Help with introducing formula after 6 months of BF?

[acedov]

Hi

I have a 6 month old boy who has always been breast fed, except for a 10PM feed of expressed milk that he stopped taking by choice at 4.5 months. I have been trying to introduce formula at the 11Am feed (before solids) and he protests wildy and would prefer to go without milk. I'm at a loss as to what to try - a different feed, a different bottle, formula etc.

Anyone have any brilliant advice?

Thanks

acedov - you have my sympathy!

we bought every bottle and teat and formula imaginable but in the end it was just perseverence and patience that prevailed. why not try a cup and spout? he will have to take that eventually and to go straight to cup avoids the whole trauma all over again

nailpolish

thanks for that. if you don't mind me asking, how long did it take and what was your 'strategy'? people seem to differ - some say I just have to let him starve until he gets used to it, some say I should dilute my own milk with formula at first, or that a feed without solids is better because he's hungry for milk.

dd was 5 months but i had to get her onto bottles cos going back to work . she hadnt started solids at this time yet. i just made a bottle of expressed milk gave it to dh and he went upstairs and never came down for hours. i wont lie to you, it was hard, poor dh would be sat upstairs with screaming dd just keeping putting the teat in her mouth until she eventually took it. she knew it was milk cos hse would get drips of it in her mouth and be hungry for it. she just hated the teat. i would be downstairs sobbing my heart out having to hold myself back from running upstairs and shoving my nip in her mouth! i didnt express for long, a week and then we started her on furmula then solids.

i think it was just temper that made her refuse the teat, she knew it was milk

dont know about mixing em and formula, never heard that before, dont know if i would do that. if you use em even for a few days then change to formula that will be fine. and dont stretch out the transfer period - i was planning to substitute a feed a week but once she got used to the teat i substituted a new feed every day

ie

nighttime feed was first then after a couple of days the morning one then lunchtime one next day and so on.

in the end she really enjoyed her formula!

gosh, i really wish you lots of luck

I had the same problem too. Not sure what did it in the end exactly but when she did take formula from a bottle it was from a thin bottle with a latex teat rather than a wide necked bottle with a silicone teat. Appartly the latex is softer and easier to adjust to. HTH

PS I think the idea of going straight to a cup is a good idea tho Wish Id tried that cos dd now loves her bottle too much

yes i quickly realised that i would have to go through the whole affair again with cups and spouts so we got avent magic cups and tommee tippee cups and changed to them when dd wanted to hold bottle/cup herself. they are from 6 months after all