When to drop the bottle

Rachelle - posted on 05/01/2010

Hi my name is Rachelle and my daughter's name is Emily. My daughter is 15 months and tonight is night 5 with no bottle! I would start out with no bottle in the mornings then no bottle at nap time for awhile at least thats what I did. Then no more bottle at night. My daughter was the same way with the whole not drinking milk out of anything but a bottle but it changed once she figured out she wasn't going to get the bottle anymore. Just try to be firm but patient things will happen in time try not to get frustrated with her as she will see that and become fustrated to. Try this and see how it goes. GOOD LUCK!

Dara - posted on 05/01/2010

I am also a first time mom and my daughter was stuck on the bottle. finally the doctor got on my butt and said i just needed to throw all the bottles away so there would be no temptation and just give her the cup she'll drink it eventually within 3 days. The doctor also explained milk before bed and nap is a very bad habbit. It ruins there teeth and they don't sleep as well. Water is the best if they need to drink something to go to sleep. You might go a few sleepless nights but if you stick to it it would be for the best. good luck

Crystal - posted on 05/01/2010

hi milet im a frist time mommy too my son is 15months and his 12month bday i took the bottles away, well not completly he gets a bottle of milk for bed when he wakes up in the middle of the night he gets a bottle of water and for his 1 and only nap of the day he gets a bottle of milk...i do not give him a bottle during the day other then nap time and bed time stand your ground even if you have to had a lil strawberry or choclet to get her to drink milk outta her cup i give my son the 2 bottles of milk plain and for dinner a lil strawberry or choclet milk in his cup and rest of day its water and kolaid

Jennifer - posted on 04/27/2010

I am a mother of two and my youngest is 15 months as well. I was wondering the same thing. I am planning within the next 3 months to slowly decrease the bottle. Currently I only give him two bottles a day. One in the morning and one before he goes to bed at night. During the day when he goes down for naps I give him some warm juice (apple or orange) in a sippy cup and soother and he goes down just fine.

Kasie - posted on 04/27/2010

Well, I also have a 15 month old who is still drinking from a bottle. Although, I only let her have 2 bottles a day. One for a nap and bedtime, I'm not a first time mom and I am having trouble breaking my daughter as well! We have "rules" for our bottles though, if we are going to be gone during the day and it interfers with nap time, we don't take a bottle out of the house. She isn't allowed to see a bottle or carry it around or whatever, unless she is in bed...and that's all I've got for now. She just recently started sleeping all night long, so I don't want to screw up a good thing. Good luck! By the way, I love your daughters name, Milan:)

Sarah - posted on 04/24/2010

my little boy was the same and would drink everything but milk from a sippy cup .. though from 7-8months he was only drinking his morniing bottle of formula (he still only really drinks a morning cup of milk even now) so i found that at 11ish months changing to a bottle type sippy cup helped quite a bit .. as it was still like a bottle .. the spout was soft and rubbery .. but it was shapped like a sippy cup spout and not like a bottle teat ... the nuby ones are great!
when he got used to drink his milk from that just after his 1st birthday at the end of jan i eventually tried putting milk in a regular sippy cup (he would drink anything other than milk in it before that) and he eventually took to drinking milk in it..
i've recently just bought one of those doidy cups (slanted 2 handle cups with no lid) and his started getting used to drinking from that open cup .. though its messy so he needs a bib!

Melissa - posted on 04/24/2010

My son took himself off the bottle just a week before he was 15months old. He would have 3-4 bottles a day then the next day he wouldnt take it at all. I tried putting his milk into a sippy cup to see if he would take that instead of the bottle but he wouldnt touch it so I just left him till he was ready to go off the bottle himself which wasnt much longer after I tried.

Katie - posted on 04/23/2010

Hi I'm Katie...I have a 15 month old son named Connor. I took Connor off the bottle on his one year birthday. His doctor said to take it away between 12 and 15 months but to make sure he has 3 cups of milk a day. I just put all of his bottles away in a box so he wouldn't see them...I gave him a cup and he never thought anything of it. If your still having problems getting Milan to drink milk from a cup they have some sippy cups at Target that have soft tops like a bottle...its supposed to help transition your baby from a bottle to a cup...good luck!

