Bottle vs. sippy - what's the big deal?

Danielle - posted on 09/12/2010

My daughter has had the same "water only out of sippy" issue but after a few weeks of just offering it without pressure she is now using it fine. We did have to try various sippy cups and TIP, we left out the regulating valve on most of them!

I was talking to my pediatrician about what to do next at about 1 year and the focus of getting off the bottle had to do with nutrition. She was on formula and trying to move to cows milk and I wanted to know how much cows milk we should target for her consuming. It says 4 servings of dairy a day, 1/2 cup of milk (4 oz), cheese, yogurt, are all servings. She eats yogurt and cheese just about every day so she only needs about 1 cup of milk a day. It seems if I was giving her 4 bottles a day she would be getting way more than she needed in the dairy category.

I have no idea how any of this applies to someone who is still breastfeeding but I suspect the way breast milk changes to adapt to the babies needs would change the whole equation.

Madeeha - posted on 09/11/2010

i think at 14, 15 months they are still very young so pressuring them and taking away bottle makes them more stubborn and cranky and our life more challenging then ever, every kid is different and will grow out of pacifier bottles and sippy cups when they are ready to but at the same time take small steps and do a little effort dont make it an issue, my 1st son left bottles and sippy cups at the age of 3.5 yrs 2nd son left it at 2ish and now my daughter is 15 months old and she has been taking sippy cup for water and juice and 2 bottles a day 1 in the morning and 1 before bed maybe half a bottle more in the middle of the day as long as u are not increasing milk to 5 or 6 bottles like some parents dont have control over like seriously kids wont eat because their kids are taking 2 bottles a night and 2 a day. i have been through tht, would cause tooth decay nipple wont sucking changes the shape of the jaw cause all day long if a child is sucking his bottle his mouth would shape up like tht, thts what i have seen but intake of excessive milk it has sugar in it tht causes decays ...

Patti - posted on 09/11/2010

My son didn't like drinking milk from a sippy very well, but I just had to keep giving it to him for him to get used to it. If he knows that there is always that bottle of milk waiting for him, he will not want to drink it from the sippy. If he knows that is all there is, he will start to drink out of it. My son is currently still getting a small bottle at night and in the morning. I am trying to wean him. I did better with my last son. I took him off the bottle at 11 months, and it was alot easier. It was before he got attached to it as a comfort. I would recommend taking them off earier if possible or then slowly weaning them off.

Rebecca - posted on 09/10/2010

how do I convince my 15 month old son to drink out of a sippy cup or cup in general he trys but tips it all over himself and not drinks it? if theres ways of doing it love to hear your replys..

Cathryn - posted on 09/09/2010

My 15 month old also drinks from a sippy cup, but when going down for a nap or for the night, she cries for her bottle. And she also learned to drink from a straw earlier out of all 3 kids! I'm glad I'm not the only one that wonders about this topic.

Monique - posted on 09/09/2010

I just figure it's transitional steps, I went from bottle, to spippy with soft spout, to sippy with hard spout and eventually she will drink from cups. I don't think switching to cups serves any purpose than a transitional step.

Megan - posted on 09/08/2010

My son gets a bottle every few days, and sadly it's just because the cups are dirty and my SO refuses to wash them while I'm at work all day...Anyway :) At DS 12 month check up she seemed "concerned" that he was still having a bottle at almost every meal and said he HAD to be off bottles by 15 months. I guess we'll see if we get in trouble next week. I don't see what the huge deal is either, him sucking on a bottle vs chewing the heck out of the sippy cup lids, gross.

Cindy - posted on 09/08/2010

I'm not sure what the problem is either. I don't believe it causes too bad a problem with teeth. My bottle wasn't taken from me until I was 2 and I never had cavities until I reached adulthood and I blame that on sugary sodas. The grandparents all think it is too strict for our little one and I am not ready to push it. He's moved on to the trainer sippy cups but anything hard he rejects. He picked up a younger baby's sippy cup the other day and when he realized it wasn't like the trainers he threw it down. My son won't give in. He's inherited my stubborness. He'll cry himself silly all day instead. We tried all day one day to get him to drink from a regular sippy cup and he went all day without a drink. All day. He never once gave in and when I tried to hold him and give it to him he arched his back and had a tantrum. I'm aware he won't die from forcing the issue, but really, if it is that traumatic for him for some reason, I think his emotional state needs to mature some more first.

