How to move an ebf on demand baby onto the bottle.

[teacher123]

Hello all, DS is nearly 6 months and we have just started weaning. I have been ebf on demand since the beginning, but for the last 3 weeks he has also taken a bottle of formula at bedtime. I would like ideally to get him on formula in the day, and then bf at breakfast and bedtime. However he has never been on a wonderful routine of always feeding at the same time every day. He tends to feed every 2-3 hours from 7am to 6pm, but it's quite random. The guides say to drop a feed a week, which is fine, but how do I go about that if it's not really to a schedule? Any ideas gratefully received!

Well at six months he's still getting the majority of his nutrition from milk, so I wouldn't drop any bfs yet. Give it another three months or so and solids will be starting to kick in a bit.

Bumping - I want to know the answer to this too.

Hi, thanks for replying. I know that he still needs to get most of his nutrition from milk until a year, but I'll be going back to work before then so need to have him on bottles in the daytime. Am trying to do the switch sooner rather than later so can start to leave him with DH /MIL/DM in the daytime to prepare him for childcare etc.

Well, if he's switching to formula, the guidance is 500ml a day at six months, so I guess you could try spacing that out over a few feeds (I'm sure a FF will be along in a minute) - perhaps a little less given that he'll be having two bfs a day. If he's having formula from bottles already then at least you know he'll drink it.

Thank you! At the moment he will happily take a formula bottle at bedtime but screams blue murder if I try at any other time... He's a fuss pot. Have just bought a doidy cup so am going to try a little bit of formula in that with his dinner, see if he'll accept that...

I am exactly in the same position. EBF but finally (after a long time persevering) a formula bottle at night. I go back to work Jan so need to cut out breast feeds in day, I am beginning to just offer a bottle in afternoon. She took yesterday but refused today! So hit and miss but I will keep doing till she takes happily then move on to another feed. It worked for my DS so fingers crosses it does for her!