Elizabeth - posted on 04/23/2010

I am at a loss to tell you both my boys just stopped on there own but I can say that if they already have there teeth it is a good time to start weaning them off. the pressure the nipple puts on the front teeth is not good for the alignment of them. It can cause them to become miss aligned and cause much costly expense to repair when they get older. It all matters on the child and the speed in which they feel comfortable with out the bottle. I must say there are ones in my own family that at the age of 3 were still walking around at family functions with a bottle in there mouth and that just drove me crazy. try to substitute something else for the bottle at nap or bed time a favorite doll or teddy can help by saying that the doll or teddy is a big girl or boy cause he or she does not use a bottle and how the child wants to be a big girl or boy too and not use the bottle either. just a suggestion it may help in the long run.

Teresa - posted on 04/23/2010

My daughter was completely off the bottle by 12 months. Every couple of weeks from 10 months on I gave here an additional formula in the sippy cup. I started with lunch, then dinner, wake up, and last bedtime. So by the time we were ready for milk at 12 months she was only using a sippy cup. She didn't have any trouble adjusting. Maybe we were just lucky :)

Ona - posted on 04/23/2010

Hi im Areona and my sons name is Cameron, i took him off the bottle around 11 months so that i could get him used to the cup and he responded well to the cup no problems and he hasnt used a bottle since then.

Mary - posted on 04/23/2010

my son is 14 months, and he weened himself off of his soother at 6 months, and we took him off of his bottle about about 10 months, what we did is ONLY gave him his bottle during the night, before bed. He never wakes up through the night, i did that for about a week, and then started giving him a sippy cup with a soft nipple every other night as a substitute for his bottle, and then after that week, he didn't want his bottle at all, he wanted his sippy cup... good luck though, if your kid is on a soother, try weening them off of one thing at a time, instead of taking EVERYTHING away all at once.

Lindsay - posted on 04/23/2010

My son is 15 months, and a week shy of his 1 year birthday I took it away. I still had to heat up his formula and give it to him in his sippy cup for a few weeks, then we moved to reg whole milk warmed in a sippy cup, now he just drinks cold milk in his sippy cup. He did great!

Janet - posted on 04/22/2010

I also took my boys off the bottle at 12 months. I was told the older they get the harder it is for them to get off the bottle

Amanda - posted on 04/22/2010

For those mums who have removed all bottles and bub now drinks morning and night nap time from a sippy cup; do you still warm the milk?

Allyssa - posted on 04/22/2010

I dropped the bottle with my daughter after her 12 month birthday and i was scared to because she used that as a comfort but it turned out she did fine on a sippy cup. It was like she never knew the bottle existed. I have a suggestion when you put her on sippys throw away the bottles! that way if she gets cranky you cant give in or that wont help weening her off. I mean even a bottle at night isnt good cause she might want it for a nap then. Hope this helps.

Joy - posted on 04/22/2010

I always had my babies off the bottle by 1 year. Well, the younger two dropped it earlier then that. But they tend to refuse cow's milk at all until they wean themselves from breastfeeding.

Andrea - posted on 04/22/2010

My daughter is also having a tough time giving up her "baba". She just turned 15 mos. and although I know I need to have her give it up, she is now taking about 2-3 bottles a day, either b4 nap or nighttime. I do not give it to her in her room, though... apparently, you are supposed to slowly get rid of it and start by having him/her take it with dinner and then switch it to a sippy cup at dinner! I would have her solely on a sippy cup but she will not drink her milk from a sippy cup! LOVES it for everything else, though.... never had this problem with my 3 1/2 yr old son. I have tried pretty much every sippy cup out there, too! Everyone tells me that eventually it will be fine and she will take it for milk. I just need to get rid of the bottles but as another mom said, "much easier said than done", right?! Good luck everyone. It is very encouraging to know that I am not alone in this part of motherhood...

