Transitioning to formula at 9 mos?

[boxerdog]

DS will be 9 months next week. I am an exclusive pumper and I REALLY want to wean from the pump and am trying to figure out my strategy. I have a huge freezer stash and I am pretty sure I can make it to a year on just frozen, but I doubt I can make it last much longer than that.

I can't decide if I should start trying to give him some formula now to ease the transition, or try to make the switch from frozen BM to cow's milk in a couple months when my stash runs out and skip formula altogether.

DS loves his bottles and is not super into solids yet - he still gets 5-6 bottles a day and only 2-ish jars of purees, not super into table foods. I think he will still be into bottles at 12 months.

So, my questions: WWYD, try formula now or try to make the BM last and not give formula? If your baby still wanted bottles at/after 12 months, did you put formula in them or cow's millk? Am I overthinking this? I will obv ask his pedi at his 9 month appt as well.

Thanks in advance. Hopefully I am actually making sense.

[Deleted]

If your stash can make it to a year, then I would just wait and introduce wcm then. Can you still make it if you cut down a session or two a day?

[osulori]

If you've got plenty in your freezer stash, I'd definitely use that first. If you realize you're going to run out and he's not at an age where you're comfortable introducing WCM, then deal with transitioning to formula.

[boxerdog]

Thanks guys! I am kicking myself for not keeping track of my stash better. I just didn't want there would be some sort of issue with going from BM to formula to cow's milk too quickly or something weird like that.

[NandaB]

We weaned around 9 mo, but I didn't have enough of a freezer stash to last until a year. I would just use your freezer stash first, but save a bit to transition. I did 1/4 formula 3/4 bm for a few days, half and half for a few days, then 1/4 bm, 3/4 formula for a few days. The transition took a couple weeks.

I think as a rule moms over think this stuff. We stopped bottle around a year because we were traveling and I didntwant to pack sippy cups and bottles. It was no big deal for either of my kids. I just gave them a sippy instead of a bottle for one feeding at a time. They didn't seem to care, so I did it over the course of 2 -3 weeks. Bedtime was lasy.

[Velar Fricative]

You worked hard for that freezer stash, use it up! Then transition to formula if you have to but if the stash is plentiful then just go straight to WCM.

We did use bottles for WCM since she wasn't great with cups at that point. She did eventually give up bottles at around 14 months.