SUMMARY:
- History of mixed feeding in France and around the world
- When to start mixed feeding in practice?
- When to start mixed feeding from a physiological perspective?
- Equipping parents for successful mixed feeding
- Where to practice mixed feeding?
- How to alternate breast milk and formula?
- What if baby refuses the bottle?
- What if you don't have enough milk anymore?
- 3 extra tips & tricks if you encounter obstacles
- Conclusion of this article
Mixed or partial breastfeeding allows you to feed a child both at the breast and with a bottle, using breast milk and infant formula, depending on your schedule. In this meal arrangement, the mother is no longer the only one involved! Indeed, your spouse or life partner can participate as well.
That said, mixed feeding is not always simple to establish or for your baby to accept. Mixed breastfeeding sometimes requires patience and flexibility in parental organization, especially for mothers. Here’s a detailed look at how to proceed and, most importantly, how to overcome potential obstacles.
History of mixed feeding in France and around the world
But first, a bit of history to better understand the state of breastfeeding in France and beyond! 🌎
Mixed feeding is now an established concept in modern society. According to this source article, the term appeared for the first time in France in 1806 in a book written by H. de Montgamy titled: Méthodes d’allaitement artificiel simple et d’allaitement mixte.
However, if we go back to the Middle Ages, exclusive breastfeeding was actually the only way to properly nourish a baby during the first two years of life, though supplemental foods like porridge were introduced relatively early once the first teeth appeared.
Exclusive breastfeeding, on a global scale, is currently very rarely practiced despite recommendations from the World Health Organization and many pediatricians, who advocate for the exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a baby's life for optimal health. Weaning therefore often occurs early, especially in poorer countries, usually at the end of the first three months on average.
Depending on the country, such as Brazil, many parents have traditions and practices of introducing supplements (herbal teas, sugary drinks, water) very early in the child’s life (sometimes from day one), believing it beneficial and enriching for their nutrition.
Mixed feeding, sometimes seen by pediatricians and the medical field as a form of control over infant feeding introduced by industrial society and brands, can actually bring relief to many mothers and address issues like returning to work or a mother's intense need for rest, especially if she is managing an already busy household with several children…
When to start mixed feeding in practice?
So, the idea most often associated in France with mixed feeding is the mother’s need for freedom, whether voluntary or not.
- End of maternity leave: 10 weeks have passed (18 if you just had your third child) and you need to return to work. You will soon no longer be entirely available to feed your newborn.
- Craving time for yourself: You have a sport, cultural, or relaxation activity you wish to resume once or several times a week. You’ll sometimes need to be away during your baby’s feeding times.
- Desire to share: You want your partner to be able to feed baby from the very first months. So, you’d like your baby to accept bottle-feedings as well.
- You simply want to stop breastfeeding.
Whatever your reason, to ensure everything goes smoothly, one principle applies: plan ahead.
When to start mixed feeding from a physiological perspective?
For a positive mixed feeding experience, baby needs to accept both the breast and the bottle (formula or not) without this affecting their ability to feed. On your end, lactation should be well established. It is therefore recommended to wait at least 6 weeks before implementing mixed feeding and not to start from day one.
This gives you time to focus as a mother on just one thing: breast milk production and all the factors that encourage milk supply (nutritious foods, herbal teas, sessions with a lactation consultant, etc.).
If you recently had a traumatic birth such as a C-section or forceps delivery, exclusive breastfeeding allows you to focus on yourself and your baby during the first month.
This caution also helps avoid nipple/teat confusion—preventing your baby from turning away from the breast in favor of the bottle because sucking at the teat requires less effort than at the breast.
💡 Did you know?
Its effects are beneficial for both your health and your baby’s, physically and psychologically. On the one hand, mixed feeding transmits to your child numerous benefits: antibodies and nutrients essential to their development, but it also gives the mother greater freedom so she can recharge on her own from time to time. And there’s more! Breastfeeding reduces your risk of developing breast cancer during your life. The longer you breastfeed, the lower the risk!
Equipping parents for successful mixed feeding
To make the leap, you’ll need a few very helpful baby gear accessories.
- The breast pump. Not the most glamorous device, but learning to use it is an almost inevitable step for breastfeeding, alternating with bottle-feeding. When choosing the right breast pump, you’ll have to weigh single vs. double models, electric or manual, and various technologies designed to stimulate milk supply. Thanks to a pump, your child can have bottles of breast milk at any time. A lightweight and compact pump will make returning to work more convenient.
- A bottle. Among other things, our "bibRond Elhée" was designed to make the transition to mixed feeding easier. Made of medical-grade silicone, it’s almost as soft and just as round as your breast, helping baby adjust to bottle-feeding. The nipple, also made of extra-soft medical silicone, protects your little one’s health and supports their suckling skills. Its ergonomic shape fits perfectly in baby’s mouth. Finally, an anti-colic valve helps with digestion after feeding.
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- An infant formula adapted to your child’s age and nutritional needs, which you’ll offer alternately as you wean them from your milk.
Of course, small containers for carrying formula powder or freezing your milk will be handy, as well as some cleaning supplies, like a small clean sponge and a bottle of organic dish soap, for instance.
Where to practice mixed feeding?
1. Nursing at the breast
Breastfeeding can be done as usual, from your baby's birth: in a calm environment, with dim lighting if desired, with minimal distractions so your baby’s attention remains focused. In France, you can safely breastfeed in public places. Take care to avoid sun exposure and temperature fluctuations. It’s best to breastfeed in a shady spot sheltered from drafts.