RoDonna - posted on 09/07/2010

Right after his 1st bday party I immediately packed up all of his bottles and we went straight to the sippy cup. I introduce the sippy cup and the cup with a straw a little while before. He did protest at first but my children are liquid alcoholics so he took the cup and was fine. He eats more now but still needs his cups throughout the day and he sometimes gets one before bed. I have also started potty training and he still has his pacify.

Jamie - posted on 09/07/2010

my daughter does the same. drinks from a straw. she doesnt want anything to do with the sippy cup. but she still wants her bottle before bed. sometimes we give it to her and sometimes we dont. it just depends on how whiny she is.

Julian - posted on 09/06/2010

Hi Brenda i really dont know neither my son is 15 months and i still gave him the bottle he cant sleep without it.

Sophie - posted on 09/06/2010

i just think the earlier the better, only because as they get older they become obsessed with things for comfort, i took my baby off bottles at 11 months when he stopped having so much milk and he refused the sippy cup so i had to give him a childs lunch box bottle and he loves it

Donna - posted on 09/05/2010

i dont see a problem with it. My daughter is 14mths and i still give her a bottle at night and one in the early morning during the day she just has juice or water from either a sippy cup or popper style. Give them what they want within reason i say.

Amy - posted on 09/05/2010

I think you will find the big problem with the bottle at bedtime will come when you try to potty train! You won't want your LO having a bottle right before bed when they are not wearing a diaper. Usually until they are off the bottle they will wet at night. The longer you wait to take it away the harder they will fight you on it. It is not one of those things they just decide they don't want anymore. I though that with my second daughter and she was 3 before I was finally able to get the bottle away from her and get her potty trained. This time around the bottle was gone at 12 months. I was mostly BF so it was a little easier to get rid of the bottle but my LO was 15 months yesterday and it has been 2 weeks since I nursed!!! Next month we break out the potty chair...

Trisha - posted on 09/05/2010

my daughter is 14 months old and we took the bottle away on her 1yr bday. The first couple nights were a little rough but she transitioned quickly. For naps we just put her in her crib and she goes to sleep after playng for a couple minutes and then at night we have her bedtime routine.. bathtime at 7:30, including brushing teeth, then from 8-9 we play with her with just one light on in the house and then at 9 its clean up time and we all sit on the couch and watch some nick jr and she falls right now sleep after she brushes her teeth the only snack she has is whole grain cherrios and a cup of water. Also she only has 3-4 cups of milk a day and 1 cup of fruit or vegetable juice for breakfast because she doesnt like to eat in the mornings. I also actually dont know any one with a baby still on a bottle after 12 months either. My mom gave my brother and i a bottle for a long time and although my teeth came out straight my brother had a lot of teeth problems and whether or not that was from the bottle or not i just would rather not take chances.

Tiffany - posted on 09/04/2010

I did the same thing as you Katie and I completely agree with you, babies are smart and they pick up on patterns and if you give them a bottle because their fussing they are always gonna fuss to get a bottle. I took my daughter off her bottle the day after her birthday and she did great, it was difficult the first 2 nights but you just have to stick with it. She actually wouldn't drink milk from a sippy cup but I didn't turn around and give her bottle back. I would give her the cup with milk and if (when) she didn't drink it then later I would give her water. But I just made sure to give her very nutritional meals. she is almost 15 months old and only in the past month did she start drinking milk, we discovered that she is very particular and she won't drink real milk 1%, 2%, whole. none of it, and she could always tell when we were trying to trick her. I started giving her vanilla soy milk and she LOVESSSS it. Yesterday she drank an entire quart of soy milk. Nutritionally its healthier than regular milk, its just not as fatty, but thats what kids need. But oh well, if she drinks it i'm okay with it. I also don't give her any juice. As a parent you have to enforce things, and you can't always give your child an option. sometimes you have to lay down the law and they have to obide, and they will over time.

Shellini - posted on 09/04/2010

That is my son exactly Elizabeth. :-)

Shellini - posted on 09/04/2010

I have to say.. my baby is almost 15 months old. He skipped over the sippy cup, he will not drink anything from it. He drinks from the straw cups during the day and he will only drink ice water from it. He will still only drink milk from his bottles. He has 2-3 bottles in a 24 hours period. He eats his meals. He has an 8 oz bottle for his nap. Another 8 oz for his night time bed bottle. In the middle of the day, IF he is fussy, he has a 4 oz bottle. At night time, he has an 8 oz bottle of water that he sips all night if he wants. He does not wake up for milk or ask for it during the night. Our ped told us to give him water at night from the time he was about 9 months old. So we did, and he does not wake up for a bottle.

