Sweeten Formula??

You could mix the formula with expressed breast milk. That will sweeten it up. Whatever you do, DO NOT add Karo syrup. It can cause botulism, same with honey. If she's eating table foods, she's getting some nutrients from them too. They do make a liquid vitamin for little ones, if you're really concerned. I can't remember the name of it. It's in the health and beauty section with the other kids vitamins.

Hi L.! I nursed all of my kids, and my first two absolutely refused formula after they decided to stop nursing at 8 and 9 months. I put them straight on whole milk, and they were just fine. I don't think I would consider sweetening formula. If you get some expressed milk, maybe mix it with the formula or whole milk. I wish you the best!!

My son never took formula. I think I tried to give it to him too late in the game. So, I just tried to feed him really healthy baby foods from the time he was 6 months old. If your 9.5 months old likes to eat some of the baby fruit desserts in a jar, you could try adding that to formula. You may have to water it down a bit. Or you can add a little bit of apple juice or other juice. That's all I can think of...

I breastfed for 10 mos also, my supply started dwindling & pumping was not amounting to much. I tried various formulas & the one my dtr took was similac organic ready to feed. It was lighter in consistency & sweeter than most formulas. She took it readily & w/i a week did not want to be breastfed. Now 2 wks later she is completely weaned. Also you can give your baby yogurt (yo baby organic), this could substitute for milk. My dtr took both.Try both & see if it works good luck.

The reason your 9.5 month old is only nursing 3 times is b/c she is getting her water/food intake elsewhere? Are you giving her purees, juices and/or water. If you want her to nurse more simply cut back on the other foods. Babies will always demand the right amount for their needs. Breastmilk is 85% water so you should not be giving her any water/juice this will interfere with breastfeeding. Breastmilk is far superior nutrition to any solids you can be giving her at the moment. Formula is not the same a breastmilk both in taste and in nutritional/immuno-defense value. The best thing you can do for your daughter is nurse. If you start supplementing your supply will diminish. Breastmilk works on a supply/demand. She demands, you supply. Hope this helps you.

My doctor told me Soy formula is sweeter than regular and babies usually love it.

I had the same thing happen with my daughter, breastfeeding was going so well that I could never get her to switch to formula. One suggestion I could make that I didn't see in the other posts is to mix prepared formula in with dry cereal or oatmeal (instead of using water) just to give her some extra nutrients (that whole milk doesn't have) during the day. To hide the taste, I also mix in some fruit, peaches work well, and she still eats this for breakfast every day at 18 months. They make formula for ages 9-24 months which is what I'm using now.

I know you already responded to everybody but I just wanted to add that if you were to wean her from breastfeeding and start on formula you can make it sweeter by adding some instant breakfast mix. Like strawberry or vanilla. That is what my daughters doctor told me to do when they wanted her to start formula because she wasn't growing enough. You could try that if you really wanted to try formula but I think the breastfeeding 3 times a day is just fine. That, and like someone else said, mix breastmilk with formula. I did that as well. But like I said, that is only if you wanted to wean her off of breastfeeding.
Good Luck! :)

The ONLY thing I would ever consider using as a sweetner is honey. However, I'd refer to FEED ME I'M YOURS by Lansky FIRST.

Try pumping one breast while you nurse from the other, the let down is stronger and lasts longer when the baby is the one to stimulate it.
Also, 3 times may be all she needs if you introduce dairy products like cheese and yogurt. My son was nursing 4 times a day (morning, after each nap andbed time) from about 7 months on and never suffered for it. Your body adapts very quickly, putting all the needed abtibodies and such in to whatever you make to nurse 3 times or 12.

I agree with Deb - your little one might not even need extra formula. When my daughter was that age, she was only nursing 3X a day also. Is she healthy and growing well? If so, I wouldn't worry too much about her intake. If she seems frustrated after nursing, like she didn't get enough, then that would be another possible concern. But, if she stops and seems content, I wouldn't worry at all.

I would be pretty hesitant to add sweeteners to anything at this age. Kids are so prone to developing a sweet tooth anyway, so I would avoid it if possible.

Good luck - you're doing great!

Is she eating any solid foods? Cereal, vegetables, etc.? If so she won't need as much.
Have you ever tasted formula? It is decidedly gross!!!
It may be time to switch to 2% milk and if necessary some vitamins.

I would not sweeten the formula. if she is gaining weight and doesn't seem hungry then she is most likely getting enough to eat. do you need to pump because of work? If not then i would just continue breastfeeding her and giving her solids and she should be fine. if working then breastfeed right before you leave and have her eat solids until you return. good luck!

It's VERY common for breastfed babies to not like formula. All but 1 of my children never drank more than a few swallows of it because they just couldn't stand the taste. And we tried everyone out there! We finally learned with the last and gave her formula at a week old. Never hurt breastfeeding at all.... 14 months and still going strong.

Nursing 3 times a day is probably fine for your little girl. Remember that by this age babies are very efficient nursers and get more milk in much less time than they did a few months earlier. She's also probably getting plenty of nutrients she needs from food since most 9 month olds are eating 3 meals a day at the table with a few snacks. If you want her to nurse more, simply cut back on the amount of real food you give her. Or nurse her just before you sit down to eat when she's the hungriest.

It's also a "phase". All my kids cut way down on nursing between 9 and 11 months. But then it picked back up again and they all continued to nurse until at least 16 months. At around 9 months, they get distracted alot... by other kids, the TV, the radio, a book you're trying to hold and read at the same time, etc. Try going into a quiet room with few distractions. Keep nursing! Too many moms take this a sign that baby is ready to wean themselves but it's not! Like everything else remember that it's just a phase and it'll pass.

I don't think I would worry about it that much. At this point, the baby cereals, baby food and finger foods should start to be introduced into the diet. The formula is not going to be enough to sustain a child (most of the time) at this age. My son at 6 months would eat a 12 oz bottle and then be hungry an hour later. I had to put him on semi solid foods very young. The same happened to my other son around 8 months. So my guys were pretty much off formula very early. At 6 and 8 months I would give them maybe 4 oz of formula and cereal then other meals would be all baby food and soft foods.

Have you tried the Eearth's Best brand formula? It seems a little sweeter & to taste more like breastmilk than the Similac we tried. My little one is breastfed, hates formula but has tolerated the Earth's Best for emergencies. Another trick I found to get her used to the taste is to soak cheerios in the formula. She loves finger foods so that makes the taste of formula more exciting.