Going from Nursing to Formula at Six Months

First off just remember a happy, healthy mommy is the best gift you can give you and your child. That's what I had to tell myself a year ago when I wound up in the hospital and my daughter had to be weaned with no warning. She did fine...not so happy at first, but it worked out. What we did was to use Lactose Free formula because it is easiest for them to digest. Soy can make babies really pukey, and it turns out a lot of people have allergies to soy. Also, I have found no major differences from anme brand to store brand, except in cost. Store Brand like Target or Meijer's costs about 13 or 14 dollars for 25 oz can versus Enfamil which is like $25 for same size. Good luck, feel better, and hang in there. There are plenty of other ways to nurture your little one...like getting up through out the night and giving thema bottle while you rock them back to sleep :)

P.S. I always like that you can gaze into their sweet little faces while they feed from a bottle :)

P.P.S. It's also great when they can hold their own bottle so you can do something else like cook dinner :)

2 moms found this helpful

I'm hoping that nobody will judge you for choosing to do something that you need to do for yourself and your health! My daughter decided that nursing was passe around the same time that she started cutting teeth and i stopped nursing her at 2am (about 5 1/2 months--she'd always gotten 1 or 2 bottles of formula/day because I never got good at pumping). And good for you for always giving her a bottle, too!

At any rate, the FDA is ON TOP of formula! They are all pretty much the same in terms of nutritional components and it's kind of a matter of trial and error. We had Evie on Similac Advance and tried the Costco stuff and found it to be very frothy though the nutritional information was IDENTICAL! Since she spit up till she was about 10 months old, I didn't want to give her anything foamy. I have friends who used the Target formula exclusively and LOVED it (it's the same as Enfamil). I'd recommend buying small containers and seeing what works best for you and your baby.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

Hi M. - personally I think it is a great decision for you to also be considering your health needs while taking care of your baby. So many times people think they have to sacrifice the world, their health, their sleep, their marriage, their everything in order to breastfeed. I know your decision was probably difficult; I exclusively pumped for about 4 months and for personal reasons that would positively impact my health (and the health of my family) I decided to switch to formula. And guess what? My baby hasn't grown a second head or turned into a monster! He's thriving just fine! So, as difficult as it was to make the transition don't spend a single minute beating yourself up over it. As mothers, we all make decisions that suit our family best and what might work for one does not work for all.

We used Enfamil, but our baby wound up being a happy spitter. As a result, we switched to Enfamil AR and noticed a significant decrease in the spitting up. You might wish to consult your pediatrician to learn more about what formula is best for your child.

Good luck to you!

1 mom found this helpful

*hugs* this must be very hard for you. Any formula is probably just as good for her as any other but I have heard that Good Start seems to be tolerated a little better by breastfed babies than others...jus from like a word of mouth type of thing. Do lots of cuddling. I can't imagine how hard it must be to stop at 6 months when you have been doing so well. Keep your chin up!

1 mom found this helpful

HI! Great job on the nursing! I stopped breast feeding around 7 months for my son, we just switched to Enfamil (and I looked at labels to make sure it had all the stuff like DHA and the such) without issue. It was smooth, I did miss it but was glad also for the freedom of letting go as well! You have done a great job by the way!
T.

1 mom found this helpful

I'm sorry you have to give it up:( Don't let it get you down, you have to do what's best for you or you can't possibly do what's best for your children. Someday they will do more research in to safe drugs for breastfeeding mothers, it's too bad so many women have to choose between bfing and taking care of themselves. Take heart, 6 months is far longer than more than 50% of the population, so you've already put your daughter at an advantage over many other babies!
Just remember you did what you could for as long as you could and she's better for it.

1 mom found this helpful

M., both of my children did not have a problem going from breast to bottle. Gracie did it at 6 mths and Andrew at 2 mths. With Andrew I was not producing enough milk to feed him and Gracie gave it up on her own. I always had luck with Nestle Carnation Goodstart formula. My kids did not have excess spitting up with that one, and their stomachs handled it fine.
Good luck with the transition!!