Alicia - posted on 04/22/2010

I started breaking my daughter from the bottle at 14 months. The Dr. told me to water down the milk in the bottle so it did not taste very good and to put some chocolate/strawberry milk in her sippy to get her started! At first she would not even touch her sippy before the Dr. gave me advice! (she is my first child also) I actually bought 8 different kinds of sippy cups before I found one she liked! It happens to be the ones with the straws!

Michaelann - posted on 04/22/2010

My son completely dropped his bottle at 11 months on his own. He just didn't want it anymore. But with my daughter I just started introducing the cup around 8 months and slowly weaned her bottes. By her first birthday she wasn't taking them anymore. You just need to take one away at a time. She will adjust fine!

Wenbi - posted on 04/22/2010

My 15 month old is having lots of trouble switching to a sippy cup. He still drinks 5 bottles of 5-6 ounces of milk a day. If I give it to him in a sippy cup, he will only drink an ounce, then he'll get very cranky because he's hungry. Question: Do you guys let your kids 'starve' until they finally start drinking from the sippy cup? I always cave after 20 minutes and give him the bottle because I'm so concerned he's not drinking anything.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/21/2010

i took the bottle away from my son a couple of months ago. he is 15 months also. mainly its all up to you, but the longer you wait the harder it is going to be to get her to not want her bottle. if she can drink out of a slippy cup really well then go ahead and hide the bottles just to see how she acts.

Gaeby - posted on 04/21/2010

my son is 15 months and he only gets his bottle ones a day in the morning when he wakes up. i think its more a habbit cause he only drinks like 3 oz of it. he sometimes asks for it before nap time wich might be one sa week. we nevver really tried to get him of it just kinda happend that way.

Li - posted on 04/20/2010

My son went from none (breastfeed only) straight to straw bottles. He never used bottles, and wasn't fond of sippy cups at all. He has been giving an open cup or small mug/glass during 3 meals since 11 months old.

Stephanie - posted on 04/19/2010

jasmine is 15 months and hasn't had a bottle or Binky from 9 months. when she started drinking from a cup i just stopped giving her bottles, if she's thirsty she will drink it.. if not offer water

Tamara - posted on 04/18/2010

I am a first time mom too and I was so worried about taking the bottle away cause my dr told me at his 1 year check that the bottle and binky had to be gone at his 15 month check. I was sooooo scared. I worried for 2 months and decided one night that it was time. So all I did was that night I gave him a tippy cup of water and talked to him on the way to his bed and sat him down in his bed and kept talking and gave him his binky and the cup and shut the door behind me and walked out. He cried about 10 minutes and he slept all night. Oh my. I thought if it was gonna be that easy i would have done it 2 months ago and not worried so much. I did the same the next night and he cried about 5 minutes and that was it. My Dr also told me that it would take 3 hard days and they would be fine. Babies tend to form a habit in 3 days. I'm not sure where that came from but my son seems to follow that habit.. Hope this helps..

Kristen - posted on 04/18/2010

Its all new to me too, since this is my first child too. But the Dr told me to only give him water in his bottle and juice and milk in a cup. I did that for 2 days and he stopped using the bottle, mostly because everytime he used it he would bite on the nipple and it would come out of the lid and he got it all over him. So I just quit giving him a bottle and hes fine ever since!!

Tina - posted on 04/17/2010

All 4 of my kids were off the bottle by 11 months. All kids are different though. I had a harder time with my youngest. He couldn't figure out how to use the playtex cups. I bought the nubby brand and that went a lot better. He didn't really like drinking out of them but if he got thirsty enough and if that's all you offer he did drink out of it. Now he can use the playtex brand and even the cups with spill proof straws! Also if they don't see any bottles around it is easier to get them to use the sippy. (out of sight ,out of mind). Hope this helps!

