How to Get a Breastfed Infant on Formula

Babies need to either be on breast milk or on formula until they turn 1 year old. Many parents switch from breast milk to formula as the baby gets older. This can be because the parent goes back to work or because the baby begins to get teeth. There are a few things you can do to make the transition from breast milk to formula easier for your infant.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bottle
• Formula
• Breast pump

1. Pump breast milk and pour it into a bottle. Do this once a day for the first week, to get the infant used to the nipple on the bottle. The infant is still getting breast milk, so she won't reject the bottle based on taste.

2. Choose the baby formula you think is best for your baby. If necessary, ask your doctor. Make a bottle of formula and replace the daily breast milk bottle with the formula. The infant can get used to the new taste before he has to drink it full time. Do this for one week.

3. Gradually increase the amount of formula bottles and decrease the amount of times you breastfeed. This will let you naturally decrease the amount of milk you are producing. Cutting back all at once can cause painful breasts.

4. Make a schedule and stick to it. Write down week one's goals, introducing a bottle nipple to your infant. Week two would list what time of day the infant would get a formula bottle. Week three would list how many formula bottles your baby is getting and the times she is getting them.

Tips & Warnings

• Formula comes in ready-to-drink liquid or in powder form. All powders require you to mix 1 scoop of formula with every 2 oz. of water.
• Watch your infant for gas. Formula-fed infants experience more gas than infants on breast milk.