Breastfeeding Moms, how did you 'introduce' your baby to formula milk?

[Purplish]

My almost 4 months old baby is on breast milk.. and she doesn't seem to take anything else.. not even pacifier. I am planning to give her formula as she reaches her 6th month.. but I happen to be a less confident mom about this task.. how did u manage that for your baby?
noobslayer.. is it funny?

 

[HeyLovelies]

I brest fed my baby and I just couldn't do it anymore because I was exausted, I gave her the bottle one day and she couldn't care less she just sucked it down.

 

[Luff my baby :)]

You could do it gradually. Start pumping your milk and mixing a little bit of formula with it in a bottle. Then each time put just a little more and more formula until you have finally switched to all formula. Good luck.

 

[Ivy has Twin Boys!]

They say to start offering bottles between 4-6 weeks if you are going to introduce them, so we did then.

They didn't care if it was breastmilk or formula in the bottles, or to even know. Which is amazing, since formula tastes like fish. (all the DHA is from fish oil! YECK!)

I gave my twins formula about once a week when we went out for the first few months. At 6 months it was almost 50% formula (did a lot of traveling that month), and now at 8 months it is down to about 25% formula.

As long as they take a bottle it is easy, if they are not on bottles at all at 4 months, they may reject them.

 

[FrostFaerie]

some babies arent fussy at all and wont protest to a change in feeding.. but some will and at 4 months its possible it may present a problem.
i would suggest getting the Tommee Tippee 'closer to nature' bottles. they are the closest shape and feel to a breast you can buy. start by expressing milk so at least the taste is the same even if the delivery is foreign to her. then add a little formula to it and over a few weeks slowly increase the amount of formula and decrease the amount of breastmilk in it until its all formula.
i put my son on formula at 2 months and used these bottles. but i tried him on a full bottle of formula once he'd taken two expressed milk bottles with no issues and he was fine.. hes not fussy at all as long as its food hes happy to drink it
try Nan HA Gold formula, supposedly it tastes the most similar to breastmilk so you might have more luck with that one. i use it with my bub and its great.

 

[bexter]

I just started slowly like 50mls. I also used Breast to bottle bottles, breast shaped. they really helped. she'll get use to it by 6 months

 

[noobslayer007]

Give the baby a neat, well made brochure that describes the new milk you are presenting it. The baby will answer with a simple spit up or wanting more.

 

[Sarah]

If you don't mind me asking why are you switching to formula?

Part of the problem is nipple confusion. She's used to the breast and pacifiers/bottles don't feel right. Another thing is formula tastes different. You can try a drop of clear Karo syrup in the bottle, it will make it sweet and more appealing.

 

[guppy]

When a baby is hungry, they'll eat anything. I was unlucky and ran out of milk around 4 months. I wanted to feed full term. My lack of milk began with my breast pump. My baby could get enough milk out of me to feed himself, but I couldnt pump hardly anything, therefore when I was at work my husband had to feed our son formula. Then when I returned it was breast milk. When getting formula, he made a mad face while eating. I believe he understood that daddy gave formula and mommy gave milk. When I ran out of milk completely, my son already had the taste for formula and did not rebel at all.
I would suggest, having your husband feed the formula a few weeks prior to the switch. Like we did, it was swift and easy. AND when he was off the boob, he was off the pacifier. The pacifier is meant to help them increase suction when on the breast. If they are not being breast fed, the pacifier is unnecessary.