When do you drop the bottle?

Lisa - posted on 07/08/2010

Jennifer, i am in the transition with my almost one year old too, except im going from breast milk to normal milk. Im bypassing the bottle altogether. My daughter Lily is very fussy and refuses normal milk out of a cup, or bottle or anything really. I have started to offer her the sippy cup and milk on a regular basis and if she takes 1 or 2 sips without spitting it our then thats a success. Gradually she is starting to drink more and more but i found i had to warm the milk up to breast temperture (not too warm) for her to accept it. i hope that eventually i can cut that out too once she starts drinking the cows milk properly. My daughter loves the sippy cup with a straw. Good luck, i know how frustrating it can be.

Heather - posted on 07/08/2010

When my son turned one on July 1st, we stopped formula cold turkey and switched him to cows milk. Keagan fussed and fussed for 15 min because he didnt want the new milk in the bottle, we let him down and he went and pointed at the sippys, so we put the cows milk in the sippy and Keagan hasn't had a bottle since! It's a lot easier to switch if the only thing they've had in a bottle is formula...my friend gives her daughter an empty bottle when she throws a fit for one and that broke her!

Kristin - posted on 07/07/2010

My daughter will be one on July 14th. She is no longer on bottles and I thought it was going to be horrible for her but she has had no problem. After trying at least 6 different cups she will only take Nuby with the no spill and silicon top. The others were really hard to get milk out of. She is also on Vitamin D milk. Good luck!

Misty - posted on 07/07/2010

i didnt read the other posts so if i repeat something or go against someone please dont be offended! my daughter just turned one on july 1st and our pediatrician said that we should start at 11 months by substituting one formula a day to whole milk and see how she likes it. she didnt like it cold at first she would throw it down, but once i made it to room temperature she loved it and had no problem with it! as for the bottle i wanted to get her off of that fast because i didnt want her to be addicted to it. we had no problem with the switch, we used the soft tipped sippy cups with just milk and then switched to a harder top. She had no problem switching as long as she got the milk lol. i strongly believe in the soft tip sippy cups though, they worked for her and now that she eats our food she drinks milk with her dinner and then i give her water while we prepare for bedtime and she has been sleeping all night with no problems for about a month now. good luck with the transition and stay strong and dont give in to your baby!! that was the hardest for me, but it will pay off in the long run! she hasnt had a bottle in about 2 months and she doesnt know the difference!

Amanda - posted on 07/07/2010

I guess I'm lucky, lol. I've been giving my son sippy cups since he was about four months, with small amounts in them, to practice. Whenever we gave him anything other tham formula, we put it in a sippy cup. When he was about 10 months old, I switched him to the older infants formula, in sippy cups with his meals. I still gave him a bottle at night. When that can of formula ran out, I started giving milk in his cups with milk. No more bottes. He gets water, and occasionally juice, between meals with his snacks. We live in a hot climate, so water is important!
I never had a problem with him moving off bottles, since sippy cups were so familiar to him. He will drink out of nearly any cup you put in front of him, including my water bottle, lol!

Julia - posted on 07/07/2010

its really up to you...thats what my dr. said. I hear now who cows milk is bad for people in general because of what the people put in the milk. I am not giving my son milk at all. he is going to soy milk when it it time. babies need the sucking to make them feel safe and like the person who said it above me, she will know when shes done.

Melody - posted on 07/07/2010

I have a baby which will turn a year this 18 of July. You know when your baby is ready to go off to bottle when he doesn't go to sleep w/ it. Bottle is just their comfort, you just need to take it easy, keep on trying to divert her/his mind into cup instead of a bottle. I am telling you it takes a lot of patience, but once she forgot about the bottle then she'll be fine. Once she start taking milk in a cup, throw the bottle straigth away so you don't get tempted to give it back when she cries. I gave my son cow's milk since he was 10 months and his fine with it. I done it myself and it works. Good Luck!

Christine - posted on 07/06/2010

if they are attached to a certain bottle during the day, wait till last to take it away. (my middle childs favorite was that morning bottle, he had to chug 8oz before he would touch any food at all, he would yell until he got it.) my first son, we took away the bottle the day of his one year Dr appt and he never looked back. My daughter, (she will be one on the 27th of July) started rejecting her bottle a month or so ago, and we started offering the sippy, and she could care less which we gave her. she is under weight tho and the doc has her on high calorie formula and we make it double strength to get more calories in her, she also likes flavoring in it, otherwise she won't even touch it. Today was her first day without a bottle at all and I think she drank more today from a cup than what she normally would take from the bottle....

Brittani - posted on 07/06/2010

my son turns 1 july 19th and he started drinknin cows milk about a week ago. and hes fine with u should give her it and not anything new.. and if she doens't react to it funny its should be fine..
and they say most baby wen changing milk they poop alot..

Lovely - posted on 07/06/2010

My doctor suggested the toddler formula it has vanilla chocolate and strawberry

Sarah - posted on 07/06/2010

My little boy was 1 on 1/7. I started the transition between formula and cows probably a week or so before his 1st birthday. I have now started him on the toddler formula milk and he is completely fine! Struggling to get him to take a beaker as i have tried 3 different types!

