How do I stop breastfeeding my 6 month old and start on formuls

[Sakura03]

I have decided it's time to stop breastfeeding my gorgeous 6 months old son for a couple of reasons - one being that he is starting nursery in July and I return to full time work in August. The other reason is due to his poor sleep, he cannot fall asleep at at home/at night without going on the boob and he has to fall asleep on the boob. He wakes every 30-40 minutes, sometime every 20 minutes and occasionally he'll go an hour so I'm knackered. We did co-sleep for about 3-4 weeks but he would then permanently be on the boob and I started getting backache so we put the cot back together. However I do from time to time still co sleep just to get some sleep. I know that I need to teach him to self settle but I dread it and don't know where to start..
Has anyone experienced this?
When it comes to starting him on formula, How much do I give him? Do I have to sterilise the bottle? How quick can you increase the formula without suffering from aching boobs? I have occasionally expressed so know that he will take the Tommee Tippee bottle, will the same teat work? Sorry I'm just totally clueless and any advice would be appreciated

If he takes a bottle it's fairly easy. Have a look on the formula box for how much to give. If you are worried he won't like the change in taste first few days give 75% bm mixed with 25% fm, then up it to 50/50, then 25/75 until it's 100% formula.

Sorry and yes, the same teat should work.

ALWAYS sterilise for formula

Could try a bottle of ready mixed first so it's only about 90p outlay rather than 10+ quid for a box you end up not using.

But while my DS will happily chug formula in the day, from his dad, or my mum, it doesn't cut it at night it seems. Even if it's only pour premade into bottle and warm with water from thermos, he gets worked up rather than me going and feeding and him being back asleep in his cot by the time the bottle would be ready anyway!

How much food is your DS eating?

Thank you @SayNoToCarrots.
@arbrighton he has baby porridge or puréed fruit/yoghurt at breakfast, roughly 3 tbsps and for lunch puréed vegetables or a pouch of veg/other baby meal (Ella’s kitchen, mamia) roughly 3-4 tbspoons but sometimes wants more + he has cucumber, melon or melt in your mouth puffs. We haven’t started on dinner yet, what time would you do dinner? 5pm?
We tried a ready made bottle today. At first he wouldn’t take it, I tried the skippy cup, from spoon but no, breastfed him a bit and then tried and he gulped it down (approx 120-130 ml) so that’s a start I guess. I swapped out the lunchtime feed. I’m a bit unsure about how many bottles he should eventually need as he’s always been a bit of a snacker so would end up with quite a few bfeeds during the day.

Make sure you cut down the feeds gradually, otherwise your boobs will not thank you! I drop a feed every couple of days when stopping.

I would give him a few breastmilk bottles (if you are able to express still) just to remind him that drinking from a bottle tastes just like your milk.
Then introduce hang bmilk half formula (mixed together)
Then eventually he will be so used to the bottle, he should take formula.

Don't worry about sterilising.... Not sure why a previous poster said always sterilise with formula. From 6 months I didn't religiously sterlise. I would sterilise once a week to give them a really good clean. But a bit of bacteria is good for babies.

Completely unrelated but have you read about the recent link to lack of bacteria exposure and childhood leukemia?

I’d check online for an appropriately aged schedule and then switch one of the ‘feeds’ out for a bottle. Switch another feed out every 4 days or so. That should help with engourgment.

@Babynonamee no I haven't heard of that, that doesn't sound good!
@helterskelter3 yeah that's my main worry😊
@Hideandgo thank you

The bottle he's tried was a follow on formula as it said 6-12 months but now I've heard that it contains more sugar and the first milk is better?

because @babynonamee the powder to make up bottles isn't sterile

and the official advice is always sterilise for formula

That's why!