One of the hardest things for a parent to do is ease their baby into a life without breastfeeding. Since their primary source of sustenance has always been through their mother, it can be hard to sever those ties, but it’s a lot more doable than you may think. It just requires some strategy, and here are some tips for making it a reality.
Controlling the Ratio
When you first start trying to change your baby’s diet from breast milk to formula, or cow’s milk for that matter, they may not take to it too easily—at least not if you force them to go cold turkey. Instead, what you need to do is ease them into it with a proper ratio. In order words, add a little bit of cow’s milk to the breast milk in a bottle, so that they get used to it without saying goodbye to the breastmilk completely.
Slowly But Surely
Eventually, you’ll start to add more and more cow’s milk into the mixture, and your baby will get used to it more and more. While this is happening, you can also make the breastfeeding sessions a lot more sporadic and less common. This will allow your baby to understand that things are changing without making them too upset about it.
Ultimately, all babies are different, so you will have to play things by ear. However, this is the overall gist of the matter. Master the ratios and keep modifying their diet slowly but surely. Eventually, they’re going to catch on!