Introducing 7 month old to bottle/formula

[elleton]

My 7 month old son is EBF and I am returning to work next month. I've been trying to introduce him to take formula from a bottle as I won't be able to express in work (teacher). I've tried him on bottles and he either refuses or gets bad wind as he keeps gulping in air. Also tried a sippy cup but he just sips and tips the milk on the floor.

Has anyone else had this problem and did you find a way to overcome it?

You need to plan to express a little initially in case you become engorged and uncomfortable- mastitis is not really a good option.

How much is he eating?

What is the childcare option he's going to?

Some babies will refuse a bottle and expect a breastfeed if they can smell mum nearby. So try letting someone else give the first feeds. If someone else isn’t available to give the first bottle, you could try holding him in a different position, such as facing away from you.
Introducethe bottle when your son is not fully awake: try when he is falling asleep or just waking up, while dozy and disoriented. You may have to attempt this for several days.
Offer different nipples. Your son may prefer one material (rubber, silicone etc.) over another. Generally speaking, a slow flow teat is good to start with, since he might get overwhelmed by the volume let through by a fast flow teat. Remember he has to suck pretty hard on your breast to get the milk, so he’x used to slow flow. Also sucking on a nipple and sucking on a bottle teat are not the same as the teat is much harder in their mouth.
Try a different style or brand of bottle.
Don’t wait until he’s hungry to try the bottle. Start earlierthan the scheduled feeding so he isn’t frustratedand starving when experimenting with the bottle.
Check the temperature of the milk. A common mistake is not warming it enough. Milk from the breast is 37ºC. Try different temperatures. Some babies may prefer a bottle cold or at room temperature.
Dip the nipple in breast milkto give it a familiar flavour and to encourage him to suck.
Star with 50/50 expressed and formula milk to begin with and gradually increase the % of formula.

Thanks so much @Harrysmummy246 and @Ricekrispie22

Lots of good advice here. I guess I just need to be persistent and try lots of different things.