Starting baby on a bottle of formula

[MrsPMP]

Hello,
So I would like to introduce a bottle of formula to my baby's diet[he is currently ebf], hopefully at night, to see if he will sleep longer[he is almost 10weeks] and still waking every 1.5-2hrs for milk, and I would also like his Dad to have a chance to feed him so I can have a break of an evening sometimes!
I have tried giving him bottles of upto 5 or 6oz! of breastmilk from a bottle at night to see if that helps, but it doesn't, just the same result!
He is a big baby that eats lots and is growing well btw.
Anyway, to the point,
I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to do this, how much to give him, which brand to try first? I am a bit nervous of doing this incase it upsets his tummy or something, so looking for a gentle brand! So going to try doing half BM and half formula for a week or so before going straight to one bottle of formula.
I hope to eventually try to wean onto forumla at around 5.5months, so slowly using more formula over time.
Could anyone give me any of their knowledge or wisdom of weaning onto formula? What worked for you?
Thanks!

 

[mrsbw]

We started to give cow and Gate 1 formula at 6 weeks when I didn't seem to have enough milk to satisfy him and he was literally feeding/screaming all evening.
I'm not sure if feeding formula will stop your LO waking to feed though. They are still pretty young.
We started with 4 oz formula which satisfied him as a little man and he gradually took up to 8oz at bedtime by the time he was 5 months old.

 

[GracieGoo]

I havent bf so I have no advice with how to get a baby from one to the other. However with regards to formulas. I use Cow and Gate, lo has never had a problem with it, it suits him and lucky for me it is the cheapest. Aptimal is the most expensive, and is the one with most oomph by the midwifes (or so I have been told), and SMA I have heard can cause a bit of constipation due to the amount of Iron in it. However, ultimately it depends on your baby and really you are best getting a few of the ready made cartons to try so you are not wasting your money on a brand that doesnt suit your little girl.

 

[MrsPMP]

Yeah I realise it's a long shot, just really attractive when I hear my friends FF babies sleeping through the night at 8 weeks to try it myself! lol...not the end of the world if he doesn't though. Still would move onto the weaning anyway at 3months.

 

[TheNewMrs]

I swtiched my baby to formula when she was 10days, one bottle at a time and she was EFF by 3 weeks. It was a bloody nightmare. I ended up relactating and shes EBF again and not a bother.

She woke MORE often on formula because it caused her pain and gassyness that really upset her, she couldnt get her wind up which led to me pacing the floors with a screaming baby. Having to get out of bed and make/heat bottles at night was dreadful..

We used Aptamil. It is supposed to be the most gentle. If LO wont sleep longer on a bottle of EBM shes unlikley to do it on FF. Also its entirely normal to wake that often! My LO is 4 months and wakes every 3 hrs at night (we co-sleep, its saved my sanity!)

Then again, I think BFing is THEEEE best thing ever and I have a strong opinion on FF so I'd advise pumping and letting OH feed that way than FF. If its not broke, dont fix it is my opinion.

Thats all the advice I can offer. I hope it works out whatever you decide.

 

[anniehannie]

I breastfeed and give 1 to 2 bottles of formula a day. We started LO on cow and gate but it made her really windy so we changed to aptamil.

The aptamil has been fine and is meant to be the nearest thing to breast milk,

 

[patch2006uk]

Formula and breastmilk have the same amount of calories, and formula is no guarantee a baby will sleep longer. It can make sleep worse, as it's harder to digest than breastmilk.

That being said, if you want to introduce a bottle, your plan sounds about right. Start with a breastmilk/formula mix and slowly increase the formula. All brands are much the same, as legally they have to be. Go with the easiest to find in your local shops!

Breastfeeding does get easier eventually, if you do want to stick at it. It won't be this har forever. But those first months are a bit hideous!

 

[babybutton]

My LO went onto aptimel. We didn't wean slowly he just went straight onto it, as I was hospitalised and to ill to bf, his tummy was fine with the change. Hopefully youll find one that agrees with lo s tummy. It didn't make a difference to time between feeds though. Only now at 3 1/2 months is he going 5 hours at night xx

 

[hubblybubbly]

I would also say get some ready made cartons to start with, and see if your baby suits it, better than buying a whole tub as this would last ages if youre only doing a bottle a day.

We started on sma but had to switch to a comfort milk due to reflux/constipation, not the milks fault though, she has sandifer syndrome

However will it help you lo sleep more at night? Probably not, sorry.

