Written by Editorial Team
Experts recommend continuing breastfeeding even after introducing solids to a child (during the sixth month). Find out everything about combining bottle and breastfeeding.
Most mothers are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding for themselves and the baby and understand that they should breastfeed their child exclusively for the first six months. However, even then they sometimes have to consider combining bottles and breastfeeding.
In This Article
Nowadays, there are several reasons why the mother may choose to introduce a bottle at some point even before six months.
These can include:
For whatsoever reason that may force you to introduce a bottle for your little one (with expressed milk or formula milk), you have to keep in mind that:
Considering all these factors, combining bottles and breastfeeding is the best practical solution than stopping breastfeeding altogether. If you are producing a good amount of breast milk, you can pump and store it and give your baby by bottle. Otherwise, you can bottle-feed the baby with formula.
If you have a newborn, you might need to hold up combining the bottle and breastfeeding until he is at least 8 weeks old. On the other hand, if your infant is over a month old if needed, you can offer bottle-feeding along with breastfeeding at any time, provided the doctors approve the same.
If possible, hold up until your infant’s no less than eight weeks old. Waiting this long will set up a good breastfeeding routine so that occasional bottle-feeding will not hinder the breastfeeding routine excessively.
Before beginning a combined feeding schedule:
No. The gap between two formula feedings can be more than that of a gap between two breastfeeds. After a meal of formula, the baby can stay longer without a need for another feed, than when he is breastfed. This is because the formula takes more time to digest than breast milk. So the baby will not feel hungry for a longer time.
The combination of bottle and breastfeeding relies on the circumstance in which you opt for it.
If possible, bottle-feed the baby with expressed milk rather than formula. No need to waste the breast milk by expressing it (if you are lucky enough to have it in abundance)
You can offer bottle feed:
If your child is sick and not suckling the breast properly.
If your child is not getting enough milk from your breast, yet he needs to be breastfed to calm down and settle, you can try to bottle feed him in between the breastfeeds so that he will be no more hungry.
It is always advantageous for the baby to get as much as breast milk possible. Therefore, even if you produce less milk, let the baby feed your breast first and finish the feeding with bottle milk (remember to restrict the quantity of bottle milk to the optimum level)
If you go out for a while (working) breastfeeding can be substituted by bottle-feeding
It is better to ask someone else to bottle feed the baby instead of the mother. This way you can avoid the baby getting confused bottle-feeding as breastfeeding.
This will help, as:
Never let the baby’s stomach be ‘full’ while bottle-feeding. This will make him refuse the breast milk, especially if the mother has decreased milk supply. Therefore, keep the portion of milk when bottle feeding lower. If needed, you can increase the frequency. However, the “one-time” quantity must be restricted.
Do not get worried if there is any change in the stool of your baby once he starts to have the formula. The appearance and odor will change when the baby starts to be bottle-fed with formula.
When bottle-feeding, the bottle should be changed from one position to another. This is to avoid the ‘side preference’, which can later interfere with breastfeeding.
If you are going back to work and have dropped day feeds, bonding over the breast may just be the thing that you and your baby will look forward to once you get back home. Once you introduce solids to the baby, the breastfeeding sessions may just reduce towards both ends of the day. This will again cut the need for breast and formula milk altogether.
Find out if formula feeding makes a child chubbier here.
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