protein in yet). So I'm concerned that I could be trying to do 2 things at once by getting him to be used to solids and a sippy cup and then taking the breast away and getting him to drink milk from a bottle too. Just wondering if this would be ok to do and if anyone else has moved to bottle feeding around this time too? I could just wait another month or so until food is a bit more established, as I'm not in any hurry to stop bfeeding. It's just getting to be a chore and I don't enjoy it now.
Thanks for the advice.

[NotQuiteCockney]

It's best, if you can, to transition from breast feeding, to bottle, slowly - so try moving one feed per week. If you do it this way, then the odds of you ending up engorged and miserable are lower.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Agree with notquite. Think this may be a longer process than you are anticipating so why not start now? I'd start by choosing one feed and swapping that. You could start today with his lunchtime feed maybe? Once he's fully ff the minimum is 20floz per day until he's one.

If you do it this way you give Lo a chance to get used to it and you reduce your risk of mastitis.

Have you read NHS info on starting solids too? It's very good but does mention that you should aim to start building up to 3 meals a day between 8 and 9 months. No rush to do it now

[Twattybollocks]

Definitely go slowly. Swap one feed at a time and let your breasts adjust to that. Also, you hopefully won't get a hormonal backlash if you change over slowly, and it allows your ds gut flora to stabilise to the change. However desperate you are to have your body back, do not go cold turkey, the engorgment and pain will be horrific, you may get mastitis and the hormone drop can be pure evil (voice of bitter experience from dd1 who weaned herself overnight at 5.5mo and I had rock hard boobs, mastitis and hormones from hell for 2 weeks)