To be confused about baby milk and weaning?

[Aliveinwanderland]

To make purees or baby rice you need to mix it with babies milk. But to make up a whole bottle of formula just for the few teaspoons needed seems wasteful as you can't then put the rest of the bottle back in the fridge.

I breastfeed but I don't like expressing so wanted to use formula for weaning but I can't seem to get my head round an easy way to do it without wasting loads.

If I express a small amount can I keep that bottle in the fridge for 2/3 days and keep using small amounts to make up the rice?

Yes if you express you can store it in the fridge and pour from it. BM lasts 6 days at the back of the fridge.

Just buy a carton. Use it for 24 hours and then chuck or use up as a bottle.

Yes you can use expressed milk, fresh from fridge or freeze in an ice cube tray and defrost a couple of cubes each day. You don't need to use milk or babyrice in purees though. Most foods generate water in the cooking process or you can add boiled water to loosen.

You can use cow's milk for cooking or mixing with food if your baby is over 6 months.

Make sure it's full fat.

Baby rice is generally considered to not be a good weaning food. You don't need to give it.

You can make up as little as an oz of formula at a time if you wanted to.

Don't forget to finger food as well.

I just used cows milk. We did blw though and didn't start until 6 months.

Why do you need to add milk to the purées ? My baby is 7 months and we have started solids and I haven't used it when making purées.

You can make a small amount of formula to mix with the food! Just keep the proportions right.

Alternatively, use full fat cows milk from 6 months onwards. This is just to mix with food, NOT as a drink.

Also, baby rice plain AF and not the most nutritious option. We started with simple veg purees.

Ask your HV if you have any questions.

*is plain.

Duuuh

You know you don't have to make a whole bottle?! You just adjust accordingly and there are instructions on the tub. E.g., one scoop for 30mls water.

Just use full fat cows milk. You also don't need expensive baby porridge full of additives; just use porridge oats and mix fruit purée in. And don't feed baby rice, it's vile stuff.

We just used cows milk (and then soya when diagnosed CMPA) as babies are ok with normal milk after 6 months. We didn't bother with baby rice or anything though.

I just used cows milk as mine were 6 months. Do you mean packets of e.g baby porridge?

I used them a bit for DC1 but the next 2 just got ready Brek. It's just finely milled oats.

I didn't use any baby rice but you could probably make that with cows milk too if you wanted.

Just make up a small amount of formula, rather than a whole bottle? 1 scoop formula per 30mls/1oz of water. Or, as others have suggested, buy some pre-made formula and keep the open bottle in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Thank you everyone. I have been buying the premade little bottles but as they only save for 24 hours I'm going to end up wasting a lot.

DS is only 5 months so can't use cows milk yet. We have only just started with the tiniest bits of baby rice or baby porridge. I was wondering what to do when we move on to purees in a few weeks as lots of my recipes say mix with a little of babies usual milk.

I will buy a tub of powered milk and just make small amounts up. We are straying to introduce a formula feed every night anyway as I have some KIT days to do at work so he needs to take a bottle.

You will get slaughtered on here for weaning before six months, despite the fact that pretty much every poster on here was being weaned themselves by 16 weeks. Just to warn you

I think it's suggested to mix a bit of milk in the purée so baby has a familiar taste but it's really not necessary. I've started at 6 months and my DS has the purée as it is. If you feel it's a bit thick you can add a little of the water that you've steamed the food in to make it weaker.

Computer I fully expected it. My decision, I feel DS is ready and we are starting slowly.

I just mixed purées with water to thin them down a bit. Milk is for a familiar taste, so I'd try without it first and then if they won't eat it then you can add.

We used formula to make up porridge etc even though DS was over 6 months. I probably wouldn't bother next time round and just use cows milk instead as he switched over with no issues. It was easy enough to just make up one or two ounces of formula, or use the leftovers from the bottle he'd just finished (obv don't use it if it's been finished and sitting around for ages).

Mixing with formula is just to make it familiar so the baby is more likely to take it.

Breast milk is more varied in flavour than formula.

Just to add to the confusion it's now not advised to give cows milk before 12 months!

ILiveForNachos isn't that just cows milk as a drink? Or had adding it to food changed now?

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx

The NHS advice says don't give cows milk as a drink until 12 Months, but also says to mix food with your baby's usual milk. My HV told me cows milk was ok with food so I went with that.

I feel DS is ready

You can instinctively 'feel' inside his tummy and be totally sure that the gut is closed and ready for solids? Wow!!

You know that it's 6 months plus AND displaying certain behaviours, don't you? They can seem ready externally / behaviorally but this certainly does NOT mean that their gut has matured enough to cope with anything other than milk.

If you know all this then of course it's up to you to balance the risks.