Transition from bottle to sippy cup - Help!

Beth - posted on 07/13/2012

Glad to hear that you're making progress from bottles to cups. Stay strong and he will get there for you. Remember to praise when possible for using his cup (like you would praise him for doing other good things). Hopefully he'll take to liking using his 'big boy' cups soon and that bottles will eventually become a distant memory for both you and him.



Small steps are just as good as big steps when it comes to things like moving from a bottle to a cup and also potty training. Lots of bumps to go over (small and large), but all children get there in the end.

Stacey - posted on 07/13/2012

Hi everyone, thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sad to say I gave in and gave back the bottles on day 6. Since then, he became even more attached to his bottle and would go to the fridge and cry for more milk. He wasn't eating good meals because he was so full on milk. I really regret giving in but then again I really don't think he was ready for it, and I'm not sure he understood (he is a little speech delayed and doesn't communicate with me yet). Since all of that, I would bring a sippy cup of milk & an ice pack whenever we would go out, usually in the mornings - we would go to the mall, pool, parks or out to lunch, and I would give him the cup in the car on the way home right before nap time and slowly but surely he started drinking it. So I know he is capable of drinking a good 5 oz out of a cup, but when we are at home, he refuses to touch the sippy cup. This week, I took away his bottles again starting Monday night. today is friday, and he still refuses to drink out of the cup (except for the 2 times were out in the car this week). Also, I am giving him his bottles with only water in them since I just read about this idea in a book. I started out replacing the milk bottles he used to get 3 x's a day with water bottles. I am now just giving him the water bottle when he cries for it - so I think its a good sign that he isn't asking for them 3 x's a day anymore. I am hoping that he will eventually forget about the bottle. I wish he would drink milk out of the cup at home, but for now I am trying to push yogurt & using his milk in oatmeal and however else I can think of. His appetite at meal times has increased now that he is actually hungry for food.

Also I wanted to answer those who asked if I tried different types of cups, and yes I have tried every cup out there. I have also let him pick out his own cups in the store multiple times and he still wouldn't drink. For now I am using the insulated playtex cups since it is summer and it keeps the milk cool when we are out. I have had some luck with the Nuk bottles that have nipple tops interchangeable with silicone sippy spout tops. Since these are see-thru and the spout is soft they are the closest thing to the baby bottles he is used to. But it's still not 100% - I am lucky if he takes 2 sips out of them when we are at home.

Kameron - posted on 07/13/2012

I am having the same problem with switching from bottle to sippy cup. My 14 month old son will bring milk all day out of a bottle as well as to go to sleep. However he will drink water from my straw cup or anything else from a regular cup (no top, with help). I guess I have to break the bottle habit and rely on him.

Beth - posted on 07/09/2012

I would say to you, stay strong. Get into the routine of sippy cups are for during the day and maybe bottle at bedtime. He may throw tantrums, but he'll be fine as you're helping him to develop into a big boy.

For the bottles at bedtime, with all three of my girls, it started with me forgetting to sort a bottle out for bedtime. Then it progressed to me 'forgetting' every night till they realised they didn't need a bottle to go to sleep.

It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it in the end when he's made the transition. Certainly expect lots of tantrums, but stay strong for your son. Remember lots of praise for using his cup. As for getting diary products in his diet - you are already there. When you think about it there are lots of ways of him consuming it - milk over cereal for breakfast, cheese, yoghurt. Milk (with biscuits) for a possible mid-morning/afternoon/supper snack.

Queen - posted on 07/04/2012

I wouldnt do cold turkey to begin with, try using different types of sippy cups. That might help. My daughter is almost two and I took her off slowly by having one sippy cup for milk and water and another one for juice. I would only give her her bottle when it was time for bed. Slowly but surely she began to forget about her bottle and we then moved to one sippy cup. The soft nipple ones are the easiest to deal with. I believe they are called nuby's. Let me know how this goes :)

Aimee - posted on 06/29/2012

I give her a straw cup of milk before bed, if she wants it, otherwise it goes back in the fridge until the morning. If he's thirsty, he'll drink. I give my little girl Coconut Milk since she's allergic to cow's milk. I supplement with yogurt and cheese sticks for the calcium, along with Minute Maid OJ for kids.

Mariah - posted on 06/24/2012

My opinion may seem strange to most, but here goes! The "milk" we are all talking about I am going to assume is Cow/dairy milk? This is milk produced by a mother cow for a baby calf. It was never really intended to serve human needs and just so happened to be digestible to those that aren't lactose intolerant. Soooo, your child is not going to die or suffer without it because it was never intended for human young in the first place! As long as he is drinking water he will be just fine. It sounds like you are doing a great job finding other sources of calcium, which is important. All this pressure and emphasis put on dairy milk for kids just doesn't make much sense to me. He will be ok without it!

Samantha - posted on 06/23/2012

have u tried letting him pick a big boy cup from the store? thats how i did my daughter when i went cold turkey with her, let her pick her cup and told her ok this is ur big girl cup no more bottles, have also tried addin chocolate to it? lilly is goin thru the only way she'll drink milk is chocolate, be strong, because when the new baby gets here it will be even harder, i have an 9 month old son and lillys 22 months already so it was a challenge, she didnt understand why brother could have a bottle and she couldnt

Jessica - posted on 05/12/2012

What kind of Sippy cup are you using? My Son Steven is 20 months old and has been off bottles since he was 6 months. He didn't complain at all with the ones that we used... we found that the Nuk and Nuby sippy cups with the soft bottle like nipple worked best for us http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.a... There is a picture of the Nuk ones that Steven liked the best. Be strong though he will eventually give in take it from a sippy it just takes time. Good luck... Jess

Katie - posted on 05/09/2012

We did this with our son. It took about a week or so. We threw the bottles away and actually went through 4 different types of straw cups until we found one he'd use. (Thank god he preferred the cheapo brand! lol)
Toss the bottles, your new LO will probably get new bottles at the baby shower anyways. :)

You can do it!!

Stacey - posted on 05/09/2012

Thanks for your advice Allison! I actually packed up the bottles and put them in back of a hard to reach cabinet using a steps stool, so that I wont be tempted to get them. I guess throwing them away would best though. I am having another baby in August and thought I should save them just in case, although I think it would be best to buy new bottles of a completely different look and brand so my son doesn't see them and get upset.

I have tried a regular cup, and he just pushes my hand away and wants no part of it. he will drink a smoothie out of a regular cup though, with me holding it. I started making smoothies with his milk & frozen strawberries & yogurt and he really likes it. But he is still not getting even close to the same amount of milk that he used to drink.

I have had the best luck with straw cups, even though he wont drink the milk, he will actually hold the cup and play with the straw in his mouth. If I put milk in the regular sippy cups that we normally use for water, he will either throw it or won't even touch it.

I am trying to be strong, and I know I definitely won't give him the bottle back. I can't imagine trying this again in a few months because it will just be that much harder.

Alison - posted on 05/09/2012

Stacey,

You definitely did the right thing by getting rid of the bottles (they are out of the house, right?)

He will not go dehydrated as long as fluids are available. And cheese and yogourt are perfectly acceptable sources of calcium. Have you tried giving him milk from a regular cup?

Be strong! Be the mom! ;)