How To Introduce Formula Feed To Infants?

Posted on Tue, 6 Sep 2016

Question: Hi doctor,

I'm currently exclusively breastfeeding my 2 month 2 weeks old daughter. However my friends and family are advising me to start feeding formula or cows milk through bottle, in order to make her accustomed to bottle feeding as I have to join back my work and she may not accept bottle easily then in Nov when she'll be only 5 months.

Please guide me on whether and when I should start feeding her expressed milk and formula feed or cows milk.

Thanks
XXXX

Answered by Dr. Arun (39 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
No bottle , no cows milk

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for writing to us.
I would like to stress upon two things
1. No cows milk till one year is the worldwide recommendation.
2. Avoid bottles as far as possible
I usually advice working mothers to give exclusive breast feeding till 4 months at least .

After that you can start formula feeds along with stored expressed breast milk ,but not cows milk.
Expressed breast milk can be stored in refrigerator for 8 hours safely.

I advice only paladai or spoon feeds.
Bottle feeding is prone to infection like diarrhea and better avoided .

Let me know if you need more help.
Regards
Dr Arun

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar