needing ideas on how to get my 22 month old to give up the bottle.

Amanda - posted on 05/13/2010

i had the same problem with my daughter, i let my daughter choose a new cup and took her bottle away cold turkey as she always seemed to have it in her mouth, it took 3 nights till she settled without it and after a week she didnt ask for it.

Kathleen - posted on 05/13/2010

good luck with that! finally got my baby girl completely off the bottle. she gets the soft top sippy cup in the car and at bedtime. she even stop askin for the bottle. monday will be 2 weeks. thanks everyone

Erika - posted on 05/13/2010

what i did is ..she is scared of pigs for some odd reason so i told her the bottle belonged to the pig and he was gonna get mad if she drank out off it and it really really worked *

Lakshmi - posted on 05/11/2010

My 23 month old is off bottles now. I just went cold turkey one day. He cried a lot for a couple of days. He drinks from his straw cup once a day - during nap time and that is it. MY problem is that he isnt getting enough milk.

Peta - posted on 05/08/2010

I got my son off the bottle at 1 by giving him a straw cup type he thought it was great cause in the past when he would take a drink from mine (normally when i was drinking a can of drink ) he knew it was good so the thought of having his own kind of helped him give his bottle up did it in one day no problems

Michelle - posted on 05/07/2010

kinda sounds like taking the bottle away is probably causing more stress for you than it's worth. unless there's a medical reason it needs to go, i'd suggest letting it happen naturally and just keep in mind that it's not like she's going to be taking the bottle to kindergarten. of course, lots of people think i'm crazy for still nursing my daughter. but i know that it's more trouble to wean from something they obviously need (mentally if not physiologically). wouldn't you rather have a happy, even-tempered child than a fussy, whiny one? however you reach that point is up to you - trust yourself to know what is best for your child, whether that is weaning her from her bottle or continuing to let her have it :)

Lori - posted on 05/07/2010

My son is 22 months and I just started today with taking him off the bottle. It is going to be a task, but we are both going to have to do this!!!! He cried some today for a bottle, but I just kept handing him the sippy cup. I am still giving him a bottle for bed time. It soothes him to go to sleep. I am not ready to take it all away at one time!!!! Wish me luck:)

Shanta - posted on 05/06/2010

I made a point of going to cup early....didnt do it with his older brother and his teeth suffered......rather whine for awhile than cry when he ends up getting baby teeth pulled due to bottle....

Shanta - posted on 05/06/2010

i started with the soft tip sippy cup ....he did whine at first...then we transitioned to a regular sippy....this was about a year ago .he's 23 months....now he drinks from regular cup...but still use sippy unless in highchair ......

Henrietta - posted on 05/06/2010

I can't agree MORE with Sarah! Whats the harm in letting your toddler enjoy the comfort of a bottle. Its a cold and harsh world out there and I am sure by the time your little one hits university, the bottle will long be a thing of the past! My daughter drinks her milk from a bottle and can drink out of sippy and regular cups. She finds comfort in her bottle and the soother when she goes to bed. I am not rushing her...she will let me know when shes ready.

Melissa - posted on 05/06/2010

yes cold turkey is best my daughter was off the bottle at 7 months

Crystal - posted on 05/05/2010

i agree with katie stewart on this, i did the same with my daughter took all the bottles away and gave her a sippy cup, it will take time but its got to be done

Frances - posted on 05/04/2010

When I put my son on the cup I started with the soft nippled ones and worked my way up from there :D

Michelle - posted on 05/04/2010

THE DAY OF MY DAUGHTERS FIRST BDAY WE ENDED THE BOTTLE. SHE DIDNT LIKE IT BUT SHE HAD HER PASSY. SHE IS 2 NOW AND ONLY HAS PASSY AT NIGHT TO FALL ASLEEP. MAYBE YOU COULD TRY A PASSY.

Amber - posted on 05/04/2010

Just stop...Cold turkey. If you keep giving in it is just going to make it harder and harder.

Carrie - posted on 05/04/2010

I found sippy cups that had a silicone soft spout that felt like the bottle my son didn't even notice a differece.

