Trouble with Feeding Formula to 7 Month Old.

It may not be the formula it might be the style of nipple you are using. When my daughter was born she would not take the nipple that the hospital gave her and they relized that she would take her pasi so they tried a nipple that looked like the pasi and from then on we had no problems. It is amazing how picky they can be.... but they are set in their ways!!

If I remember correctly,I put half breast milk and half formula in the bottle to get him used to the formula and then gradually put less and less breast milk in untill he was drinking just the formula.Its worth a try unless you have already tried this!!! Good luck,A. C

My daughter had the same issue. But her problem was the temerature and the consistancy. She wouldnt take it if I shook it up. So once I got the temp right I had to stir the formula.(stirred not shaken, so to speak) She drinks Enfamil Lipil with Iron and she has been doing great for about a month now. She was completly on the breast before and went 100% to formula.

Try adding a drop of Caro Syrup in with the formula for a couple of feedings. The sweetness will make her take it. It won't hurt her and she soon take the formula lika a pro.

We went through this... I tried everything formula and bottle. My 9 month old was 7 months at the time we went through this... turns out she was teething and that is why she would not take the bottle I gave her cows milk until she got over the teething which was about 2 weeks. I got yelled at by so many moms and my doctor but she was fine with it and now she is back on formula and no more problems.. Good Luck

Every baby is different and you just have to experiment till you find what works for her.
Breastmilk is sweeter than formula. So, adding one drop of light caro syrup is a good idea as is adding a small amount of baby food fruit like banana.
She may like juice added also because it makes the formula not only sweeter, but thinner, more like breast milk.
With breastfeeding the baby has good control over how much milk comes out at one time. Make sure the bottle and nipple you use allows the same thing. Or go straight to a sippy cup or spoon feeding.
It is time you can start cereal and baby foods. Start only one new food each week so that if there is some kind of reaction you will know what it comes from.
Start with rice cereal and either apples or bananas as the first fruit. Try to start more vegatables than fruits at first so she won't get too used to the sweetness of fruit and won't take veggies.
Most of all, relax. The more upset you are, the more upset your baby will be. You don't want to make eating a struggle of the wills because you will loose every time.

What formula are you trying? Also, do you have a store of breast milk leftZ? I've heard that Nestle Good Start without the DHA and ARA are a good choice and I've heard they're better accepted by breastfeeding babies. Also you may have your husband feed her the bottle. She probably associates you with breast milk and she won't accept anything else from you right now. Let me know what formula you've tried.

Hi, dear K., I m a mother of a beautiful baby, she is 10 months now and I didn't have that trouble cause although I gave her breast milk I introduce it to the bottle earlier so the only way I can think of is try some Similac advance the blue can mixed with some banana for example,also try give her that on a zippy cup instead of a bottle, and lots of patience.

have you tried a zippy cup? and also mixing a bit of formula w/ a bit of breast milk? how about as you breastfeed sneak in a bit of formula w/ a dropper? Just a couple of ideas. Good luck! ~C.~

K.
Try changing nipples, I breastfed for 18 months so I am a pro!!
My girls are now 24 and 21. I help my neice out alot with her 2 month old. She was spitting up so they took her off the breast and now she is on a 4th formula.. (wasnt the breast milk at all...) anyway, she changed nipples and she is doing great!
Try to find one that is most like mother herself (Nuk) if you can find them, or one comperable like a very flat one.
Good luck!
T.

I nursed my son for a year, and could not even give him a bottle. I feel your frustration. I gave him a soft tip sippy cup with half milk,half water. He drank it fine but would never take formula or a bottle....

Good Luck.

S.

I know this may sound wierd but have you thought of goat's milk. I used that for my boys andmade sure they had their vitamins but even though I know I could never drink it they both took it fine when coming off breast milk. Might want to try it. You can get it at any whole foods and soem walmarts carry it.

This may sound crazy to you --but I for 1 believe that extreme times call for Xtreme measures. we did this with my son and it served the purpose at the time--I do not remember what its called but its made by medela--its a trick kit basically--Your sister-(if willing)--would have to use the "nipple shield" on her as she tries to feed your daughter--there is a tiny tube that lays on the under side of the sheild--and it runs to a small bottle that you lay on your shoulder or hang from over head. The baby cannot realize that she is getting it from a tube cuz its inside the nipple sheild--the baby sucks and the milk comes out throught the nipple shield. The milk in the bottle would be the formula or your breast milk whichever you prefer. It works well and it "fooled" my son just fine. Our lactation consultant introduced us to this "kit" and it was especially made for this type of purpose. it was originally made for when moms were ill after child birth and had to have someone else "play nurse" the baby --or moms that could not produce enough milk.

