Introducing formula at four months

[1NuDad]

Hi all.

My partner has been exclusively breastfeeding our son since birth and it's gone very well. She enjoys it, so does he and there are no issues.

But we are due to go to two social events in the next few months that we really would like to attend. Both would mean leaving him with my mother.

This is a big deal to us. We have tried expressing over the last few weeks but it just isn't happening, sadly. So our only option (I think) is to feed him with formula while we are away (one for an evening the other for a day at a wedding).

But he's never had formula before.

So I'd love some opinions and tips on how we should do this. Formula feeding would only be for very rare evenings away from him to help my partner get some free time here and there, but 99% of his diet would still be breast milk.

Is there a good way at four months to introduce it? Any special brands that he'd more likely take to? What time of day shall we do our first 'practice'?! I know these seem basic questions but it's completely new to us.

Thanks :)

How old will he be when you leave him and how long are you leaving him for OP?

All first formula is made up of basically the same stuff - it's tightly regulated. I think the main thing to consider is the bottle you'll be using. Some teats are soft and feel more natural, others are quite rigid, you might want to test a couple to see which your baby will take to. I used Medela ones which are quite rigid but lo has to suck hard to get any formula out so he didn't get too lazy and expect it to pour out.

If baby doesn't take to bottles you can also try small cups that they can slip from.

Also, is expressing completely impossible? If your wife can express anything, you can mix the breast milk with the formula to get baby used to the taste before trying formula.

Will your dc take a bottle with breast milk in it? If so, you've got it cracked as they may well prefer the sweet formula. If no bottles have been used yet then my tips are:

Warm the bottle and bottle teat
Try different bottles and teats until you find one they take
Make the formula warm (all to mimic a breast and breast milk)
Try it at a time when they are getting hungry but not screaming for it
Try different people giving the bottle, firstly without mum in the room as baby will prefer mums milk
Hold baby in the same way as mum feeds them
Try and relax
Exhaust all methods and bottles before switching the formula as they basically are all the same!
Don't wait until the week before to start trying formula/bottles

Good luck! We tried every day for weeks until we had success.

Do a trial run, but I would just buy some cartons of ready made (brand doesn't matter, make sure it's first stage if under 6 months). Go out and leave the baby with the babysitter. When the baby is hungry, babysitter offers the bottle. See how it goes. You can always come back if it's not working and try something else.

If possible, choose somebody who is confident and used to bottle feeding babies, as they tend to get a bit freaked out if they know you're nervous!

If the baby is reluctant because it's a new thing, try giving formula in an open cup first, just hold it near their mouth with them sitting upright and they will tend to "lap" at it like a baby animal. That lets them explore and find out it's good and then you can try the bottle again or a sippy cup.

We were just in this position as DH took DS2 out for the morning today. We tried formula in a bottle a couple of weeks ago and he vomited it back up, but your baby might be fine. He took the bottle happily enough. For the event todsy he had a bottle of expressed milk and was fine. Has she tried hand expressing? I find that much easier and more comfortable than using a pump.

Thanks everyone. Really helpful and good tips on warming the bottle etc. We have tried expressing with three different pumps as well as hand expressing and it's always the bare minimum that comes out sadly. He will be four and a half months when we try first time. Thank you!