Chriss - posted on 05/04/2010

I have four children who came off the bottle at various ages from 9mths through till 3 1/2 years my 22mth old is still on it and as much as I would love to do away with it she's not ready so I'm not going to push it, I use ortho teats in my bottles and none of mine have any dental problems they all had pacifiers too. Talk to her dad and ask if you could be a united on these kind of issues and I agree with Tina just be more persistant than your child. All the best

Tina - posted on 05/03/2010

If you want her off the bottle you will need to be strong and just go cold turkey. I know a lot of doctors say to get kids off at 1 but I have a friend that kept her daughter on it longer, it was her choice and her daughter is fine. I only did it at 1 because I was sick of cleaning bottles.
We are getting ready for our youngest to be 2 and will get rid of his pacifier. We will do it over a weekend so if he cries all night we can take naps to make up for the lost sleep.
Sometimes you just have to be more stubborn than your child.

Rochelle - posted on 05/03/2010

Just take it away, it'l be hard at first but the older she gets the more attached she'll get. After a few days of not having it she'll forget about it.

Laura - posted on 05/03/2010

kieran is the same age and he still has a bottle has he hasnt been well for ages. its just a comfort thing for her but i agree with Katie when she is thirsty enough she will drink out of it

Ashley - posted on 05/03/2010

I tricked my son into taking a sippy cup lol. I turned on his favorite show when I knew he was getting tired. I let him zone out a little and then offered the cup (Nuby, w/ the soft spout straw). He took it without even thinking and then suddenly realized that he could drink from a cup and do other things at the same time, since I wouldn't let him walk around or anything when he would get a bottle. It took another month or so to get him completely off of the bottle because he still refused to drink milk out of the cup. But he got sick one day, milk was the only thing he could keep down, but he didn't want a bottle. So I had to sit with him in my lap and "force" him to drink it from the cup. I did that 2-3 times and never looked back.

Jessica - posted on 05/03/2010

When my daughter was 18 months i got rid of all the bottles. She only was allowed milk in her sippy cup, and her water is given through a cup with a straw. She was a bit fussy the first few days but then got used to if she wanted milk it was in a sippy cup or thats it. She still has some milk after a bath in a sippy cup and shes 22 months.

Sarah - posted on 05/02/2010

So true Deena, i went through the being judged stage by all my friends etc, and it was horrible. I tryed all the sippy cups etc. Now i have figured he will do it when hes ready. Glad to someone else out there sharing my veiws!

Deena - posted on 05/02/2010

I couldn't agree with Sarah more, you must always do what works best for you and your child. The older my daughter gets, the more I realize that she'll do things in her own time as she's ready. It's hard not to feel judged when your a Mom, but you always know what's best.

Sarah - posted on 05/02/2010

I went through the same drama, alot of people telling me my boy should be off the bottle. He is now 23 months and still has a bottle when he goes to bed. Do you want your girl to be off the bottle? If you dont care id leave it. All these other judgemental mothers that think its wrong for a baby to still have a bottle at 23 months can shove it. Our doctor doesnt see the rush either. My way of thinking is its not harming them, gezz theres worse things out there. I will be waiting till my boy is ready to give it up and encourage him when hes got more understanding. My boy has his bottle for comfort, he doesnt have a sooky toy of dummy or anything like that. Do whats best for you and your baby. Good luck!!

Deena - posted on 05/02/2010

I switched my daughter from a bottle to sippy cups when she was around 1yr old, problem is she just uses the cup in place of the bottle at night (the NUK ones). I think the best way would be to just go cold turkey and put up with the fussing for a night or two, just trying to get up the nerve to do it myself!

Kathleen - posted on 05/01/2010

thank you for the ideas. tried giving her the cup last night at bedtime. worked for a little while, til the milk was almost all gone then she wanted outta the bed. don't have a problem getting her to drink outta the cup during the day. she would rather a cup with a straw. other problem i have is she goes to her dad's every other weekend and i don't know what they give her to drink out of over there.

Jenelle - posted on 05/01/2010

I just took my 22 month old's bottle from her!! I put all her bottles in a bag and hid them and then I put milk in a Nuk soft spouted sippy cup. When she was ready for bed that night I told her she's a big girl and her bottles went bye bye, she cried for a little bit and then soon went to sleep, she didn't drink much that night but after that she did fine and she never asked for a bottle since!!!

Vanessa - posted on 05/01/2010

I took the bottle away from my daughter at 17 months. she drank her last bottle on a Sunday morning when bed time came I had already gotten rid of all the bottles n no matter how much she asked for it I never gave in. I bought her sippy cups wit a soft top n filled it wit milk or juice n she had no choice but to use them. You just need to get rid of them n not give up because its really bad for ur babies teeth. I'd rather here them cry than deal wit dental problems.

