Spread Out Formula Article For Free

If you want to do this, it's best to wait until your milk supply is fully established. This can take around 6 to 8 weeks. You can start by replacing 1 of your baby's regular daily breastfeeds with a bottle (or, if your baby is over 6 months, a cup or beaker) of formula, instead.

Start small. (Again, try to wait till your baby is about 6 weeks old.) If after a week of one-bottle-a-day is working, you can try add a second two-ounce bottle to your day while you continue to breastfeed. And when starting out, always offer breastmilk before the bottle.

If you're breastfeeding but want to introduce formula feeds, it's best to gradually reduce the amount of breastfeeds. This will help your baby get used to the change and stop your breasts becoming sore from being too full of milk and leaking.

Over the first few weeks and months, the time between feedings will get longer?about every 3 to 4 hours for most infant formula-fed babies. This means you may need to wake your baby to feed. You can try patting, stroking, undressing, or changing the diaper to help wake your baby to feed.

When you're ready to introduce formula, offer a bottle of formula an hour or two after breastfeeding and then introduce an additional daily bottle-feeding session a few days later.

Newborns eat about 2 to 3 ounces of formula every 3 to 4 hours. If your baby sleeps longer than 4 to 5 hours at a time, wake her up to feed her. By the end of the first month, she eats at least 4 ounces about every 4 hours. By the time she's 6 months old, she eats 6 to 8 ounces four or five times a day.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends only human milk or formula for babies until 12 months and to add solid foods around 6 months. Pediatricians and other health care providers can provide support and guidance to families on how to safely feed their babies.