How did you get your baby off the bottle?

Chastity - posted on 12/29/2008

I did it! Bottles are gone completely! We put them in a bag for Santa to take on Christmas Eve. I was sick as a dog and the kids are sick now but I didn't give in. The bottles have not resurfaced!

Megan - posted on 12/21/2008

Let me know how you do it over break because I am in a similar position! I give my daughter a bottle for nap and bed too and at her last doctor visit he said to stop giving her a bottle. I have been able to reduce it to only the one at bed time, but I have tried to skip that one and it was hell. She was up crying until midnight and nothing I could do fixed it. So I gave in (also to get sleep) and gave her a bottle and we both went to bed. She does the sippy cups all day long too. Mine like yours is a security issue I think. Does your son take a pacifier? Mine daughter still does...thats another battle at another time!!!

Candice - posted on 12/16/2008

When my 16 month old son went to his one year well baby check up the doctor said I should start really trying to get him off the bottles. I had honestly been dreading this since he was about 6 weeks old started taking a bottle to go down for nap and to bed at night. I had been giving him sippies off and on for a few months before his first birthday but he never seemed to interested, so I just let him go back to the bottle. Then one day I realized that several of our bottles were leaking and I was tired of guessing which one it was so I packed them all up and gave him a sippy cup to go down for nap that day. I fully expected to go into his room and find a completely full cup on the floor in his room. To my surprise it was totally empty...and on the floor. I have not given him a bottle since. There were a few nights here and there where he clearly thought that if he didn't drink from the cup he would get a bottle, but that only lasted about a week. I am proud to say that my son has been completely off bottles for over 5 months now!

Lauren - posted on 12/16/2008

I have gotten my 16 month old down to one bottle at night occasionally. Most the time I give her a sippy full of water and put her to bed with it and she will go to sleep if she is tired enough. There are a few nights where that isn't the case and she insists on the darn bottle. I started her on the same Nuby one with the nipple like top and used that to put her down at nap time and then transitioned into the sippy at night. Good luck we are still working on it ourselves.

Chastity - posted on 12/10/2008

Thanks to all of you for your ideas. My children drink from sippy cups all day long. The bottles only come out for bed. at this point I think it's more of a security item then anything else. I'm off work for 2 weeks over Christmas so I have to do this then. I've told my daughter that we have to leave the bottles so Santa can take them to babies who don't have any. She seems to like that idea. Wish me luck!

Melissa - posted on 12/10/2008

I started my daughter on a cup at 9 months so when she turned 1 i took all the bottles away. I never gave her a bottle to go to bed with she had her last bottle about 700 then at 8 went to bed so that continues with her sippy cup.Now I am working on getting her off the sippy cup.Good luck.

Erin - posted on 12/05/2008

i got the sippy cups with spill proof straws and my daughter(15.5 month) loves them for juice and will sometimes take her afternoon milk in a sippy cup but most of the time she wont drink it she will play with it, but for juice and such she will drink of of her sippy cups or even my straw lol

Carla - posted on 12/05/2008

Good luck- hopefully the transition will go quickly and everyone can get some rest during your time off work!!

Chastity - posted on 12/04/2008

Thanks for the advice. I've tried all different kinds of cups. My kids love them during the day. It's just bed time that I have the issue. In part it's my fault. Along with being a Mom to these 2 little ones, I work full time. I've given in to the bottles at night so I can get some sleep too. I'm off from work for 2 weeks at Christmas. It's going to have to happen in those two weeks.

Kelly - posted on 12/04/2008

I started my son on a sippy cup with a soft top that had the shape of the sippy cup but the texture of the nipple. I let him have it in the evenings all he wanted and he weaned himself off the bottle at 13 months. I agree with Carla, if you get your son off the bottle, your daughter will probably give it up too.

Carla - posted on 12/02/2008

I don't know if this will help your situation or not, but my son (16 months) recently switched from a bottle to the Nuby sippy cups. I give it to him at the same time I would have given his bottle, and he really didn't seem to mind. They have a top that is somewhat similar to a bottle, and it was an easy transition for him. (My pediatrician recommended switching to a cup before we hit the more stubborn toddler phase.) Perhaps if Daniel gives up his bottle, it won't be so attractive for Samantha anymore. Just a thought... Good luck!!