April - posted on 04/16/2010

Ava Rose is 15 months and she gets one bedtime bottle and most nights she gets one in the middle night. I started by taking away her lunch bottle, the next week I took away the evening bottle and last was the morning bottle. she knows her routine and taking away the bedtime bottle has been tough. Her pediatrician isnt concerned with her but she was also born with a cleft lip and palate and really didnt start eating solids until she was 11 months old. So to have her completely off all of other bottles during the day is a huge accomplishment for us. I figure she's my last so I will enjoy this for a bit longer!
My oldest was completely off the bottle the day she turned one so all babies are different!

Aura - posted on 04/15/2010

I am a first time mother as well, and my son gave up the bottle 3 months ago. I was lucky and he just didn't want it anymore. I introduced sippy cups early. I wish you the best of luck! I also cut out the night time bottle. At first it was a challenge but then it got easier!

Lori - posted on 04/15/2010

My 15 mth old just has a bottle at night but within the next couple of weeks hope to be off bottles completely. I think you should start weening her off. Good Luck!

Christy - posted on 04/15/2010

My son isn't quite 15 months yet and we just tried taking the bottle away a few days ago. He isn't going for it! He was only drinking 2-3 bottles/day (usually just one before nap and before bed) but he refused his cup altogether when we took away the bottle. After 3 days with almost no wet diapers I called the doctor and he said give him a bottle only before bed and none during the day and try taking it away again in a month or so. Its more important that he's not dehydrated than it is for him not to drink a bottle. All kids do it at their own pace and I don't see any reason to make the child miserable over a bottle.

Riviera - posted on 04/15/2010

Oh, and children will not die or become malnourished if they refuse it a couple times. When they want it bad enough they will give in. If the parent gives in it delays that process.

Riviera - posted on 04/15/2010

My son was down to a morning bottle and a before bed bottle by 11 months. He was completely on to sippy cups at 12 months. No bottles. No if, ands, or buts. It took him a couple times to get used to it but he's fine.

You can try the soft tipped sippy cup by graduates. those may help ease the bottle to cup transfer. The hard tipped ones are too big for some babies mouths and they can't get a good grip on them.

Leslie - posted on 04/15/2010

Our 15 mo. old still loves his Dr. Brown's bottles. I have tried about 4 different sippy cups and he will drink out of them for water and juice but just refuses and literally throws his sippy cup if its full of milk. It's frustrating! I'm also a first time mom and our dr says by 15 months a baby needs to be off the bottle. I guess I need to be stronger. Maybe a straw cup would be best.

Debby - posted on 04/14/2010

I, too, am a first time Mom and thought where is the "rules" book - there isn't one. :) While I did get my daughter off her bottle completely by 13 months, I started with using a sippy except for the last one of the night, I used the bottle. Then after a couple weeks, gave her a sippy instead and haven't looked back. Have you tried the sippy cups that have rubber/plastic mouth pieces similar to a bottle? Nuby makes some in different sizes and I think they help make the child feel like its a bottle. Now at 15 months she has started using other sippy style cups as well. Good Luck!!

Jessica - posted on 04/14/2010

I threw all his bottles in the trash can January 21st this year on his first birthday. It never botherd him. The passy was supposed to be gone by now also but he still gets it at night.

HOLLY - posted on 04/14/2010

I think all babies are different, i have 3 girls and none of them have been the same. My youngest Ava is 14 moths old and has used a cup since 6 months old for all drinks except milk. Just last week i have cut her bottle down to just 1 before bed and she had started not eating her dinner. She still naps for a couple of hours in the afternoon and does not have a bottle before this just lunch.

Amanda - posted on 04/13/2010

I got lucky on this one, my daughter will drink anything from any kind of cup or bottle. But in general, I give her a bottle at bedtime only and a no-spill sippy cup at nap times and just a cheapy sippy cup with meals. But sometimes when she hides her cup, she gets a bottle during the day when I get desperate lol. But her favorite cup is a Nubby brand, with a soft spout and it's contoured in the middle for her little hands. And if you just keep giving her milk in a cup she'll get the idea eventually, but be prepared for a few tantrums! Good luck! :)

Amanda - posted on 04/13/2010

I have twin daughters who are now 15 months old. By the time they turned a year old the only bottle they were getting was a bedtime bottle. We started giving them sippy cups around 6 or 7 months with just water in them to get used to them. Around the 1 year I started giving them a straw sippy cup with milk in it for breakfast (where there normally would have been a bottle. ) They got used to it. We just started giving them a straw sippy cup with milk for bedtime as we sit down on the couch and read books before going to bed. I didn't know how they were going to take to the change in their routine, but they did really well, better than I expected. Good luck, I hope this helps.