My daughter who is now 5 and 1/2, she had a night time bottle to go to bed until she was 3. Only for bed and only to go to sleep. She did everything else early including potty, so why not let her have her one thing. She never sucked her thumb or a paci and the same for my DD now.

I know about bottle rot and all that stuff. My daughter just went to the dentist. She has always had milk right before bed. Her teeth are perfect. No cavities, etc.

What the dentist explained to me is this..

If two people have an 8 oz bottle of juice, milk, whatever sugary drink...

One person drinks it all at once and finishes it in 2 mins.

The other person drinks it over a period of 30 mins to one hour.

He explained that the person who drinks it quickly and all at once has less risk of doing damage to the teeth than the person who sits and sips the drink.

When you drink it faster, the saliva in your mouth takes over and does what it is supposed to do, which is neutralize the acid from food and drink.

The person to takes longer to drink is "bathing" their teeth and gums with the sugar for longer period of time and that is what causes the tooth decay and damage to gums.

Now, I have watched and seen my kids drink their bottles. They do not constantly sip at them for hours. They drink their milk very quickly and are left with the empty bottle. So, their teeth are not constantly bathed in sugars.

I think it also makes a difference how your child drinks their milk if you are worried about bottle rot for teeth.

Personally, IMO I think 14 months is too young to take away their bottles. I say if they are progressing normally and doing the things they " should" be doing at this age, then let them have their bottle. Let them be babies and have their baby time. I would much rather this happen than some form of regression or need to cling onto something baby like because I forced them to grow up too soon.

For me a spout is a spout. The only reason I would switch or force them off a bottle is if it becomes a danger. Like, they start to bit and tear the nipple. They can also do that with a straw cup.

All kids are different. If your little one is laying down with a bottle before bed and like you said not walking around with it all day, then let her have it. This is comfort for them to have their milk in a bottle.

I think you are doing fine mama. Go with your gut. All parents parent differently. Each child is different and you know what you would think to be too extreme. If you think it is fine, then let her be. Now if she starts to be too extreme and you do not like it, then change it or wean her off.

Good Luck ..one day at a time, they do not stay babies forever and the time passes by in the blink of an eye. :-)

Cheryl - posted on 09/04/2010

I would have to agree with Katie, If you stop giving them the option to have a bottle, then they will start taking the sippy cup if they want to drink. It might be a matter of finding the right sippy cup. My daughter prefers the kind with the straw over the regular kind and my dr. said it is fine. We just stopped giving her the option to have a bottle at 12 months and she transitioned pretty smoothly. Like people above said, I think the issue us mouth/teeth development as well as preventing decay.

Michele - posted on 09/04/2010

I think the problem may be that the older they get the harder it is to take the bottle away. Once they can talk they can ask for it. if you take it away while they are little, they can't complain too much and they can use sippy cups into their toddler years but they don't become dependent on them like they do the bottle. Do whatever you feel is right.

Katie - posted on 09/04/2010

I know a lot of mom's think their kids won't drink from a sippy cup, but if they always have a bottle as an alternative, there isn't a big motivation to move on to the sippy cup. My 14mo old moved from bottle to scup at 1 year. We just stopped giving him the bottle as an option. He transitioned pretty well. We also don't give juice. Just water and milk. He doesn't need the sugar. And he seems fine-not knowing anything different.

Jessica - posted on 09/03/2010

My daughter will drink juice or water out of a sippy cup and has been for months. But she refuses to drink milk out of a sippy cup. She will only drink her milk out of a bottle.

Samara - posted on 09/03/2010

Even though my daughter has 3 bottes a day she still has 4 meals and 2 snacks a day and milk and water in a sippy cup all day.. I leave sippy cups around filled with water or sometimes juice and she picks them up and drinks them all day long. My DD dr says its ok that she still needs the bottle before her nap and bedtme as long as I brush her teeth before laying her down. A breast nipple is no different than a bottle nipple and a lot of people continue to breast feed until around 2 years of age... and there is no problem with that either.

Amanda - posted on 09/03/2010

here is some info i found online. I personally never had to deal with this, because at 7mths my daughter gave up the bottle, only wanted her sippy cup, and at 10mths she gave up formula and went straight to cows milk.

