What It Means
Combination feeding means a baby gets both breast milk and infant formula. Some families give formula for one or two feeds a day and breastfeed the rest; others mostly give formula with some breast milk. Cleveland Clinic, which calls it combo-feeding, suggests planning the mix with your pediatrician or a lactation consultant, because swapping breastfeeds for formula changes how much milk your body is asked to make.
Try It: Plan a Day of Mixed Feeds
An example day. Change the numbers to match your plan and see how many feeds stay breast milk.
Each breast milk feed that comes from the breast or a pump still tells your body to make milk, per WIC.
All formula. If you want to keep some breast milk, talk with a lactation consultant before dropping the last feeds.
How Parents Say It
- "We do one bottle of formula at bedtime and I nurse the rest."
- "Grandma gives formula on the days I'm at work."
- "We're supplementing until his weight picks up."
The Breakdown
By stage
| Stage | What the guidance says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before you start | Talk with your pediatrician or a lactation consultant to plan the mix | Cleveland Clinic |
| Choosing the bottle | Use pumped breast milk first if you have enough, then formula | Cleveland Clinic |
| Birth to about 6 months | Breast milk alone is the AAP's recommendation where possible | AAP, 2022 policy |
| Any time | Every breastfeed or pumping session signals your body to make milk | WIC |
Worked example. A baby feeds about 8 times a day. The family gives formula for 2 of them, in the evening, and breastfeeds or gives pumped milk for the other 6. That's 25% of feeds from formula. Each of the 6 breast milk feeds still signals the body to make milk, per WIC, so dropping more of them means fewer signals. These numbers are only an example.
Two sets of rules to follow
- Formula: mix exactly as the label says. The FDA says never dilute it and never make homemade formula.
- Breast milk: CDC says freshly pumped milk keeps up to 4 hours at room temperature and up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Good to Know
Families combine feeding for many reasons, so the right mix is one you set with your pediatrician. The AAP's 2022 policy recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months where possible and supports continued breastfeedingBreastfeedingFeeding a baby milk directly from the breast. The AAP recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, then alongside solid foods. See more with foods to 2 years or beyond. HealthyChildren.org puts a formula-fedFormula feedingFeeding a baby commercial infant formula, made exactly as its label says, instead of or alongside breast milk. See more baby at about 2½ ounces a day per pound of body weight, which your pediatrician can help you split between breast milk and formula.
FAQ
Can you breastfeed and formula feed at the same time?
Yes. Cleveland Clinic calls it combo-feeding and suggests planning the schedule with your pediatrician or a lactation consultant.
Will giving formula lower my milk supply?
It can, because supplyMilk supplyHow much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes. See more follows demand. WIC explains that each breastfeed or pump tells your body to make more milk, so fewer of them means fewer signals.
Should I give pumped milk or formula first?
Cleveland Clinic suggests supplementing with pumped breast milk first if you have enough, and using formula when you don't.
Do It in Buhata
Handoff Card and Shopping
Write the day's feeding plan, with which feeds are formula and how to mix it, on a Handoff Card (Premium) in Buhata, and keep formula on the Household's Shopping list.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Breastfeeding
Feeding a baby milk directly from the breast. The AAP recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, then alongside solid foods.
- Formula feeding
Feeding a baby commercial infant formula, made exactly as its label says, instead of or alongside breast milk.
- Milk supply
How much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes.
- Paced bottle feeding
A way of giving a bottle that lets a baby drink slowly, take breaks and stop when full, closer to the pace of breastfeeding.
- Freezer stash
A supply of expressed breast milk frozen ahead of time, often built before a parent goes back to work or has to be away from the baby.
Sources
Cleveland Clinic, "What Happens When Breastfeeding Doesn't Go as Planned? Your Guide To Supplementing With Formula"; WIC Breastfeeding Support (USDA), "How Much Milk Your Baby Needs"; American Academy of Pediatrics, "Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk," Pediatrics (2022); HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "Amount and Schedule of Baby Formula Feedings"; FDA, "Infant Formula: Safety Do's and Don'ts"; CDC, "Breast Milk Storage and Preparation"
- health.clevelandclinic.org/breast-milk-formula
- wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/how-much-milk-your-baby-needs
- publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057988/188347/Policy-Statement-Breastfeeding-and-the-Use-of
- www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/formula-feeding/Pages/amount-and-schedule-of-formula-feedings.aspx
- www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/infant-formula-safety-dos-and-donts
- www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breast-milk-preparation-and-storage/handling-breastmilk.html
Last updated .