Formula refusenik

[scriptbunny]

Hi,
DS is almost 6 months old and has been exclusively BF til now. I'm hoping to move onto combined milk feeds to allow others to care for him for a few hours in the middle of the day - say one formula feed per day. However, I've experimented with a couple of brands and he has refused to have anything to do with them. He's taken expressed breastmilk from a bottle every so often in the past, so I doubt its the bottle. I managed to persuade him to take a cocktail of 50% ebm, 50% f, but that's the nearest we've got to a formula feed.
Does anyone else have any experience of coaxing a reluctant formula feeder? At the moment I feel I can't risk leaving him with a bottle of even the 50% formula as it is hit and miss whether he'll take it. I'm also reluctant to stick with expressing alone as it takes me about two days at the pump to produce enough for a full feed (hungry boy!).
FYI we've started a bit of baby-led weaning and he's experimenting with fruit and veg like a trooper, so it isn't that he's reluctant to try new tastes. I guess he just feels like it is "off" milk, or something.

Thanks,

SB

I found my DS's problem was the bottle rather than the milk! He takes anything (apart from SMA which he HATES) from one of these.
direct.tesco.com/q/R.207-4257.aspx

If I don't have any of those clean (only have 2 becaause they're expensive and hes mainly bf) I use a phillips advent one and put him onthe boob, then gently bring it out of his mouth and slip the bottle in, still in bf position. He doesn't seem to notice!

He's never had colic but for some reason, those bottles seem to do the trick!

But surely you can just leave him for a few hours in the middle of the day? How many hours are you talking about? I'm sure DD can go 4-5 hours by 6mo without milk. And whoever looking after him can also give solids like yoghurt. It really is worse only because you imagine he must have milk every 2-3 hours! They ask for less if you aren't around. Just make sure you leave him with someone he trusts. Like his dad or maybe his grandma.

Oh it very much depends on the baby, onelittlebabygirl. Most babies won't be able to be left for 4-5 hours without milk at 6 months. That's a long time. BLW often means they're on less solids at 6m than puree fed babies anyway (which is a good thing).

However, saying that, I would be working towards something like onelittle says, ie finding what solid food he'll take reliably, if anything, and if necessary doing some spoon feeding. Unless you are totally anti spoon-feeding, which I understand, this may be an option. BLW does NOT mean you can't spoon feed, ever, however.

It might take a couple of weeks to work out the right strategy but I would go down this route, personally. He'll be perfectly fine with an alternative to milk for one feed which I guess is all you'll need and normal food will be healthier than formula anyway as you're giving natural rather than chemically produced nutrients in a form which the body can use more effectively.

Thanks organic. We have started toying with a few lumps of fruit and veg so I guess it is only a matter of weeks before I'll feel OK about leaving him with a solid feed to have while I'm out.

olbg- I take your point to an extent. I just feel bad about leaving MiL, DH or, indeed my nice babysitter, without anything to give him. MiL in particular only has experience of FF babies and gets stressy thinking that she can't give him a bottle.

But, like most things baby-related, I guess time will sort it out.

SB