Angy - posted on 07/06/2010

My son decided on his own around 6 months that the bottle wasnt for him... He is underweight and i would wake him up about midnight for a 6 ounch cup/bottle/feeding. Well he got mad and threw the bottle across the room becaues it came out to slow for him. I poured it into a sippy cup(munckin no drip) and he drank that and went back to bed... I tried teh nxt day and he just took it like nothing. So i tried more during hte day... I about 3 months ago threw the emergancy bottle i forgot abut it....away... He never missed the bottle.....

Lovely - posted on 07/04/2010

My son has been drinking out of a cup since 6months now he is drinking out of a straw and a regular cup or juice bottle. My son will not drink cows milk no matter how i try to doctor it up.

Sam - posted on 07/03/2010

My daughter will also be 1 in July and I have just made the transition from formula to cows milk but we are not dropping the bottle. She drinks water from a cup during the day but in the morning and before bed she still has her bottle.

Marielle - posted on 07/02/2010

My son will be one on July 16th.....he did not tolerate milk based formula well so I used soy, but my mother-in-law said my husband did not either so she used powdered milk (it's in a box). She said her boys did wonderful with that. Since Nate's birthday is in 2 weeks I'm gonna buy a box this weekend and see how he likes it and also started giving him a sippy cup with milk a couple of feedings a day. I normally give him one with water and he loves it. She said that the powdered milk worked b/c it has less fat in it. Something you could try if you want to stay away from reg. milk for now or if your baby can't handle it. Good Luck!

Latricia - posted on 07/02/2010

we just gave my dauther a cup of milk on her birthday and she took that we hid all the bottles so she is strictly on the cup now. try a sippy cup with a soft top to start with

Stacey - posted on 07/02/2010

My daughter will be 1 2 weeks from today and has drank only from a cup or breast since 9 months. I just slowly replaced each bottle with a cup instead until it was only cups..going as slow as the baby needs to adjust. If she freaks out or won't drink from the cup then give a bottle but always try cup first. I also bought a variety of different cups to see which my youngest liked best. 2 out of 3 of my kids liked the rubbery soft spout over the hard plastic kind. Typically they say off the bottle by one, I've had all mine off it by then just by preference.

Jessica - posted on 07/02/2010

Nuby sippy cups are THE BEST way to transition little ones. they still feel like a bottle and are structured like a sippy :) they have helped so much with my little ones :)

Jessica - posted on 07/02/2010

i switched my daughter from a bottle for a sippy cup about a month or so ago for her juice but she was just takin little sips and not drinking much at all. Recently we have had very hot weather were i live and i was worried she wasn't drinking enough water so i changed back to the bottle for her juice. She drinks alot more juice now and doesnt seem to wake up in the night for any more. I personally think its more important for them to be getting fluid down them rather than what there 'supposed' to be drinking from at a certain age. xx

Jessica - posted on 07/01/2010

They have soft, nipple like, sippy cups that I used for all three of my boys. It kinda feels like a bottle to them so going from bottle to cup is easier. My 11 month old has been drinking cow milk since 9 months. He's semi lactose intolerant but took well to skim milk with added vitamins and hasn't had formula since.

Jessica - posted on 06/30/2010

I have a 23 month old and a 11 month old, I took the bottleaway from my older child at his first birthday I thought it would be an issue because he LOVED his bottle but he gave no issue. i intend to do the same with my daughter on her first birthday, she already takes juice and water from a sippy cup (her brother shares with her so she started before I thought I would) I don't anticipate any issues, I have already stopped the bottle at night before bed 3 months ago.

Joanne - posted on 06/30/2010

My daughter is one on 13th July and I still give her a bottle. Nicole is still on formula as im waiting to see the midwife at her year checkup but she is ready to move onto cows milk. I give her it every now and again just so she has a taste for it. Im similar to the post before were im frightned she is going to dislike taking her bottles away from her. Nicole gets juice in a sippy cup but LOVES her bottle especially at night time! She doesnt have a dummy so it soothes her and I dont see the harm in it to be honest.

Kristin - posted on 06/30/2010

She doesn't need milk at all. My little guy is still breastfeeding, but he drinks water from a sippy cup. I don't want to get his sweet tooth started, so I haven't offered him any juice. I give him plenty of pureed veggies - he really likes carrots - as well as pureed soups and other dishes that we eat. I've shied away from milk because of a lot of things I've heard about it. You can check out http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/m... to find out how it actually depletes the calcium levels, contributes to various illnesses, and is not meant for humans. (This isn't talking about breastmilk, which was obviously made for humans!) Also, MilkProCon.org. Anyway, our baby finally got the hang of straws after a while, and likes them pretty well. He'll drink a little from his sippy cup, but enjoys drinking from my cup because he sees me doing it. I try to drink water a lot in front of him, so when he wants some I can share and encourage this good habit.

