Breast to formula, when to do it?

[Grinnypiggy]

DS is four months, EBF. I want to move to formula around about 6 months, maybe keeping one breastfeed per day.
At 6 months I'm bridesmaid at a wedding (three nights in hotel) and thinking it would be great if he'd take a bottle by then so his dad can take him for a bit while I help the bride. But it's only one day so we'd manage.

So what would you do?
Option A - start one bottle of formula per day at maybe 5 months to get him used to it, then start solids at 6 months post-wedding.
Option B - continue EBF until after the wedding, then change gradually to formula at the same time as starting solids? Is this too much change all at once?

I’d start trying with bottles now, asap, before you find he’s not at all interested and just wants boobs.

I would start the transition now, it gives you and him more time to adjust and if all goes well (which it should if you stay consistent), then that will give you some breathing space at the wedding.

Perhaps try expressing milk into a bottle at first so you'd getting the milk he's used to. That way if he fights it you know it's just the bottle he's not liking and can try some different brands. Both DS hated Tommie Tippie but took Mama no issues at all. Then you can introduce the formula xx

I would just keep bf and then when you are not there just give some formula in a sippy cup.
You done the hard bit. Feeds will reduce from 6 months.
I cut my first off day feeds from 12 months but I could have done it sooner. He was happy to take the disgusting dairy free formula in a sippy cup from 5 months so normal formula should be easy. IKEA cups are good

Feeds will reduce from 6 months.
This is not true or accurate of all babies. Over here feeds didn’t reduce til around 9 months, and then from 2-hourly to 3-hourly (just).

Definitely start now, it might be a bit late already to get him to take a bottle.

I have 3 DC and feeds didn't reduce until all 3 were over 8 months old.

Start ASAP to give yourself options. My almost 6 month old won't take a bottle/sippy cup/formula or expressed milk. If your LO is a boob monster too, it may not be your decision! Good lick!

*luck! FFS

I'd introduce bottles at 5 months, bearing in mind though that babies can reject bottles once they're used to warm boobs. They also often refuse bottles from their mum, they know you've got boobs hidden away and don't want the substitution so your partner might have more luck with you out of the house.

You might need to pump some milk off at the wedding if you're suddenly away from the baby, blocked ducts and mastitis are miserable! But also leaky boobs in a bridesmaid dress is not a good look.

Good luck!

Id continue ebf and had ready made formula for the wedding. I wouldnt be stopping breastfeeding for formula feeding at this stage. Madness to add that cost.

They also often refuse bottles from their mum

This happened with us both times but I worked around it by taking too and bra off, and squishing their face against my boob whilst offering the bottle and try eventually took it probably without realising. May work if you get into a pickle with it.

If you can pump I'd start now with bottles of expressed milk, then once he's use to that swap to formal if you choose to. I skipped formal and went straight from expressed breast milk to cows at one, if I wasn't around. I did it by mixing the two and gradually increasing the ratio until it was all cows, could the same work with premade formal?

Ahh I probably should have mentioned his bottle issues... We did start daily bottles of expressed milk at six weeks, but he hates them. He would eventually take most of the milk but it was an hour long battle and sometimes he'd refuse altogether. We gave up after a month as he wasn't showing any improvement and it was just unsettling him. We did try different bottles.

By the time he's 5 months he'll have been two months without a bottle of expressed milk, so am hoping that he's forgotten his bottle hatred and might approach a bottle of formula as a new thing! Too optimistic?

Thing is, I have to stop breastfeeding so he's really got no choice but to take bottles, however hard the transition.

It seems most people would start earlier at five months rather than combine it with weaning, so we'll do that. Thank you!

Try different sorts of cups. I tried the doidy cup, a nuk cup, a Tommy tippee, ikea the one which worked. There are others. It did cost me a bit. Some have softer teat like spouts. A friend had great success with a 360 cup

Why do you have to stop breastfeeding?

@Grinnypiggy

Ahh I probably should have mentioned his bottle issues... We did start daily bottles of expressed milk at six weeks, but he hates them. He would eventually take most of the milk but it was an hour long battle and sometimes he'd refuse altogether. We gave up after a month as he wasn't showing any improvement and it was just unsettling him. We did try different bottles.

By the time he's 5 months he'll have been two months without a bottle of expressed milk, so am hoping that he's forgotten his bottle hatred and might approach a bottle of formula as a new thing! Too optimistic?

Thing is, I have to stop breastfeeding so he's really got no choice but to take bottles, however hard the transition.

It seems most people would start earlier at five months rather than combine it with weaning, so we'll do that. Thank you!

This happened with my now 19 year old.
She refused bottles completely, so when I was ready to stop BF, I had to persist daily with the bottle until she took it and then switched fully to a bottle to make sure she didn't revert back... she was about 9 months at the time and it did mean I had to fully stop bf more quickly than I might have done if I could have kept one feed.

I just realised this is about being bridesmaid... I'm not sure I'd stop for that reason tbh.

With first child I switched to formula at 10 months. At that point it was only 2 bottles a day but I completely regretted it as it was such a faff to sterilise, make up bottles, warm them up, and the cost too. After breastfeeding it was a shock to the system that formula was so much work.

Prior to that for things like weddings etc mine just had bottles of ebm.

Second child I never switched to formula but for when my husband wanted to give bottles or weddings, nights out etc we gave bottles of ebm.

A bit of confusion here! The bridesmaid thing is just one consideration in deciding whether to start the switch to formula at 5 months or 6. It's happening either way! I need to stop for my own health.

I hadn't thought he'd be able to hold a sippy cup well enough at 5 months, but we'll definitely try it.

With a bit of help they can manage cups and it saves having to wean off a bottle later

You could just give him formula whilst you're at the wedding and then carry on breastfeeding

If you want to combi feed just be careful not to fall into the top-up trap and to pace feed so baby doesn't get bottle preference

@stuntbubbles

Feeds will reduce from 6 months. This is not true or accurate of all babies. Over here feeds didn’t reduce til around 9 months, and then from 2-hourly to 3-hourly (just).

Same here

But I noticed that she did become more "efficient" at feeding, like the feeds were heaps faster

My baby's feeds are so much quicker now too at almost seven months. You could express milk into a doidy cup or kiddly too. Doesn't need to be formula and doesn't need to be bottles...just so you know there are options.

Sorry @Grinnypiggy have just read your updates!

I just wanted you to know that breastfeeding was so so hard for me for the first 4 months then slowly started to get easier. When we begun weaning her at 6 months all of a sudden everything became easier and easier and easier until it was an actual breeze. Like night and day.

With introducing a bottle, I think gently trying everyday would be good. But don't force the bottle on him, because he will hate it. Like over an hour really is excessive, just try for like 5 minutes every day. Eventually he will take it. Bottle feeding is new and different, he is just learning. Just be patient and responsive.

Also can't say this enough, but pace feed!
Sending you all the good vibes

Thank you @RedRobyn2021
I actually love breastfeeding and have been lucky enough to find it easy. I just really need my oestrogen back! So stopping at around six months is the best compromise between DS's health and mine.
We will try a daily formula feed from five months with the bottle and sippy cup and see what works best. Hopefully he takes to it well!

Look up paced feeding videos on you tube. It doesn't just mean feeding slowly it's about technique. The slowest teat baby will tolerate if you go for bottles too, ie try a size two as would be the closest match to what baby is used to at five or six months. The tests are marketed for different ages but it's all about flow really not age. Good luck and hope you feel better soon. Silver boobs are a brilliant achievement and will have given baby a fantastic start.