just switched from breast to bottle....should I put her in cot as well...??

[kandymouse]

I had to wean my 6 months old LO to bottle from breast as she will not mix feed...This is the second day and she is having a good amount of bottle and it has been quite tearful for both of us as she misses breastfeeding. On the other hand I don't miss breastfeeding as my goal was 6 months and I don't want to do it anymore. I used to breastfeed her to sleep in my bed and it has worked but I would like to move her to her own cot as well. Is it too traumatic for LO to go into cot as well as switching to bottle cold turkey? In my hazy state, what with pumping and making formulas and no sleep, I'm so tired and as she's crying so much anyway, I might as well as put her into cot and just stay with her there comforting her till she falls asleep. I would like some advice and support from fellow moms.

Hi Kandymouse
I never bottlefed my DD, so I'm afraid I can't advise about that part, but I did put her in a cot in her own room at 4 months.
She was a little unsettled for a couple of nights, but got used to it extremely quickly.
I think moving your DD to a cot at 6 months is a very good idea for both of you. Once she settles in, you'll both get more sleep as a result.
I suggest that you put your DD in the cot for daytime naps for a few days. That way she'll get used to it without the stress of waking up in a strange place in the middle of the night. It will also give her a few extra days to get over the feeding change too.
Once you start to use the cot at night as well, she may find it hard to settle for a couple of nights, but I'm sure she'll get used to it very quickly.
Babies are increadibly adaptable.
Good luck!

this is a joke, right?

why do you ask if its a joke xmaswhatxmas???

It seems a perfectly sensible question to ask to me.

Kandy: I would folloe the advise Ruth has given. Two big changes so close together seems a little harsh to me. I'd just settle her gently into the idea of her own cot, over a few days, and certainly start at nap times. then gradually, she may realise that this is where she sleeps, and not be too upset by it. My DD had alot of louse at 6 months, and did not adapt to change very easily. I've had to do things very gradually with her.
She is now 11 months, and has just gone into her own room. We moved house too only last week, to enable her to have her own room really. But i was very aware of expecting too much to quickly.

rather than not put her in her cot in her room straight away, we did, on the first night. I stayed with her until she fell asleep, touching her arm, and when she got very upset, i did cuddle her, then put her down. this we did for a few nights, then she was happy to go to sleep in there. I still have to stay for a bit, but she knows now that i'm neat by I think and I do go into her when she crys, so she doesnt much anymore.

She had 11 months of knowing she could look out of her cot and see mummy and daddy there, so it seemed fair to let her know we still were, even if not right next to her IYSWIM?

HTH at all....

PS I breast fed DD, and introduced bottles in the day time plus a couple of small breast feed in the day over the last few weeks too. She still has Br morning and bed time and before a nap or if upset or over tired in the day... the only reason being she wouldnt take a bottle AT ALL until about 3 weeks ago! It means ia have the best of both worlds. She can go to my mums for long days, and has had one night htere too!!!

We still have the closeness of br feeding when we want it, for comfort really. so she's happy really.

Thank you very much. I know some people just don't approve, but I know that I would be better mommy if we did bottlefeed her because breastfeeding was stressing me very much. That's great idea to get her to nap in it even though she resists sleep at all costs so not a good daytime sleeper unless I put her in a pram and go around the town like a zombie mama.

Thanks for everybody who posted!

Hi. I just wanted to post what happened as I'm so proud of my little angel. She was looking miserable for first three days that she went cold turkey from breast to bottle, but now she is starting to take much more formula every day and smiling and happy baby during the day. Only problem was that she didn't know how to go to sleep except sucking on my breast and was throwing temper tantrums and she was sleep deprived (there is a limit to how much you can rock your baby to sleep all day and night when she weighs 8kg). My husband and I took opportunity of being on holiday and did Ferber method and it worked like a charm!! We tried it from last night, and she was asleep in 30min. and I couldn't believe it, she woke up couple of times but we kept persisting and it didn't last more than each time 30min. Today I only went in once after 5min. of crying and she soothed herself to sleep, so it took 15min. total!! This is after normal night time routine we have which is dinner, bath, bottle, read a story, and kissy and night night. This is working for her nap as well.
I even bought No Cry Sleep solution book and told myself I would never do Ferber, but it wasn't painful as I thought it would be as she wasn't throwing temper tantrum like she would if I stayed with her patting her all night in her cot or on our bed. Just kind of tired cry. very happy christmas present this was!!