Hi K. - Don't know if you have tried any of these suggestions: I breastfed both of my daughters till about 6 or 7 months also.
Have you tried changing the nipples to the bottles also what I did was do both formula and breast I only did breast @ night to still give them that comfort of not quitting cold turkey! And maybe if she can hold a cup that may encourage her to drink. Also my grandma always told me to make sure the milk is warm till they got older so that it would still feel like breastmilk! And last but not least I had to use Good Start Formula my girls never did good with anything else. -- Good Luck - Y.

You might want to look into different bottles as well. There are different flow speeds for different bottles, and I've even seen some bottles that look rather 'breast-like' - I have no idea how they work, but may be worth a try. Also, I don't know if you can mix breast milk and formula, but if so, maybe slowly add formula to the breast milk untill it's all formula so she can get used to the taste.

Good luck!

I had to mix breast milk with the formula at first. It seemed to help with the transition.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be.

I thought my son (8 mo) would be the same way so we started with 3oz BM and 1 oz formula mixed and then slowly moved the ratio to be more fomula. I started dropping pumping sessions and began using my frozen BM as well to begein weaning. about a month later we are down to 1 oz BM and 3 oz formula and he also takes all fomula bottles when necessary. I am still pumping once a day to save a little money and he still breastfeeds at night and before going to daycare in the morning. He wasn't quite sure in the beginning but he got used to it. Good luck.

I am also a working mom and pump during the day. I can't pump enough for my daughter's 3- 8 ounce bottles for the day so I mix each breastmilk bottle with formula. At first she didn't like the mix much but after a few tries she is used to it. I have given her just formula a few times now and she takes it like her breastmilk. Anyway, try mixing it with breast milk and then slowly wean out the breastmilk.

My friend has this problem. She actually had to go away for 3 days and let someone else take care of her baby. But when she came back, the baby had adjusted and was drinking the formula and she never had any problems with her again. (Well no problems drinking the formula anyway lol )

The baby can smell the milk on you. She knows. You might try getting your husband to feed her for awhile. Is she on solid food yet ? Also she might not like the bottle nipple. My baby was breast fed and he would only take a Playtex Orthodontic nipple. We had to order them by phone. They don't sell them separately in the stores.

I weaned my baby from the breast at 8 months. I just started giving him formula for a little while and then the breast and eventually the bottle sessions got longer and the breast feeding sessions got shorter and then disapeared altogether.

I know it can be really tough. Try letting someone else feed her for awhile. Good Luck !!

When doubling up with formula for my last 3, I used Enfamil LIPIL Lactofree in the purple can. It worked great. It's supposed to be the closest thing to breast milk.

Hope this helps!

Have you tried bottles with different types of nipples. I know there are some that are close to the breast. That might be a solution. Maybe even try a sippy cup with a soft spout.

I don't know if the formula is part of the issue but you might also try goat milk. My daughter had constipation issues from an infant when I quit breast feeding. I was told at Whole Foods (and from researching) that goat milk is the closest to breast milk. It helped a bunch! She cannot drink cow milk to this day.

Hope this helps! Good luck!!!

It sounds like you have stopped feeding her breast all at once and changed to milk. What I did with my three boys is I fed them both breast milk and formula milk and started to feed them less breast milk until they were completely on formula. This worked very well with them. Also you might want to make sure the nipples are similar to yours. When you feed her on a bottle, make sure you hold her close as if you are breast feeding while giving her a formula bottle. This might help with the transision as well. She is also old enought for your to spoon feed her cereal too. See if this will help also.

Hope this helps, and don't be discouraged something will help work it out.

I have a son that is 5 now, but at 8 months he woke up at 6:00am and wouldn't nurse anymore. He would not take a bottle or formula. We offered a sippy cup which he did not like. At that point I would mix his cereal with the formula to make sure that he did get some formula. Also yogurt is good for them while going through this process. Do let your Dr. know about the change in your baby's diet, but do not worry she will be okay. Also offer other liquids not just formula. Good luck

Hi K.,

First of all kudos to you for breastfeeding for 7 months! When I was transitioning my girls from breastmilk I mixed it with the formula. I started with one ounce of formula mixed with 7 oz of breastmilk. After a few days of this, I would increase to 2 ounces of formula and so on until she was eventually drinking only formula. Our pediatrician recommended this and it worked great! Best of luck!