Danielle - posted on 04/30/2010

i had the same problem with my 3yr old and my almost 2 yrold i had for gotten the bottle at my mother house and i only had cups that night she didnt take it until the next day after that she drinks from the cup now she didnt cry once...... now my 3 yrs wants the cup again cause of baby sister and i keep telling her she a big girl not a baby like sissy and after that so dont want it any more but once u get the bottle away from them and keeps cups in front of them thats all they are going to want

Tricia - posted on 04/30/2010

When I first starting transitionsing from the bottle to the sippy cup I used sippy cups that had the same type of soft top as a bottle. I think Nuk makes them. It almost looks like a bottle but the nipple part is shaped more like a sippy cup. Once she got the hang of those I switched to regular sippy cup and she was fine with it.

Ashley - posted on 04/29/2010

Try to find a sippy cup that looks similar to her bottle. My daughter only drank out of the playtex drop in bottles and I found Sippy cups that were white with the same color tops as the rings on her bottle. She will only drink out of those sippy cups now but it worked. We started off with giving her a bottle in the morning and bed time... She gave us a hard time when we gave her it in the crib where she is use to having her bottle but I soon realized once I took her out she was ok with drinking from the cup.

Melissa - posted on 04/29/2010

give him the cup if he wont drink from it dont put it in a bottle trust me he will drink it eventually as long as you dont give him the bottle try doing that

Cindy - posted on 04/29/2010

I'm going through the same thing. I am trying to get my 22 month old son off the bottle, he gets a bottle of milk in the morning when he gets up, one at nap time and at bedtime. He has never taken a soother, not even as an infant and doesn't carry a blanket for comfort. He refuses to drink milk from a sippy cup and I have tried a number of diferent types of cups for milk, he refuses it. If he really wants a bottle through the day I will half fill it with water, it tends to soothe him. I am struggling to get him off the bottle completely and this is working somewhat. I am out of suggestions as I have tried cold turkey for him but he is miserable with out his bottle. Good luck. Hope this helps some.

Melissa - posted on 04/29/2010

i just got a cup for my daughter she drunk from it great so i never gave her the bottle again

Melissa - posted on 04/29/2010

my daughter did great when getting off the bottle she got off the bottle around 7-8 months old. you should have been had her off the bottle tho

try this:

put her milk in a cup & tell her your a big girl now you have to use a big girl cup & tell her your not going to get your milk any other way so you better drink what you have now.

dont give up & give her the bottle

Michelle - posted on 04/29/2010

same with my daughter i had her off the bottle at 11 months then her brother came and now its back lol i try putting juice int he bottle instead of milk and try to keep pushing the milk in the cup with meals so she can see that milk comes from other places then just the bottle so far its good shes using less and less of the bottle

Kathleen - posted on 04/28/2010

she gets milk in the bottle. tried putting it in a cup and she didn't like it.

Kathleen - posted on 04/28/2010

we live in the house with my mom and sister and her 5 month old baby. that makes it a little harder. plus, she goes to her dad's every other weekend and that doesn't help matters. she is used to getting to see me and her dad together and now she doesn't get to. so i guess using the bottle as a soother.

Rachel - posted on 04/28/2010

My advice is to only offer the drinks she really likes out of the sippy cup and put something like water in her bottle. Also only let her drink from the bottle in her highchair or in the kitchen nowhere else. Honestly though it's just going to take you dealing with her crying and whining until she gives up and forgets about it. It's all about a battle of the wills and if you let her cry and whine her way into getting her bottle she'll use that on you forever until you finally put your foot down

Joanna (Asia) - posted on 04/28/2010

You can try what Katie said, or you could just let her have it and not worry about it too much...unless there is a certain health risk and you are concerned about it. It seems to me that your little girl is using the bottle to sooth herself, some children will like to hold a blankie, others a plush toy, some others pacifier or mommy's breast:)
What is she drinking from the bottle, milk, juice or water?

Katie - posted on 04/28/2010

i found a cup that my daughter liked and pretty much didnt give her much of a choice. it sounds mean but if u get rid of all the bottles n the house and only give her the cup as a choice she will drink when she gets thirsty. sure there will b some hesitation but its better n the long run.