Weaning 'early'

[cirrus29]

I imagine this has been discussed here before, but please bear with me, this is my first time posting on mumsnet!
My daughter is just 20 weeks old, but I am going back to work when she is 27 weeks, so need to get her off the daytime breastfeeds at least. My original plan had been to BLW, so had planned to switch her first from breast to bottle, and introduce solids later. I have trawled the fora here regarding switching from breast to bottle, and have spent the last few days offering bottles of formula to no avail (screaming from normally placid baby, going 5 hours without feed etc). This morning, my husband (probably due to being fed up with having leftover formula milk on his breakfast cereal) gave her some banana off his teaspoon when I wasn't looking! She loved it and wanted more!
So I am wondering if going straight to solids now (would have to be purees, I suppose, though she is taking toys to her mouth pretty accurately and can almost sit) may be the solution?
I would be grateful for opinions from more experienced mothers, particularly those who have had pressure of time due to needing to return to work.

[SpottyTeacakes]

The thing is even weaning at six months milk should still be their main source of nutrition. I'm not sure what difference weaning her would make because she would still be needing two it three milk feeds between nine and five. Sorry if that's unhelpful. Have you tried a cup rather than a bottle?

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

I've read that it can work by expressing and diluting with a little formula, then a little more, until your dd is happy to take all formula.

And to experiment with lots of types of bottle and teat, and cups as well, there could well be one type that your dd likes.

Another trick I've heard of is to get someone else, who doesn't smell of breast milk, to give the formula and then with no breast feeding association, your dd may well drink up. My friend's dd was like this, refused all bottles until her gran gave her milk in a cup, which she guzzled up.

And I agree with Spotty, early weaning isn't the answer, as your dd will continue to need milk - which has far more calories than fruit and veg purees.

And you have a long time before you are going back to work so can try lots of things.

[cirrus29]

...I am wondering if having a bit of banana/ other solids offered at the time of formula feeds (I am going to try a cup next) would distract her from the fact that she is not getting a breast! Am giving the formula milk a rest today though, as she is having immunisations this afternoon...
Also I do know milk should be the main source of nutrition until the latter part of the first year (DOI: I am a paediatrician! though I am asking my question here as a first time mother seeking practical advice), but I wondered if anyone here has had experience of cutting/ changing milk feeds early for work reasons (ironic, I know) and how did you do it?

[SpottyTeacakes]

Well it doesn't say that in your OP..... What's she like with expressed milk (if you're able to)? Just wondering if it's the milk she has an issue with or that a bit of plastic is no substitute for mummy's boob!

[musttidyupmusttidyup]

IME it does take some time, patience and dedication to get them to take a bottle... For us it was more successful when DH gave the bottle. I used to mix expressed milk with formula and gradually add more formula until they got used to it. I mixed fed for ages, it was fine. Mine weaned at 20, 15 and 19 weeks for different reasons but all fine. Might start a bit plainer than banana though -I always began with baby rice mixed with usual milk then puréed veg with rice etc. If your DC seems ready to have some solids then fine to go for it but it doesn't really help your bottle issue, as someone said above try different bottles and teats.
Trust your instinct re weaning.

[BreeVanDerTramp]

DS was weaned when the advice was to wean at 4 months, by 26 weeks he took a BF morning and bedtime 3 meals a day and a large bottle formula after lunch.

They used to advise to offer milk after solids to encourage solids. It's all changed I know, DS2 was weaned at 5 months and hoping to hold off till 26 weeks with DD.

I have no expertise, just my own experience.

[cirrus29]

Thank you for your replies. Dd has survived her immunisations, so it's back to trying to get her onto the formula tomorrow...

[teacher123]

Having spent a month trying to get DS to take formula from a bottle, we have now had some success with using a cup. I bought one of every type-we're currently using a doidy cup for water at meal times and a tommee tippee cup with a spout for formula whilst out and about. Until DS started to wean he was ebf with a small bottle of formula at bedtime. Since weaning he will now no longer take any bottle of anything at all at any time. So... I cut down on daytime feeds (by replacing them with meals made with plenty of milk in them and cutting out his pre-nap feeds) so now he has 4 milk feeds a day and any overnight, and have managed to make the 11am one into formula by giving it to him in a cup whilst out and about. He refuses to drink it whilst sitting on my knee we started weaning at 24 weeks he is now 29 weeks.

[ElphabaTheGreen]

The only way I was able to get DS to take a bottle in the end (after trying all of the advice listed here, and then some!) was to stick the bottle in his mouth while he was fast asleep. The first time I did this after kneeling next to him holding the bottle in place for half an hour he drained 5oz of EBM without waking up. I did this a few more times and eventually muscle memory took over when he was awake. Mam bottles were the ones which seemed to work best.

Unfortunately, however, he's now returned to his bottle-refusing ways, especially convenient since he's started nursery The battle is far from won yet, but he seems to be taking to a sippy cup like this one. He took a whole half an ounce from one the other day!