[[ Help!!! Formula feeding!! ]]

[maichiang]

Hi everyone, plz advice if you have gone through/is going through the same phrase as mi..

I had been exclusively breastfeeding for almost 16mnths..started introducing FM to mi boi about a mnth ago..he HATES it..so i decided to force feed till he 'accepts' the taste and get drinking it on his own..bt till now he doesnt!! i know it will take tym bt its driving mi crazy to have to run afta him, pacify him wid toys,cartoons? to feed him through SYRINGE!! when he is in good mood, he drinks through syringe w/o struggle..bt when he is not in a mood, oh boy..we go through a huge struggle and he is so strong!! i dont know if its the taste of milk? will he eva accept milk??!! i cant be giving him mi breast milk always and i dont want to stop giving him milk..and i dont him to have the habit of drinking it through syringe bt tts the onli way he drinks now..wad FM is better than gainIQ? currently feeding him tt... Plz do advice! TIA!=D

 

[tempo4me]

May I know when you BF your son, is it latched on or bottle? I think maybe he hates the bottle not the milk?

For me, I moved slowly from BM to FM. Took me a total of 3 months and it would have been longer if my health didn't need more attention.

I introduce FM to my son first at 1 feed per day for a period of 4 weeks. Until he is able to drink that 1 feed without much struggles.

Then I increase to 2 to 3 feed per day for another 4 weeks. Also, until he is able to drink all feeds without struggles. I also monitor his poo just in case.

Then I increase to 3 to 4 week for again another 4 weeks. After which I continue with full day of FM on some days.

I think you may have a harder time than me cos your boy so big then you switch. Taste buds all developed fully already. My son just make the switch over fully @ 9months and it was already a struggle with him sometimes not drinking anything at all. So I let my son go hungry for that feed and try again next feed. When a baby is hungry, nothing matters anymore.

 

[maichiang]

hi dear, mi was totall latch on..i think he hates both the bottle and milk..he makes face when he has to drink the milk and always trys to run away..

yea,i indeed made a mistake in introducing FM too late..yours is still pretty young..n doesnt reali eat solid so he will be more accepting..bt mine has solids..tried nt giving him food bt he still wont take the milk..guess i haf to wait a long long long long tym..haiz..ahahahah..

thank you for dropping by..haf a nice week!=D

 

[kelvinangsw]

Basically, my method is the same as Grace. Slowly increase the number feed of FM by weekly basis. from 1 feed per day in the first week to 2 feed per day in the second week and so on until he is able to accept both BM and FM. Then you keep the ratio to 3:1 (FM:BM) until you deplete the BM. If he reject FM, let him go hungry. If he is hungry enough, he will have no choice but to drink the FM.

But say is easlier than done, I start FM when he is 12 mths. He is completely on BM for 12mths. I guess the difficulty level may increase you start later. But the concept should be around the same. One thing to take note => Never mix the FM with your BM.

 

[girltradester]

I am having such a problem now. My bb is coming 8 months and I need to start him on fm because I don't have enough bm, so he is feeding on my frozen ebm, which is finishing in less than a week. I tried normal fm earlier and he developed allergies, so a pd told me to give soy fm. He took some time to accept it. But I did not want him to take soy long term. So I tried goat fm, which he had a worse reaction. Saw another pd and she told me to try total comfort series. So after taking probiotics and being on bm for a week, I tried to start bb on fm again. Gave him total fm, but he just would not take it. Eventually gave him porridge, which he took cos I think he was hungry, and I then secretly mixed a tbsp of fm in it. He ate it as per normal!

I wanted to mix 30ml fm to 90ml bm. But after reading kelvin's reminder, I have told my maid to give bb pure fm 90ml this morning. I know my pd also said dun mix. But what if bb just would not take it neat?

 

[tempo4me]

Hi,

I know you will always think that what if he is hungry and he still don't take it? I had that thought if my first as well. But after experienced this with 2 babies, both refusing top drink or eat unless given what they wanted, i can confidently tell you that if he is still not eating after slipping a feed, it meant that he is still not hungry enough. =) it will take time convincing your self that he is not hungry, but you will get there after a while.

 

[frog]

JTS: My neighbor breastfed exclusively for 18months. This meant no bottles and no formulas. She stopped cold turkey. After crying for 2 nights, the boy started sleeping through on the 3rd night. Sometimes, if he's hungry, he would ask for bread or banana (or rice!!) at 3am. But otherwise, he only drinks freshmilk "for fun" like drinking juice. And he started eating around the clock and a lot of snacking.

Don't be too worried - you can give them cheese and freshmilk, etc. At this age, there are other ways of getting nutrition besides formula/breastmilk.

 

[googlez82]

Actually I feel FM is quite yucky for those not used to it..including adults, not to say a 1++ yo. JTS, my colleague's son "weaned off" FM by 2 yo and she had go choice but to give him fresh milk, the kind we adults drink, HL, Marigold, Magnolia etc. Perhaps these are sweeter hence nicer. Better than no milk intake at all, I guess.

 

[girltradester]

Very troubled..tried starving the bb. And he rather starve than drink! I secretly mix some fm into his porridge, and he still ate it hungrily!

Got a BIGGER problem now cos he pushes the bottle away regardless it is ebm or fm. Wasted 150ml of my ebm cos he just refused to get close to the bottle =(

He was satisfied just latching last night, even when i don't have much for him.

 

[tempo4me]

girltradester, I think your baby rejects the bottle not the milk. At 8 months should be no problem implementing FM one...

If your baby rejects bottle and not milk, this i can't really advise the best way cos I've not experienced it. I started letting my children use the bottles since they were 1.5 months old for fear they will reject bottle when I go back to work.

Maybe you can still use the hungry method, if skip 1 feed cannot, skip 2 feeds, skip until he feeds (This is what I did to my elder one, more stubborn). Don't let him latch either. Must make sure he knows there's no other way to get milk except from the bottle.

 

[frog]

If he rejects the bottle, you can try to let him drink from a sippy cup, or through a straw, etc.

 

[beatrice_chua]

Hello Grace Ho,We had the same of what I did to my kids when they rejects bottle..and now they started to use bottle..it really effective..hehehe