Breast Feeding weaning

edellc

I have been breast feeding for the last 4mths and have now decided that I want to wean baba onto formula my little fella is a very hungry baby so with breast feeding I had to top him up with formula.

This didnt seem to be a problem up until he got oral thrush (which is now cleared) now every time I try give him formula he has a tantrum, screams, pushing the bottle away, throws himself all over the place while I cling on tightly.

Does anyone have any tips on how best to wean so that it is not traumatic for him but also for me

Emer911

Aww, the poor little thing!

I know the advice I was given when weaning was that mammy shouldn't present the bottle, because the baby can smell the (breast) milk and will be more inclined to refuse the bottle.

Maybe try daddy / granny doing the bottle feeding?

Chin up! It'll work out.

edellc

Unfortunately daddy works most days from 9am and gets home around 10.30pm so no help from him and I dont live anywhere near family that can help so its just me and baba all day long.

Thanks for the post I will persevere I just feel so guilty and horrible for making him cry

Emer911

Pity about that. Have you anyone close by that could lend a hand for a few days - a neighbour / friend?

Another thing to try is expressing and feeding that via the bottle? Just to get him used to the feeling of the bottle?
Then, once he's accepting that, start off on the formula again?

Elle13

Hiya,

I was breastfeeding until my little man was 7 months old. He would not take any formula at all...
I have started him on solids when he was 5,5 months old as he was very hungry baby too and try to introduce formula again but was unsucessful again.
I have eventualy managed to get him on Follow on milk when he was nearly 7 months old. I had to express my milk first as he would not take formula from me.. when he got used of expressed milk from the bottle he then changed his mind and tool the Follow on milk from me too.
Daddy had to give me hand with bottle feeding from the begining as as long as my little man smelled breastmilk of me he did not like the idea of formula at all.
The best of luck.. it takes a lot of patience but it will all work out in the end

Grawns

Just a suggestion but as he is getting bigger you can introduce solids which will mean he will not be as demanding on you as he has been. You could perhaps continue with breastfeeding for a few more months. 4 months is great though

implausible

Grawns wrote: »

Just a suggestion but as he is getting bigger you can introduce solids which will mean he will not be as demanding on you as he has been. You could perhaps continue with breastfeeding for a few more months. 4 months is great though

I was actually going to suggest this. I started Cathal on solids at 23 weeks and he's taken to it really well. Within a few weeks, he'd begun to breastfeed less and now at 27 weeks, he doesn't breastfeed between 12 and 6 in the day. I have a bottle of formula (well, it's more of a cup) made up and he takes a few ozs depending on what he has eaten.

Now I can only speak from my own experience, but I think it's easier to wean onto solids and the bottle at the same time.