Need to wean eleven month old cold turkey to formula

[Sarah84]

Hi all Inever posted in one of these forums but I really need help! I have to wean my dairy allergic eleven  month old to a hydrolized formula from the breast! He refuses bottles at all times right now and really dislikes formula. In the weaning cold turkey forum I read to used ebm for the first bottle, but I really don't have a supply built up. Does this matter? Will he eventually take the formula? I go back to work soon where I am doing 12 hour shift work and I am so nervous I feel like this kid is never going to wean! Any advice?
 

[Lolly]

I'll see if someone has a bit more experience but I don't think it's going to be easy to swap from nice tasting breast milk to the formula as it is pretty nasty tasting stuff.

I think you would be better introducing a straw cup or sippy cup rather than a bottle too - at 11 months you will need to wean a bottle anyway and breast fed babies do seem to do better with cups rather than bottles. From 1 they only need 12-14oz of dairy and that's only a month away. Do you intend to use the formula for his milk after 1 or are you going to give a non-dairy milk replacement like soy?

Do you want to carry on breastfeeding too - it is possible even with shifts, or are you ready to wean completely?

It may be that you will need to flavour the formula temporarily and once he has accepted the taste of it gradually wean the flavouring from the milk.

Laura

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Is the formula meant to be a replacement for milk for quite some time? (here the rec is for kids who cannot do dairy to stay on formula until two years old). Personally at this age I would skip to bottle and try either a straw cup or an open cup but tbh after one year as Laura mentioned they don't need a lot and if they are getting the calcium etc in their diet from other foods then that is okay too.

[ZacsMumme]

Hey hon. I had to ditch My second lo onto neocate cold turkey as even dairy and soy free BF he was sick. The stuff tasted bad but I was advised to try sweetening it up for a week or so then weaning the sweetener to get him to tak it. It worked we used golden syrup, or vanilla essence. But some ladies use other sweeteners. Just a little usually worked.

I also fed when drowsy as he was more relaxed and we had to use a var flow teat and TT closer to nature bottles. Avent were terrible.


HTH. Also if your lo is almost 1 yr you may be able to ditch milk altogether if it proves to be difficult to transition

[Sarah84]

Thank you all for your replies! I have to keep him on a formula till 2 my dr. Said, plus my LO has a strong need to suck and although he will take cups of water, he just doesn't seem to drink enough out of a sippy cup! I am taking everyone's advice and going to sweeten with some strawberry syrup! Zacsmumme just wondering how long the transition took you? And yes I'm using the tt closer to nature bottles hopefully they work!

[ZacsMumme]

T was much younger (10 weeks) so it was only a few days-week. But really you can just leave it a week, then try reducing and see if he takes it, then keep reducing. At the end of the day if you need him to take it that's more important than the little bit of sweetener yk? (Just brush his teeth!)

[Sarah84]

Thanks! today is the day and it's rough already! Lol but better now then in two weeks when I'm back at work!

[*Liz*]

I had to wean mine at 8months, and basically failed  . She ended up having a milk trial that she passed though.

You can get proper flavour modules for neocate for babies/ toddlers over the age of 2 because of the taste issue. Over here they are on prescription just like the milk is. Not sure about other makes though.

At this age food can carry him through while you transition him iyswim? So the intake may be too low for a few weeks, but should pick up as he gets used to it.

Is soy an issue as well? Some doctors are happy from age 1 for boys to have soy, and there are age w more options then, including yoghurts and cheese to improve dairy intake.

[Sarah84]

Thanks liz! We are trying soy as we speak, and I hope it goes well!! *fingers crossed* I was trying to avoid soy just in case but that hypoallergenic stuff is brutal! Even with sweetener! Thanks for the reply, hopefully next milk test we are good to go!