Introducing a bottle.

[bbbbbbb811]

My Lo is EBF but I am planning to change that at 6months and moving onto formula ready for me going back to work. I don't want to introduce a bottle any earlier because I truly enjoy EBF-ing so I'm just wondering.. what people's experiences are introducing at 6months, what techniques you had to use, what bottles(or whether you went straight to sippy cup), how long it took for baby to accept the bottle, how do I know how much formula to use?. And anything else I might find useful(I've got writers block writing this lol)

 

[bdb84]

I truly do not recommend waiting until you decide to wean to offer up a bottle. You can still BF exclusively for some time, but at least express some milk for some bottles in the mean time.

I did not offer a bottle to DD1 until she was several weeks old (and it was my husband who gave it to her) and she flat out refused. She screamed and cried until we finally gave up. We did this *several* times and she still would not take to one.

The transition from breastmilk to formula is very extreme, too. Most BF babies despise the taste of formula and so they will try their hardest to reject it. My best friend did this with her first child. She weaned abruptly at 6 months and the first several days were SO hard on both her baby and her. She still harbors a lot of guilt for that because her LO could not understand why she went from nursing one day to refusing to nurse the very next and trying to give him something that he found terrible in taste. He refused formula for the entire day and only gave in just before bedtime because he was simply famished and exhausted

All of this to say, please reconsider this approach as it sounds you intend to do something similar since you do not want to introduce a bottle any time before 6 months.

 

[FarmMom]

I second introducing a bottle much earlier than six months, as i've heard of so many babies who refuse it when it's introduced later. Many people go straight to a sippy cup, but it's hard to predict how baby will take to it. I agree that trying to switch both to a bottle/sippy cup and formula at six months might be difficult on baby. If you introduce formula earlier, you can start mixing it with breastmilk and slowly adding less milk and more formula. I have no idea how much formula fed babies eat; you would probably have better luck in the formula feeding forum.

 

[Maxy1]

I introduced a bottle at 5 months. DD took to it pretty well. We used Closer to Nature. Which were fantastic. I am still combi-feeding now and she is 12 months and still has 1 or 2 feeds a day so we have just been taking it easy.

IMO it really depends on your child. DS (now 3) did not take a bottle well at all, it was a real struggle and in the end we just stuck with BFing. We managed to introduce sippy cups about 11 months.

 

[apple_20]

I have been bf for nearly 7 months with just the odd bottle of formula when I've gone out for the night (3times total) she's never been keen on the bottle but would take enough to not be starving,

Tonight I've given her formula for her last feed before bed since for the last two months she's been up every hour at night and I'm getting desperate. She drank it very quickly and with no complaints though she got no comfort from it and I rocked her to sleep. We use aptamil formula and laninosh bottles I really thought she'd protest since she is a boobie monster but she was fine.

Think I'm a lucky one though I've head many bf babies just won't take bottles once they are 'hooked on boob milk'

 

[bbbbbbb811]

I spoke to the health visitor and formula might not have to be an option which I'm thrilled about. I'll still have to express for bottles while I'm at work but I stupidly didn't realise I can express at work and that I'm protected by law so it shouldn't be a problem. Just hope it doesn't cause any problems with my boss!
I'm looking to buy a breast pump and when I do I'll try a bottle.
Thanks for the advice