Can You Mix Formula and Breastmilk

Yes R., I am an LVN and Lactation Counselor and I always suggest to my moms to mix formula with breast milk if they need to introduce it into their babies life. It gets them used to the taste slowly and also I believe is easier on their tummies to digest if mixed . Same goes for when she reaches a yr and you start giving her whole milk, if mixed it is easier on her system and her taste buds to get used to it. Good Luck, C. BestFedBreastfeedingCenter.com or ____@____.com

I did this with my first born and it worked well. I gradually added bit by bit until he would drink half formula/ half b. milk. This method also works well when you are trying to get them to drink cow's milk. We had to mix the cow milk with formula to transition him. I also would mix in a scoop of formula into his rice cereal when he started eating that. I did that immediately so he would never know the difference.

My question is why do you want to introduce formula. Once you start supplimenting with formula, your milk production will slow down. Are you planning on weaning soon? If you still have questions, you can call Loving Support 1-888-451-2499. I call there every now and then if I have a question regarding breastfeeding.

Absolutely, I did it with both my boys and it worked perfectly!

If you can successfully breastfeed your daughter, why would you ever want to give her formula? Your daughter knows what is good for her. You can freeze your breast milk if you are going to be away from your baby.

You can mix breast milk with formula and I tried this with my baby but she hated the taste! There are some great breast pumps available on the market and breast milk is so much better for baby. You can even freeze it. Have you considered this?

I did with both of my kids to ease the transition to formula. Keep the ratio low with more milk than formula and gradually change to more formula than milk. The downside is that you can waste some milk sometimes if they don't finish the bottle. It's not recommended to keep the bottle if they don't finish the whole thing. Good luck!

yes you can...i think the best one is Good Start Supreme Comfort Proteins...it's the closest to breast milk you can get w/ formula.

Yes, I did this to help my son with weight gain. I don't recall the proportions of each though so maybe check with your doctor.

I breast fed both my children but at about 6 months I started to dry up (joys of pumping at the office). So I started to mix in the formula. In the beginning I just added a small amount and gradually increased the amount until it was mostly formula. It took about a month or so to completely switch it over but it worked very well for me. Try adding just an ounce and work up from there. Also, have you tasted breast milk and formula? I did taste comparisons on a few formulas and found that Enfamil tasted the closest to my milk (sweeter than Similac) so that brand worked best for me.
Good luck - hopefully it works as well for you as it did for me.

Definitely! Start with mostly breat milk, then gradually make it more and more formula. Good luck!

yes, you can mix breast milk and formula. Make sure they are the same temperature when mixing both. Your child will eventually accept the formula if you introduce it little by little.

You can *totally* do this. I didnt when I wasnt able to pump enough bm and when we transistioned our children to formula from bm. You would mix your formula as directed and mix it with the bm. do you get it?

absolutely you can! When I first started sending my daughter to day care, I didn't want the pressure of having to pump to provide her with 100% of her nutritional needs. So, I sent some breast milk and some formula and asked the caregivers to make her bottles with 1/2 of each. It worked extremely well, and it got my daughter used to the taste of formula. You can always change the proportions too. Best of luck!

Absolutely!! I dont know what your reasons are for wanting your child to take formula instead of mama's milk, since your milk will provide your daughter with far more of the balanced nutrients that she needs to grow and develop properly, but if you are able to pump it to give it to her mixed with the formula then at least she is still getting some of yours. if you can pump enough to givee her whole bottles of yours say, when you have to be away from her, you dont likely need to mix it with formula. Again, your milk contain literally thousands of nutrients, special fats and fighting cells crucial to the development of your child's sensitive and undeveloped immune system. You can look at any can of formula and see that its ingredients are limited, synthetic, and typically, chock full of sugar or corn syrup, which really is not best for baby. This can lead to overweight baby, and child later on, lending to higher susceptibility to obesity, heart disease and diabetes as they get older. That said, there are rare cases when the baby is failing to thrive, or if mama isnt properly nourished and her health therefore can become compromised, when a doctor might recommend formula, but any pediatrician can confirm that formula fed babies get more sick more often than do breast fed babies. if you do have to give your baby formula, and you can mix with breast milk, then by all means do!! best of love and health to you and yours!! =)

Just another response saying that your daughter is doing what we call self-preservation ;)

Why do you want your daughter to drink formula? Formula poop is the NASTIEST ever.

You can try to mix the two together, but it might make it too rich and your baby may throw it up. A good formula to switch to is Horizon Formula. Stay away from Walmart and other cheap brands, they are full of chemicals and fillers. Soy formula has a lot of natural estrogen in it, that is not good for the baby. Eventually your baby will drink the formula, if she is hungry enough. If you are going to mix breast milk and formula, you will have to play around with dilution, til you find what your baby will accept. Good luck. K.

She hates it? Have you tried it? When my kids say they don't like something, I try it. Maybe it tastes bad? Looks like you've got plenty of good advice here on mixing the two. sorry, I'm really no help here.
Good luck,
M.