1 mom found this helpful

We used GoodStart when I weaned my daughter at nine months...after trying all the other ones... my baby loved it, until she came down with rotavirus, ever since then, she has been on lactose free formula and GoodStart does not make lactose free :( I tried to switch back, but she would have diarrhea multiple times a day. She will be one on Sunday so it will be interesting trying to switch to whole milk... hopefully I can find an organic lactose free milk! Who knew it was going to be so hard to stop nursing! My goal was three months, then six, then at nine I had to stop pumping due to my work schedule getting crazy, so the decision had to be made. Good luck! I think you are wonderful for doing it as long as you have! :)

1 mom found this helpful

I understand your internal struggle in this decision. *hugs* It's never easy to stop nursing. Depending on your daughters sensitivity, will decide the formula she needs. Our son nursed and at around six months I stopped pumping for his in-between feedings while I was at work. We tried a few different formulas and his stomach was very sensitive, causing him lots of gas and constipation. Even though he was still nursing three times a day. We ended up using GoodStart. This was easiest for him to digest, and according to other mothers that use the (yuck) taste test method, it was the closest to breast milk. We even tried to use the closest generic and that was a no go. If your little one has any kind of sensitivity then you might want to try gas drops with the formula until she gets used to it. And as always talk to the pediatrician first to see what their opinion is. Good luck and just remember you're not alone.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M.,

I have had to nurse and supplement my son w/ formula b/c of problems with my milk supply. My son will be 9 months old this Saturday and I am nursing him in the morning and at night and then giving formula at his 2 middle of the day feedings (lunchtime, and mid-afternoon)

As far as formula goes, I have been using Similac Advance. I use that though b/c that is what he had in the hospital, etc. My best suggestion would be to ask your pediatrician at his 6 month old physical. Or call them and ask what they recommend. As it is, you will have to watch for things like spitting up, constipation , etc and determine what's best from that too. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I would ask your pediatrician for the best advice.

1 mom found this helpful

You sound sad, I'm sorry to hear you so sad.. I'm on an antidepressant and am still nursing. Have you double checked with your OB/GYN for a safe meds. I nursed both kids while taking them & they are both perfect. Good luck, God bless n take care good care of yourself!

1 mom found this helpful

I would definently buy the store brand which is half the price and the exact same thing as Enfamil (read the back of the cans they are word for word!). And even if you have coupons for all the other ones its still SOOO much cheaper for the store brand!

I believe Earth's Best makes an organic formula (Whole Foods would have it. You can also make your own formula if you have access to raw milk, but that is a lot more work. Good Luck!

Hi M.--make sure you sign up on the website to get all of the free coupons. Formula is expensive and you will go through a lot of it, so every couple of dollars off helps. I also had all of my friends and family register as well so they could get the coupons too. We are on SImilac which is $25 a can, and we get anywhere from $5 to $8 off per can. Best of luck!
R.

M.,

I am late in posting. I breastfed exclusively until 6 months as well and then started giving my daughter formula. My husband is allergic to dairy so we went with a soy formula and used Similac Isomil Advanced Soy formula. We didn't have any problems with it. I don't remember Mackenzie having it on her face when she was finished, but perhaps that is due to the bottle? We used Dr. Browns bottles and loved them. My daughter didn't burp much at all and I didn't have to deal with those baggies all the time. Everything was dishwasher safe and our dishwasher sterilized so it made life much easier.

Good Luck.

Nestle Good Start always worked much better than enfamil for me. With my second I nursed him until he was 4 months and we had a hard time finding a formula for him. What did he take to?? Parent's Choice from Wal-Mart. I wasn't complaining..it was much cheaper!

My second child had gerd and was lactose intolerant. We used the enfamil lactofree or what ever is was called(not the soy)and she did just fine. I had to stop nursing at 9 months because of her lactose issues. 6 months is wonderful and most people bond just by being close with their babies. Always hold the baby while feeding (I'm sure you know that but I'm a nurse and its in my nature to state the obvious). Breast feeding is only best if it keeps both mom and baby happy and healthy. It would be much harder on her to have a sick mommy. Good luck!

M.,
Price is no differentiator. My 3 month old daughter nurses and gets formula. My mom & sister kept pressuring me to going with a big corporate brand (Enfamil/Similac) instead of a store brand (Sam's/Costco) saying that I was being cheap with my daughter and it would have lasting effects on her development. However, both Consumer Reports and my Pediatrician say that all formula is regulated through the FDA. More expensive doesn't mean better. It's up to you and your child to see what suits them best, i.e. soy, etc.

My second son went to just formula from nursing at 10 months. He did alright with Enfamil at first. Then Similac he did okay with at first...he went mostly through our sample cans, and then somebody told me to try Good Start because it is supposed to be the best for babies going from nursing to formula I guess. He actually really liked Good Start and did well with that, so we continued Good Start through the 12 month mark. Best wishes to you!!