Advice on switching to formula?

Any advice for switching to formula? I have been exclusively pumping but having way too many clogged ducts, needing to pump non stop to keep my boy happy, and it’s draining me. I tried one bottle yesterday of formula, and he took it fine, but today he won’t. I really want/ need to be done pumping. Any advice is appreciated!

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If your able to pump a little and mix it with the formula

Just keep offering him formula. He will eat it when he’s hungry he won’t starve i promise. If he starts spitting up a lot try gentle ease formula 2 of my 4 needed the gentle kind

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Mix the breastmilk with the formula. Start with small amounts of formula and slowly increase it.

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Slowly!! Offer 1 or 2 a day, rest breast milk. Makes it easier on their tummy.

Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for switching to formula. You need to do what’s best for you and your baby and only you know that. I gave my kids Gerber Good Start after nursing them and I didn’t have any issues with constipation or gas. I also would do half breast milk half formula until they would get used to the formula. Which usually only took a day or so.

I went by ounces each day
Say a 6oz bottle - 1oz formula+5oz breastmilk.

Every day I would up the Oz of formula.

Warning, they may get diarrhea and this is normal with the switch, just monitor it.

I also continued putting vitamin D drops in the formula until she got to 8oz bottles 4x a day.

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Yes start with half and half formula and breast milk slowly make it more formula it’s better for you as well not to go cold turkey. Also put hot compresses on you and massage to help with the clogged ducts take hot showers.

Start with 3/4 breast milk, 1/4 formula for a couple of days, then do half and half for a couple of days, then 1/4 breast milk, 3/4 formula for a couple of days. Switch him over slowly and he won’t even notice :slight_smile:

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I can’t help much with the switching process, but I can say that I started my daughter on formula right (away for reasons that I don’t need to rationalize to those who don’t agree), but I don’t regret it. My daughter was back over her birth weight within 48 hours of delivery and has been ahead of the game ever since. I use similac pro sensitive and I highly recommend it. I dealt with a lot of mom shaming for my choice, and you unfortunately may too if you switch but at the end of the day remember that you need to do what is best for both of you and if that means formula- that’s :100: okay!

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Don’t feel guilty for using formula. You also have to look out for your health and if pumping/breastfeeding isn’t great for you then switch. Mix some breast milk you may have with formula to help the adjustment. Also don’t be a afraid to try different bottles. My son would only take one type of bottle and refused all others. It will be a trial and error period but its worth it in the end. We always got the Similac that wic provided for us and because if that we weren’t buying any formula out of pocket

Just keep trying each day :relieved: its sometimes frustrating, and the switch doesn’t happen as quick as you’d think (or hope) it does … :heartbeat:

I had the same issue. We started by mixing about an oz of formula to each bottle. Then you increase it every few days until it’s just formula. I got to the end and still had some frozen milk so we just kept going at the last ratio until the breastmilk was gone

You could mix your milk with formula.

Target has a lot of good stuff in the baby section for clogged ducts.

Also Dr Brown bottles and nipples are amazing

I exclusively pumped for 2 years.

I would look at HIPP or Holle or Kate Farms

I make my own goat milk formula because I produce very little milk of my own.

A lot of times with transitioning to bottles it has more to do with the bottle and nipple than the formula so of course the formula is important in terms of digestion. If you have a baby store by you I would go and brows the more natural-looking bottles and nipples to see what seems to be the closest for an easier transition. This is just been my observation from 13 years of child care including many infants

If you have extra(frozen) breast milk use that and mix it with formula. Half and half. Then little by little use more formula than breast milk until it’s just formula. I did it with my daughter and it was pretty successful. And its a plus for baby… He is she’s little belly can slowly get used to formula without causing an upset belly.

Supplement to Enfamil GentleEase. It’s #1 pediatrician recommended and similar to breast milk

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Do 1/2 and 1/2 until he gets used to it and slowly add less and less breast milk

If you’re on Instagram, check out @theformulamom
Tons of great information and she just released The Formula Handbook 101

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Can you mix formula and breast milk? Otherwise your kid will get hungry enough to just drink the formula. Otherwise you can try a different brand to see if he likes that taste better

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Add a little extra water to the formula if that doesn’t work try the opposite but keep alternating between the two and it will confuse him so if you switch do it completely I have weened 3 girls it can be hard in the beginning but gets easier and all my girls are older now I also remember having to try different formulas till I found the right one

I had the same problem and my daughter would gag or throw up all the formula she would eat until i switched to similac sensitive and she ate it perfectly after the first try. It may not be the same for your baby but just giving you an idea

Mix formula and milk and slowly day by day make it more formula and less milk till he’s accustomed to the taste of it. I don’t blame him, milk is sweet and formula is gross :joy:

I agree with Meg. Start mixing half and half and slowly ween. He should adjust just fine.

I started by mixing half breast milk half formula! Hope that helps❤️ remember fed is best!

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Make a formula bottle and add some breast milk you can try 25/75 then do 50/50 and so on until hes completely on formula.

Mix the breast milk with the formula an little by little cut out the breast milk an give more formula

Mix the breastmilk w formula and increase the formula to breastmilk ratio slowly

Try different bottles and nipples.
My baby would not take any silicon nipple, only those cheap latex ones you can get with the ready to use bottles from enfamil.
Good luck :heartpulse::heartpulse::heartpulse:

Mix breast milk with formula to start transition. Each day add 2oz of formula decrease bm till your complete on formula