When do you give up the bottle?

Ashley - posted on 10/26/2009

My son is 14 months and he still gets a bottle about 3 times a day and at bedtime. He never took a pacifier or sucked his thumb so that was his comfort. I only give him water in his sippy cup. Soon I am going to put him to bed with water in his bottle. You just have to make sure you brush their teeth, he will be fine. You can't listen to everything the ped says because a mothers instincts over rules! You will know when to do it, don't stress.

Jen - posted on 10/13/2009

Thanks for everyone suggestions. I wasnt giving Weston bottle in bed until my mother in law did nad it seemed to work so well I jsut continued with it. But now when I give it to him in bed he sits up in the crib finnished it throws in on the floor then goes to bed.. so maybe in the next few weeks I will eliminate the bottles first at daycare then the mornign then the ngiht time one. although I think the mornign one might be the hardest..

Rachael - posted on 10/13/2009

My daughter still gets 3 servings of milk a day as well, in the same quanities and he same times you give it. Milk is good for them so it's all right that they have it, adults are supposed to have 3 servings of dairy a day as well. I put Annalea's morning and night time milk in a sippy cup but for her nap I put it in a bottle and lay her down with it. She loves her sippy cup and I have no doubt that she wouldn't miss the bottle if I took it away, I guess I just give her the bottle because I am in denial about how big she is getting, lol. I give her night time milk about half an hour before bed and then brush her teeth, she already has 14, because her Doc. said having her take her bottle to bed at night was very bad for her teeth.

Amanda - posted on 10/13/2009

i started weaning my three kids off the bottle at about 11 months and by thei first birthday they were fine. sippy cups are a different kind of sucking so it takes some adjusting. good luck

Beth - posted on 10/13/2009

My daughter is the same age and at around 10 or 11 months I started giving her milk in a cup, but let her keep the formula in a bottle and then on her first birthday she was done with the formula completely and went just to a cup. In my thinking that way she associated the bottle with formula and the cup with milk and she's never even wanted a bottle since. She even goes to bed without anything

Nicole - posted on 10/13/2009

oh also do not use sippy cups that have suction valves!!!!! i get a cheap sippy from woolworths that has handles and a spout with holes that pours into the mouth, no spill cups are just a glorified bottle and waste of time and money! the family health nurse said not to use anything they gave to suck, and recomends the cheap cups that i use, i hope this helps!

Nicole - posted on 10/13/2009

i agree never put a baby to bed with a bottle always make sure they are finished before going into bed... my family health nurse wants me to wean the bottle off over the next 6 months and the dummy as well... but bottles at the moment are fine!

Samantha - posted on 10/12/2009

Pediatricians recomend (that's not spelled right, but I tried every possible combo...)ditching the bottle at about a year and never putting a baby to bed with a bottle. The liquid pools behind the front teeth and can prematurely rot them. I try to give my son water in a sippy cup if he's thirsty before bed/nap.

It doesn't sound like your son is getting too much milk. I give mine milk at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and diluted juice at snacks. He also has a cup of water whenever he wants it in between. I don't measure anymore so I'm not sure how much it is all together, about 20 ounces I think (of milk). Hope that helps, good luck...

Alaina - posted on 10/11/2009

my ped dr said babies are ok w/ a bottle up to 18 months of age. sippy cups are glorified bottles so if a bottle still works for you, go with it. my bebe is 13 mo and gets a bottle 3 times a day. you'll know when it's time to take away the bottle.

Ceneka - posted on 10/11/2009

I personally took my son off the bottle after his first birthday when all his formula ran out. A few days after his birthday i just threw all his bottles away and gave him a sippy cup. He actually prefers his sippy cup because i would use his bottles for milk and his sippy cup for juice. Now his sippy cup is for everything he drinks.

Sandi - posted on 10/10/2009

Hi! Well, I have been very blessed in that all of my girls weaned themselves off the bottle. When my last was about 10 months, the daycare asked for a sippy cup - the next class up does not get bottles. I never had much luck with the sippy, but I thought, hey, let them do the work!! So, over the next couple weeks, she had her bedtime bottle and sometimes a bottle in the morning. Then, I started giving her a sippy with her dinner and the bedtime bottle, no morning bottle. I still used the bottle to put her to sleep - sometimes would take 14 or more ounces!! I had someone babysit her one night and said "give her the bottle, and when she falls asleep, put her in her crib." What they HEARD was, give her a bottle and then put her to bed. She cried for like two minutes, and that was it. That was the last bottle she had ever, and she was 11 months old. You really shouldn't let him take the bottle to bed with him, because the formula or milk or whatever can just sit in his mouth and is not good for his little teeth. If he will go down at daycare without taking it to bed he can do it at home. I would start one at a time - no bottle in the morning, just a sippy with his breakfast. Get that down pat, then move on to the nap - sippy cup for nap. Then work on the bedtime bottle - that is usually the hardest one. Good luck!