Breastfeeding or Forumla on Holiday

[Rollypops]

Hello everyone,

Just looking for some advice on breast or forumla feeding on holiday.

We're going to Cyprus on Sunday and my baby is 5 months old, 6 months on the 26th Sept. He is breastfed and we've just introduced some solid.

I'm wondering whether to continue feeding him or give him formula whilst on holiday.

I have anxiety about feeding in public, very rarely feed in public, plus as he's getting older he isn't interested in feeding much in the day time. He'd feed all night though if he could 😴 worried about him dehydrating in the heat too, just duno what to do for the best really.

Does anyone have any personal experiences?

Thanks so much

X

I wouldn't introduce formula in a different country with different water. Sounds like a recipe for dodgy nappies and an u settled baby. Plus either you're boiling kettles all day long, or you're carrying a full week's worth of pre made formula, and if you don't feed for the best part of a week you're risking mastitis in a foreign country.

Unless you already introduced bottles and he takes them, I’m afraid you’ll need to keep breastfeeding
now I’m not the best person to talk, since I didn’t had anxiety, so really cannot speak from experience, but would you be confortable using a bf cover / would your baby bf under a cover ?
I know one of my friends bf until her baby was over 1 and always under a cover… some babies are ok with it

Thanks both. I have used a cover before when at my family's homes. He is fine with it. Or he was.... not used one for ages.

Hubs is saying I should stop to let everyone else feel involved and help, so torn. Plus the thought of giving up makes me feel so sad :(

Worried if anyone says anything to me whilst feeding him x

Breastfeeding is for you and your baby. If you don't want to stop, don't. And giving your baby to make other people happy is an idiotic suggestion

Your baby is 6 months old. Other people can get involved making meals, changing nappies, taking him for walks, bathing him, dressing him, playing with him. You don't need to stop breastfeeding so that someone else can give him a bottle when there are a million other ways to bond.

I would carry on breastfeeding. It’ll be such a faff trying to sort out the right water and all the boiling and transporting and sterilising. You could order premade to collect airside but you’d need a lot for a week. Plus it’s a godsend on the plane for takeoff and landing. You’ll need to keep yourself hydrated but overall I think formula will be more stress.

It doesn’t have to be an official cover, a light muslin would be fine and good to protect baby from the sun anyway.

I've had two FF kids and it is a hassle on holiday, you've either got to take enough milk with you or get some when you're there along with the right sort of water. You've got to take all the bottles with you and find a way to sterilise them (easy enough if SC though).

I don't know about formula prices but I had to buy some nappies in Spain in the summer and they were 20+ euros. I did a proper "how much" at the checkout!

Breastfeeding is soooo much easier. Can you work on your fear of feeding in public? Use a cover? Get a bshirt (they're very discreet imo you can hardly see anything). You and your baby will be so much happier if you carry on feeding rather than trying to get them onto a bottle

As others have said, breast feeding is so much easier, and if that's what you are already doing, I would continue with that. Where are you staying? Mymall in limassol has a baby room which is not in the toilets, so you could go there if you were not feeling comfortable to feed for example in the food court. I am limassol based so I'm not sure about the malls in larnaca and paphos but I would assume the same applies. Breastfeeding is protected in Cyprus so you are allowed to do it anywhere, and most won't bat an eyelid if they see you.

Now is not the time to stop for all the reasons other posters have already given.

I'd drop the day feeds then and only feed at night (or drop it altogether).

Thanks for your reassurance and advice everyone.

@mondaytosunday can I ask your reasons to stop? Trying to weigh up pros and cons...

I took my 7 month old on holiday in august. I mostly breastfed, but I took enough premade formula for him to have about 2 bottles a day. I did this as I wanted to be able to have a bit of baby free time on holiday. While I did feed in public a bit, I also did go back to the room to feed - mostly because my baby gets so easily distracted.

For sterilising I took some of those microwaveable bags and Milton tablets. As it was a cruise ship there was no microwave, but the bags are big and sturdy!

Continue breastfeeding, don't alter anything just cause your on holiday.
I wouldn't reduce daytime feeds either at that age, even with the intro of solids.
Keep it simple, feed on demand, wear a cover or some bf friendly clothing.
Xx

Milk is still their main source of nutrition until they are 9/10 months and on 3 meals.
BF is so much easier on holiday than having to think about sterilising etc. Whether you are in a villa or hotel, you can easily pop back to the room for a feed.
There's no need to give it up unless you want to. I'm still BF my dd and she's 18months. My DS fed until he was 15months.
6mo is v early to not want feeds in the day, it might be a phase being distracted or teeth coming but they'll still need milk for a while yet.