Anyone do a bedtime formula bottle?

[nello]

DS2 is 6 weeks and breast fed. I need him to be able to take a bottle and formula as back at work at 6 months so I am introducing one bottle a day. I am thinking of doing this at bedtime with DH giving the bottle. Can anyone tell me how this works? I guess I need him to be on a regular enough routine of feeds to ensure that he will be hungry enough for the bottle. At the moment he has been snacking come early evening. Should I breast feed after this bottle or is it bottle and bed? I am unsure how early evening will be if I have to make him hold out for a bedtime bottle. Plus juggling this around DS1 3yo's bedtime routine.

Thanks!

Bump

The early evening 'snacking' is more commonly referred to as 'cluster feeding' and is normal newborn behaviour. I don't think you could/should make a tiny baby hold out, you'd still have to feed before and possibly after I'd imagine. :)

I went back to work at a similar age for both DC, one had a bottle a week and was fine, the other (neglected second born) got no bottles until about 4 months and drank much more from them than the oldest!

This was expressed milk though, so I'm not sure if it's different getting them used to formula

Maybe have a look on www.Kellymom.com, it's great for advice.

I would say probably best not to give it in the evening until baby stops cluster feeding (which they definitely will!) as this is an important mechanism to increase your milk supply. If you just want to give to get him used to the bottle maybe just give an oz or two at a convenient point during the day?

I expressed for my eldest but probably not going to this time. Planning on waiting until 12 weeks when hopefully milk supply (and ability to ever rebuild it in future) is totally established and then give a bedtime bottle of formula if cluster feeding has stopped. Hoping that will also help break the nursing to sleep association (which is lovely but I personally want to stop at some point). However..best laid plans and all that ;)

Hope it goes well for you :)

I have always done one bottle of formula before he goes to bed... My DS is 4 months old and did both bf and ff in hospital due to being in special care and needing to top up feeds, and as my supply increased we stopped bottles for most feeds but kept the one before bed, it's worked well for us as it means he'll happily do either breast or bottle, means dad or grandparents can do that feed, and hadn't effected my supply at all. It's worked well for us.