 

[patch2006uk]

Aptamil is no closer to breastmilk, gentler or more 'oomph' having than any other formula brand. It's all marketing.

 

[GracieGoo]

Yeah I realise it's a long shot, just really attractive when I hear my friends FF babies sleeping through the night at 8 weeks to try it myself! lol...not the end of the world if he doesn't though. Still would move onto the weaning anyway at 3months.

Honestly I wouldnt go by that - I have a ff baby. He normally sleeps through at 6 mths, but honestly only because a baby is ff it really does not mean they will sleep through more. Your baby is still teeny, babies all sleep very differently there is def no norm - your friend is just lucky! xx

 

[Noelle610]

I understand being desperate to try everything for sleep!

That said, I combi-feed my daughter and she doesn't seem to sleep any better after a bottle of formula than a bottle of expressed breast milk.

 

[MrsPMP]

Thanks for your replies ladies! I will still give the one bottle an evening a go...but perhaps wait until 3months like I was going to...they say thats when things mature with their insides..hmmm..perhaps a bit less likely to cause a problem with cowy milk..who knows!
I know BFing is meant to get easier...it has in some ways so far, just not in how often he feeds which can be every hour during the day still...hard to get things done and live life!...

 

[MrsPMP]

Trouble is it's not just one of my friends babies who are sleeping thru with formula, it's most! lol The BF ones only one is..

 

[Celesse]

My DS has one bottle (7oz) a day and we use HIPP. Reason for this other brands come in a tub which need to be used within 4 weeks of opening and we never get through it in time. Hipp comes in 2 big foil sachets that have to be used within 3 weeks of opening and we manage to use them before the time is up.

As for sleep longer, I found when I was combi feeding DS and weaning him from bottle to breast it made no difference what was in the bottle. He would sleep longer after a bottle feed of EBM or formula than he would after breast feeds, but changing what was in the bottle made no difference to how long he slept.

 

[Celesse]

Trouble is it's not just one of my friends babies who are sleeping thru with formula, it's most! lol The BF ones only one is..

Perhaps this is cos the FF can fit more of their calories in during the day time due to how the bottle delivers the milk. One feed at night time is still only one feed and baby still needs to get the right amount of milk in during a 24hour period.

 

[Noelle610]

Trouble is it's not just one of my friends babies who are sleeping thru with formula, it's most! lol The BF ones only one is..

Oh honey, I hear you! I have soo many friends with young babies that have been STTN since they were 6 weeks old. I honestly think that's the exception and not the rule, but we just happen to be surrounded by women with "easy" babies. I know it can make you feel like you're doing something wrong, but you're not. Your LO just needs to eat at night.

 

[babybutton]

Trouble is it's not just one of my friends babies who are sleeping thru with formula, it's most! lol The BF ones only one is..

Oh honey, I hear you! I have soo many friends with young babies that have been STTN since they were 6 weeks old. I honestly think that's the exception and not the rule, but we just happen to be surrounded by women with "easy" babies. I know it can make you feel like you're doing something wrong, but you're not. Your LO just needs to eat at night.

Most babies do wake at night. People only really mention when their babies are sttn and not when they're not so you never hear about the night time wakings x

 

[Noelle610]

Trouble is it's not just one of my friends babies who are sleeping thru with formula, it's most! lol The BF ones only one is..

Oh honey, I hear you! I have soo many friends with young babies that have been STTN since they were 6 weeks old. I honestly think that's the exception and not the rule, but we just happen to be surrounded by women with "easy" babies. I know it can make you feel like you're doing something wrong, but you're not. Your LO just needs to eat at night.

Most babies do wake at night. People only really mention when their babies are sttn and not when they're not so you never hear about the night time wakings x

So true! Sleep is my great obsession right now. If I could just embrace it rather than complain about it, I'd probably feel much better. It's just sooo hard. I feel shaky/nauseous all day.

 

[youngwife20]

I havent bf so I have no advice with how to get a baby from one to the other. However with regards to formulas. I use Cow and Gate, lo has never had a problem with it, it suits him and lucky for me it is the cheapest. Aptimal is the most expensive, and is the one with most oomph by the midwifes (or so I have been told), and SMA I have heard can cause a bit of constipation due to the amount of Iron in it. However, ultimately it depends on your baby and really you are best getting a few of the ready made cartons to try so you are not wasting your money on a brand that doesnt suit your little girl.

sory what does omph mean?