Jodi - posted on 06/29/2010

the juice when my son drinks it, is about 1/4 juice and3/4 water

Emmanuelle - posted on 06/29/2010

Totally agree with Kaeana. My first son, stop by himself drinking the bottle with water in it, and didn't have a sippy cup, he just drank from a normal plastic cup (no straw). By then, he was only having a bottle of milk in the morning (he never liked milk anyway, so I was giving him lots of cheese and yogurt to compensate), and at around 18 months, he did't the milk bottle anymore and started having his breakfast milk in a platic cup to!

My 11 months old is still brestfeeding, but I started him on the sippy at 6 months old, when he started solids, because he wouldn't want the bottle!

As for me, I had to stop the bottle when I was 3 (I remember it! lol) and I am a healthy adult (physically and mentally! or so i think! lol)

Just to say, that there is no rush, just follow your child and your feelings!

Kaeana - posted on 06/29/2010

i think it depends on the child. My baby started taking the cup at 6 months. SHe has been off the bottle since she was about 7 months. Since she is already drinking out of the cup, try giving her small portions of milk in the cup until she is comfortable with drinking the milk out of it

Heather - posted on 06/29/2010

Wait till she's one year old or older. No reason to rush it. Giving up the bottle is more our issue then it is their's. Just start giving her formula in a sippy cup before naps, and then after a few days, do it at night. I bet she won't have an issue with it at all!

I hope that you mix the juice 1/2 water and 1/2 juice? It's better for them, as they shouldn't be drinking too much at all. My 11 month old has 1/4 juice and 3/4 water and she loves it!

Jodi - posted on 06/28/2010

my son will also be one july 19th and right now he only has 2 bottles a day, one when he wakes up and one right when he goes to bed. He drinks water and a little juice from sippy cups but would rather drink from a straw. i was told to wait until he was one to try whole milk( which we will probably not succeed at, he is on soy formula now an will probably need soy milk). Plan on starting this week with a sippy cup of formula in the morning and depending on how that goes and how quickly then take a way the night one. my oldest son weened himself the day before his 1st bday so this is new. the baby likes straws better then sippy cups. every dr is different and every parent, parent's differently. just go with the pediatrician advice and your baby's cues.

Kristen - posted on 06/28/2010

My son will be 1 on july 19 and i took his bottles away from him about 2 months ago slowly i started by only giving him a bottle in the morning and then 1 before bed the rest of the day i gave him a sippy cup. After about a week he was on sippy cups only. Also i introduced whole milk to him at 10 months by mixing half formula and half milk and he does really good with that. So hopefully things will be as easy for you as they were for me.

Devin - posted on 06/28/2010

My son will be 1 on july 19th we started him on whole milk when he was 8 1/2 months old and he LOVES it. Our doctors said to break him or formula to just do two scoops of formula and mix it with whole milk but we didnt do that we just gave him whole milk all the time and thats all he has & his juice. As far as a sippy cup he is still in transition there is on sippy cup he will drink out of the other two he hasnt gotten used to yet one is a straw cup and he cant fingure it out. But he gets a bottle at nap time, bedtime, and when he wake up in the morning

Jessica - posted on 06/26/2010

My daughter will be one in one week. She is already on the sippy cup. Her doctor said she needed to be off the bottle and pacifier by the age of one. I found it easy to make the transformation by introducing the sippy while letting her drink from the bottle as well. I started off by giving her the sippy of juice a couple of times during the day until she learned how to drink from it. Then, she didn't seem to notice when she was no longer getting the bottle anymore.

Jamie - posted on 06/25/2010

I had to make my daughter switch a month ago. She kept opening the holes with her teeth and they holes would get so big. So I got her a sippy cup so she couldnt do that no more.

Jessica - posted on 06/24/2010

my son will be a year on july 28 and i have him almost completely broke he only takes a bottle at bed time! it was really easy he didnt even realize because he was about 8 mos when i started cutting him down!

Tonya - posted on 06/24/2010

I also have a Daughter that will be 1 on July 31st and i to just made that Transition, i took all her bottles away and the only thing that she gets is her sippy now, but she only takes one kind she will not drink out of any other kind besids the munchkins wiht the no drip top hope everything go well for you

Tonya

Victoria - posted on 06/24/2010

I have started by substituting one bottle with a cup, for us, the one at dinner time (5.30ish) as he is not as hungry as in the morning or lunch time. Once he turns 1 on the 9th July, I will substitute the one at lunch, and so on, I hope to have him off the bottle by 18 months. We have avoided sippy cups, an have gone straight to toddler cups with straws. It is supposed to be better on their teeth. Everything I have read says to try and eliminate the bottle by 18 months, definitely by 2 years, they shouldn't still need a bottle. Fingers crossed it goes well for us, and you too.

Jill - posted on 06/24/2010

I have 3 kids. My youngest will be 1 on July 1st. I started by switching her to whole milk. Then taking away one bottle a day and offering the milk in a cup not a bottle. It has been easier this time than before because she doesn't go to sleep with a bottle. The hard ones to take away are the ones before nap and bed. I always like to take away the bottle around the time they turn 1 give or take a week or two.