2. Pumping sessions
For optimal conditions when expressing your milk, you should be comfortably seated in a chair or armchair, with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. You can watch a documentary, or if your pump has strong enough suction for hands-free use, why not read a chapter or two of your current book? 😉
Pumping sessions can sometimes take a while... Plan on about 10 minutes per breast, or twice that if you have a single-pump model.
If you value your privacy, isolate yourself in your preferred room and let others know you don’t want to be disturbed. While embarrassment doesn’t really affect lactation or milk output, you’ll feel more at ease expressing milk away from curious eyes.
3. Bottle feedings
Bottle feedings, whether with infant formula or breast milk, can take place in a different room than where you usually breastfeed. This helps your baby clearly distinguish each feeding type and may make the eating experience less confusing. Again, a calm environment conducive to digestion is recommended!
How to alternate breast milk and formula?
The goal is to find the right rhythm to satisfy both your baby’s hunger and your mutual need for contact.
To wean your baby from your milk, start by replacing just one nursing session for at least 5 days. If things go smoothly—baby eats well, their weight gain remains steady, they're not unusually hungry, and you don’t get engorged—you can use the same process to gradually replace other daily feedings.
Note: to continue successful mixed feeding over time, keep at least 2 daily breastfeedings. This will stimulate your milk production and allow your child to maintain the habit of nursing. The morning and evening feedings, as well as the one when you get home, are arguably the most important.
Which infant formula is closest to breast milk?
It’s difficult—almost impossible—to answer this, as breast milk regularly changes its taste and consistency depending on the time and what you eat or drink. For example, at birth, the mother’s colostrum tastes like amniotic fluid, which is comforting to baby.
Still, choose an infant formula appropriate for your baby’s age (first stage, second stage, or follow-on formula), and avoid regular cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and plant milks before 12 months old.
How much milk should you give your baby?
Exclusive breastfeeding is done on demand, while bottle-fed babies are fed at fixed times and amounts. So, is mixed feeding a real headache or totally intuitive? As always, it all depends on your baby. Some mothers even prefer to call it partial breastfeeding, which breaks from the 50/50 notion and helps you stop worrying about sticking to a strict schedule! ⌚
If, since starting mixed feeding, you’ve prioritized morning and evening nursing sessions and gradually replaced daytime feedings with bottles, follow the guide: that is, your baby! Is your child a frequent eater of small amounts? Plan for several light feedings throughout the day. If they enjoy more prolonged feedings, a large 11 oz bottle (with a slow-flow nipple) may be a better fit.
What if baby refuses the bottle?
Alternating bottle and breast might seem ideal for you, but your baby may not like it. Disturbed by changes in routine, they might refuse the nipple and push the bottle away each time you offer it. What can you do?
Above all, and especially if you want to extend mixed feeding, reserve breastfeeding sessions for yourself and delegate other meals. Have your partner, a nanny, daycare staff, or older siblings take over. This separation helps children get used to both nursing with you and bottle feeding with another person.
Still having trouble?
Perhaps try offering a warm bottle at close to breast milk temperature (98.6 °F) or, on the other hand, a room-temperature bottle—the different sensation might please them.
What if you don't have enough milk anymore?
Reducing the number of daily nursing sessions can reduce your milk production. To avoid this, continue stimulating your breasts as much as possible. Remaining boob feeds help, but you should also express milk between feedings, at regular times if possible. You can freeze it in ready-to-go portions for baby—or, if your baby refuses bottles, pump and discard your milk simply to maintain lactation.
Galactogenic and tasty, don’t forget breastfeeding herbal teas! Not only are they good for your baby’s tummy—they usually contain fennel, which helps relieve colic—but also stimulate your milk supply.
3 extra tips & tricks if you encounter obstacles
Because things don’t always go as planned, and feeding can sometimes prove harder for baby than expected, here are some extra tricks to help balance breast and bottle.
- Offer baby the bottle often, without waiting until they're too hungry. That way, feeding isn’t rushed, baby gets to explore this new way of eating, and the risk of refusal drops.
- Dip the nipple in breast milk for a minute or two before bottle feeding, so it retains the familiar scent.
- Continue or resume skin-to-skin contact. Holding your baby close soothes and reassures them. Offer the bottle instead of your breast—you may be more successful getting them to accept it this way.
Finally, to best respect your child’s rhythm, Leche League recommends horizontal bottle-feeding. Baby is held sitting upright in your arms and the bottle is kept horizontally with respect to the floor. Let baby take a few sips, then tip the bottle down so they can breathe and find their own pace. The milk flows slowly, baby won’t be overwhelmed, they breathe calmly without swallowing air, and are more likely to enjoy this new way of sharing a meal with you.
Conclusion of this article
- Already very common, mixed feeding—also known as partial breastfeeding—and exclusive pumping are increasingly popular among French mothers. And for good reason: they provide greater freedom and let you return to work. However, you should avoid using them from birth or the first 2–3 weeks; it’s better to wait until your milk supply is well established (about 1 month).
- Pediatricians and WHO recommend breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months. But if you wish, feel free to continue beyond that!
- Many mothers invest in a pump and delegate feeding to their partner. The health benefits of breastfeeding are well-known for children; those offered by mixed feeding are just as positive—and allow moms to catch their breath and take time for themselves! Mixed feeding is often the first step toward fully weaning a child.
- On the Elhée blog, you’ll always find advice and support for parents and their babies.
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