A guide to switching from breastmilk to formula 

Transition to formula from breast milk in a way that works for you and your baby.

It’s recommended that your baby is fed exclusively with breast milk until they’re 6 months old¹. However, while breastfeeding brings many benefits and is the best thing for your baby, there are many reasons why you might be thinking about switching from breast milk to formula, whether you are experiencing difficulties like sore nipples, for example, or planning your return to work.

If you’re wondering how to move from breastfeeding to formula, this guide covers what you need to know to help make the transition as smooth as possible for both you and your baby.

The smoothest way to transition to formula from breast milk is to do so gradually. This helps both you and your baby adjust to the change at a pace that feels right.

A gradual switch also gives your body the chance to adjust and produce less breast milk, reducing the risk of your breasts leaking or becoming sore².

If you do decide to transition from breast milk to formula, the best way to start is to switch just one breastfeed per day for a bottle².

It doesn’t matter which feed you switch first, but some parents choose to start with daytime feeds and continue to breastfeed their baby at night to provide comfort¹.

It can take around 7 days for your milk supply to adjust to dropping a single feed, so it’s important to be patient when changing from breast milk to formula. Continue to switch one feed at a time, giving your body a chance to adjust to the change before switching another feed².

Some babies have no problem switching from breast milk to formula while others take a little longer to get used to feeding from a bottle, especially if they’ve been exclusively breastfeeding for a while².

Remember to be patient – these things can take time. You can also try these tips to set yourself and your baby up for success³:

• Timing is key: Introduce the bottle when your   baby is happy and calm, and not overly hungry.
• Choose the right teat: Use a slow-flow teat to mimic the pace of breastfeeding.
• Keep it familiar: Use the same position to bottle feed as you use to breastfeed.
• Ask for help: Let a partner or family member give the first few bottle feeds so your baby can’t smell your breast milk.

Instead of stopping breastfeeding altogether, you might find combination feeding is the right path for you.

Combination feeding means combining breast and bottle (often with formula, but sometimes with expressed breast milk). It allows you and your baby to continue to reap all the rewards of breastfeeding, while giving you some of the benefits of bottle feeding, too.

Lots of mums find that combination feeding works well for them, especially if they’re away from their baby for parts of the day (for example, when returning to work), or they want to share some of the feeding responsibility with their partner³.

Just like when you’re switching from breast milk to formula for all of your baby’s feeds, it’s important to introduce the bottle gradually when you start combination feeding².

Continue to respond to your baby’s hunger cues and feed them whenever they seem hungry. Unlike when you’re breastfeeding, it’s possible to overfeed a bottle-fed baby, so pay attention to your baby’s signals to distinguish between your baby’s ‘I’m hungry’ signals and their ‘I’d like a cuddle and some attention’⁴.

The less breast milk you use to feed your baby, the less your body will produce. However, there are steps you can take to maintain your milk supply when introducing a bottle.

Getting lots of skin-to-skin time with your baby and expressing your breast milk between feeds can encourage your body to increase your milk supply⁵.

Your baby might not want to take a bottle at first, especially if they’ve been breastfeeding successfully for a while. Try introducing the bottle when they’re calm and not too fussy⁶.

Every journey is different. It can take several weeks or even months to fully transition from breast milk to formula, depending on how your body adjusts and how quickly your baby settles into the new routine.

It’s recommended that you transition from breastfeeding to formula gradually. Suddenly stopping breastfeeding can lead to problems such as sore or engorged breasts and blocked milk ducts, particularly if you don’t express your milk when you stop breastfeeding¹.

Switching between breast milk and formula for different feeds during the day is called combination feeding, which works well for many families.

If you bottle feed for long periods without breastfeeding or expressing your breast milk, your milk supply will reduce, and you might find it harder to start breastfeeding again⁶.

Even when you start weaning and introduce your baby to solid foods (around 6 months old), your baby will need either breast milk or formula milk as their main drink until they’re at least 12 months old⁷.

As for when to stop giving your baby formula milk, follow-on-milk is suitable for your baby up until the age of 1 year. You might then choose to transition to toddler milk, which is suitable for your baby from 1 – 3 years. Read more about moving to a new baby milk.