The moment has come, you've decided it's time for your baby's first formula. Your interest in organic formula has brought you here to the Organic Baby Food Shop and that's great! We're very happy to see you here!
But maybe you're thinking a bit more ‘how’, and not quite so much ‘what’. Surely it can’t be easy? Giving baby formula for the first time? Won't my baby reject it? Won't they hate the taste or miss the cuddles? Well we've got a few tips to help with giving breastfed baby formula for the first time.
- If you can, keep pumping. Not pump up the jam style pumping, although, that will always be a great tune. But pump out the breast milk pumping. Feed your baby your own breast milk from a bottle first to get them used to the bottle.
- Don't despair if they refuse the bottle. One of our moms has a huge challenge with this and suffered so much frustration until she tried a Nuk brand nipple and her baby loved it. Different babies will have different preferences so don't be scared to switch it up and try new things.
- Ask someone else to do the first feed. You probably won’t even have to say pretty please with a cherry on top. Family, friends and of course your partner would be ecstatic to help. Without mommy's breast milk smell and cuddles baby may be more open to a new food source.
- Gradually introduce formula with a 50/50 mix of breast milk and formula. And don't be afraid to consult your doctor and try different formulas until you and your baby are settled on one you both like. Yes, of course, you’re not drinking it! But you are thinking about cost, availability, organic formula, perhaps even bio farming. So it’s important that you are happy with the choice too! Some starter formulas that we love are:
- Holle pre stage formulas provide your baby with all the nutrition, vitamins and minerals to flourish correctly and Holle is recommended by Pediatricians around the world.
- HiPP pre stage formulas guarantee a healthy start for your newborn as it was designed to resemble breast milk. HiPP Stage PRE is ideal for both supplementing and/or replacing breast milk, as it has similar nutrients.
- Lebenswert Stage 1 Organic Formula can be used from birth, it is easy to digest and gives your baby everything it needs. Without synthetic pesticides or chemical-synthetic nitrogen fertilizer or artificial flavors.
- Go for pure formula bottles when you feel your baby and you are ready. If you’re not sure how to make your first formula bottle have a look at our preparation guide here.
- Keep cuddling! Feeding time is still really intimate whether it is breast or bottle. Make eye contact and concentrate on your baby and keep heaping your great big love on them.
- There is always the possibility that there will be some digestive issues in the beginning, like gas and different looking and smelling stool - this is completely normal and will generally pass within a week or so! It is just your baby’s digestive system getting used to a new input.
Switching to formula is a very personal decision affected by circumstances like work, emotions like oh my goodness I'm exhausted I just can't keep this up and capability like I just can't bear to stop feeding yet it would break my heart.
Whatever your situation listen to your wonderful instincts and do what's right for your baby. You're doing a marvelous job.