Breastfeeding - How to swap to Bottle...

[mum2GoogsandGoo]

It is getting to the stage when I don't think I want to continue BF. Would like to put DS (now 8.5 mnths) on formula.. any suggestions or advice?

[jorange5]

Replace a feed during the day. Give it in a cup at the same time as you have a drink in a cup so he can feel like a 'big boy'. You might have to persevere a bit as formula tastes manky.

[Swaliswan]

I managed to find a formula that I like the taste of and DD actually likes by buying cartons of three different brands. Previously I thought that all formula would taste disgusting and was all the same just in different packaging but I didn't find that to be the case. I introduced DD to formula on her breakfast cereal (she refused to eat breakfast until I found a formula that she likes and she now eats 2x weetabix).

Now that she is 7 months and I'm going back to work soon, I'm trying to introduce her to a bottle. Some babies seem to take to having a bottle straight off, others take a while. I've tried giving her the formula in a cup, but she won't take very much even though she drinks water very well from the cup. She is now allowing me to put the bottle in her mouth and will close her mouth around the teat but hasn't worked out how to get the milk flowing yet. It has taken me months to find a bottle that she will even let me get near her so I'm pleased that we are making progress! I'd try some of the cheaper bottles first but you could try getting hold of NUK bottles, breast flow, the adiri breast bottle or the born free bottle if something simple like avent or tommee tippee don't seem to suit your DS.

I hope that this helps a little but until I've had some success myself, I can't offer any more advice!

[NellyTheElephant]

With DD1 I had no real problems, she had always been happy to take expressed milk in a bottle. At the time I was stopping she would happily drink an 8oz bottle of EBM, but when I offered her formula she spat it out and screamed. So the next day I offered 7 oz of EBM mixed with 1 oz of made up formula then gradualy increased the ratio of formula to EBM. She didn't turn a hair and it was all very smooth.

DD2 was a little different. She flatly refused to take a bottle either of formula or EBM. I spent a fortune trying different bottles etc to no avail. Eventually we had to go cold turkey - she was healthy and happy with a great weight gain so I knew she'd be fine. I had one horrendous day where she screamed and kicked and would maybe take at most 1 or 2 oz, before she finally cracked and downed a 9oz bottle of EBM before bed. After that she was fine and funnily enough didn't care one bit when I switched to formula in the bottles a couple of days later. Once she got the idea of bottles she didn't care which of the MANY brands or teats I had lurking around I gave her either.