Andrea - posted on 04/13/2010

My daughter is 14 months old and still drinks 3 bottles a day, when she wakes up in the morning, before her nap and before bed. She has 9-10 oz per bottle. She does drink from sippy cups and regular glasses but she loves her bottles. As everything else people told me to stop early, I am waiting until she decides she is ready to give it up, which she has done with everything else so far. She is a very happy baby with them for now and I plan to keep it that way. All babies are different and they have different needs. What is good for one baby may not be good for another. Trust your instincts and you'll know when it's time! Hope that helped! Good luck!!! :)

Ani - posted on 04/13/2010

can anyone recommend a good brand of sippy cup..Ive limited the amount of bottles but havnt found a sippy cup that she takes to..also what routine did you have? Bottle for morning and night..sippy cup for day time naps?

Jessie - posted on 04/13/2010

I'm going through the same thing. She is my third though and I know that my other girls were off the bottle by now but I'm having a hard time taking it away from her. Right now she is drinking three bottles a day but one of these days I just need to put them in the cupboard and have her get used to drinking her milk out of a sippy or straw.... definitely easier said then done. Sometimes I wonder how much different the sippy cups are compared to bottles anyway? I hope it goes well for you. You are not alone!

Carmen - posted on 04/13/2010

My son also would not drink his milk from anything other than a bottle for a while. We had to try several different cups and he has only 1 that he likes to drink his milk from. It still took time and patience before he would drink from it. We would put him in his highchair w/it for breakfast and he slowly took to it. We also have had a lot of luck with straw cups. He loves to drink water from them.

Tanya - posted on 04/13/2010

We give our son two bottles a day, when he first wakes up and before he goes to bed. We have cut out the rest of the daytime bottles though.

Jennie - posted on 04/12/2010

My Mia Grace won't drink milk from a sippy cup either. She REALLY wants her bottle. Not sure what we will do but when you find a great tip, let me know! :)

Ashley - posted on 04/11/2010

The only trouble that we had at taking the bottle away was to find a sippy cup that he liked drinking from. Once we got some that had the soft top on them, he didn't miss the bottle at all. he has been drinking from sippy cups since he was 11 months. now he doesnt care what kind of cup it is.

Nikki - posted on 04/10/2010

we tried to take away the bottle when my daughter turned a year and she about had a heart attack..so we changed it to no bottle except for naps and going to bed and one early in the morning....then when she was about 14-14 1/2 months old, we tried to have her to take a nap with just her sippy cup and she fussed a little, but not too bad. It just took her a little while longer to fall asleep. Since she did ok, we just hid them from her and had her use her sippy cup. It took her a few days before she was completely comfortable to be without it, but it's been almost a month now and she's doing great without her bottle. I'm pregnant with our second child, due in about 5 weeks or so and I am very glad that we got her off the bottle before our new addition gets here so she doesn't think that the new ones bottles are hers. Good luck!!

Tiffany - posted on 04/09/2010

i took the bottle away from my daughter when she was 10 months old and it didn't even phase her. she took a sippy cup from 5 months old and did fine with the change from bottle to sippy all the time

Anne - posted on 04/09/2010

Hi my sons were off the bottle by this age although my 4 yr old still has milk as part of his bed time routeen. my daughter however is very much about her comfort. she still has a 4 oz bottle after each meal and a 9 oz for bed. i dont have the heart to tke it off her she is also more attached to her dummies. i think all children are different and do things at different times, just keep trying and one day they will just take it a different way or if it comes to the worst refuse to give it to them in anything but a cup and they will soon learn to take it or go without. i think as long as they are happy and its not stopin their development then dont worry. x