Starting Formula at 10months?

[AnnaKissed]

After a difficult start to bf, I am still bfing at 10months. Weaning is going great. (not BLW)

My DS has 2 feeds a day, early morning and bedtime. I am thinking of stopping bf now, mainly because he has teeth! I was originally planning to feed to 6m if poss, then 12m. There will be a lot happening around that time, moving house (and country!) so maybe stopping at that time will be more difficult for us both.

So, he has had formula and ebf a few times from a bottle, with no problems. He drinks water reluctantly from a doidy cup, but coughs and splutters with any kind of spouted cup. He seems to drink milk from the doidy cup ok (the dregs of cereal etc) So what do I use to give him milk? What about sterilising?

I have an opened tin of stage 1 formula in the cupboard (last used a few months ago), is this ok? Or should I buy a new one? Then do I buy follow on milk?

Or shall I just keep bfing till 12 months and beyond? DH is supportive of anything but probably would prefer me to stop soon.

Thanks in advance for your help

Most ff mums start transitioning to a cup from 6mo. I don't know the reason, but they told me it's not good for the teeth to be drinking from a bottle pass 12mo. So I think it's clear you should be going to a cup at this stage.

Also, after 12mo, you can give full fat cow's milk as a main drink. Unless your LO has a very bad diet, there is no need to use follow on milk.

It's your choice when you want to switch really. Keep going to 12mo and you can skip all the mixing of formula, but then you have that big change of moving country which might make it cruel to force him off the breast at that time. Because he might want some extra comfort and reassurance.

I agree - try moving to a cup rather than a bottle.

It's a bit of a balance really - stop now and do formula for a bit or stop later but you might need to leave it a couple of months beyond 12m due to all the upheaval. Either way has pros and cons.

As for sterilising - I wouldn't bother. I bet he's crawling around putting everything in his mouth already? As long as you are scrupulous about washing up (I'm looking at you DH) then sterilising at that age is (IMHO) not necessary.

you don't need to sterilize part 6 months so no worries there.

It all depends what works best for you. I ebf until 6 months then I introduced a night time bottle of expressed milk until 7 months, then started on the stage 2 milk I think - still in a bottle. I know one person who perserved with the cup but cups were never going to work for ds. I think you use whatever works at the stage your at and you can always change it.
I needed to get as much milk into ds as possible to keep his weight up so the bottle was the best way for us.
A bottle is only bad for their teeth if they have one stuck in their mouths constantly as a pacifer for example, it's the prolonged amount of time the milk is in contact with the teeth that causes decay. If it's just a feed then removed then it is no different to a cup feed.
I gave up bf at 10 months as ds just totally lost interest and was basically just mucking around, biting and giggling. We used follow on milk eventually as ds didn't like cow's milk- and still doesn't.
As ds was a pfb I sterilised until he was 9 months but I know people who just put the bottles through the dishwasher - which is what I should've done.
If you're happy bf then keep doing it. Anything to make life easier.