The longer your baby is fed from a bottle, the more likely they are to develop tooth decay and improper dental development.

By not weaning your child, the solid foods they should be eating during the day are replaced with milk. While milk does provide some nourishment, it does not provide enough for a growing baby or toddler.
you want them to learn to drink for thirst, not for comfort, and around the age of 1 they start to associate the bottle with a comfort thing instead of a food/hungry thing.
Children using bottles are more likely to have tooth decay or improper dental development, and they may not develop appropriate feeding skills. Also, children who depend on bottle feedings may not consume enough solid foods to meet their nutrient needs.

Samara - posted on 09/03/2010

Sucking on a bottle for 10 min to drink the milk is not going to cause bottle rot or speech problems. Sucking on a paci constantly will cause speech problems. Mostly speech delay and somethigs a lysp (sp?). If you brush your childs teeth after a bottle and def before bed or naps no bottle rot will occur. Bottle rot is from lettin them run around with a bottle hanging from their mouth all the time and letting the fall asleep with a bottle in their mouth. The milk pools in the mouth and the sugar rots the teeth. But letting them have a bottle and then taking it awy and brushing or rinsing mouth out will not cause it. And if a child does not use a paci constantly during the day, only for naps, i cant see where it would cause speech delays. JMO.

Elizabeth - posted on 09/03/2010

I think sleeping with the bottle is a big NO NO and not brushing or rinsing their mouth afterwards makes it worst >>>> That definitely can mess up any childs teeth

Kylie - posted on 09/03/2010

My daughter still has four bottles a day - morning, evening and nap times. I've tried giving her a sippy cup with milk in it at nap times but shes not interested. I'm now trying to change her morning one, but she does drink water from her sippy cup. When I got her weighed the woman told me having a bottle can cause problems with there speech development.

Beth - posted on 09/03/2010

To add to that he came off his pacifier 2 weeks ago and has done well w/it.. so I say we will just do things backwards. I think a pacifier will do more damage. My son starts to choke when drinking thru a straw. He has this gag thing going on and chokes very easily when drinking from a real cup or straw. Anyone else have that?

Beth - posted on 09/03/2010

I agree I to am going thru this w/my 15 month old. He will only drink water out of a sippy cup, no juice either.

Britton - posted on 09/01/2010

My son doesn't do bottles anymore. I weaned him at about 11 months. He went straight to straw sippy's. I took him off the bottle early because i didn't want him getting too used to it.

Brenda - posted on 09/01/2010

Caren- How does the bottle cause infections in their mouths? I have heard of baby bottle rot but isn't that their teeth rotting out because they go to sleep with a bottle?

Elizabeth - posted on 09/01/2010

As for my son he doesn't really like sippy cups, he prefers to drink from a straw and when its time to give him his milk he drinks it from his bottle. He's 15 months at this moment.

Caren - posted on 09/01/2010

When they get older, they get more teeth and having a bottle can cause infections in their mouth and they start chewing on the nipple

Helen - posted on 08/30/2010

i don't think it really matters either. But to keep my health visitor off my back i changed the teat on the bottle to a flatter one (almost the shape of a sippy cup) it's still soft and my son didn't mind the change

Chrissy - posted on 08/30/2010

i think you answered your own question...if it doesnt bother you why worry about it....my sons is 14months old and has a bottle. He doesnt walk around with it or do I leave it with him in his cot...i think you are doing a great job with your daughter and it works for the both of you....eventually they will all give up their bottle when they are ready...my son has a sippy cup and can drink from a straw....all kids are different

Tracey - posted on 08/29/2010

SUPPOSEDLY, it's the nipple that people (doctors)have a problem with. The nipples are soft and may cause their teeth to be malformed. If they are sucking on something hard it doesn't go against their teeth, so it won't harm them. I have taken the nighttime bottle away; just give him about 2 oz. while I am giving him his "snack". Then, I scratch and rub his back and arms to take his mind off the bottle and help him relax. He loves it and doesn't mind not having a bottle. We have also taken the bottle away fror lunch and dinner. He gets a sippy cup. The mornings are the hardest for us because that's how he wakes up - me rocking him while he drinks his bottle. Small steps!

Nicola - posted on 08/29/2010

Good point about breast feeding!
Does anyone know what exactly the "experts" have to say ?

CHERYL - posted on 08/29/2010

hi im glad u have put this post on my twins are 14m and have 3 bottles aday and feel like im doing something wrong but the do love their bottles. they do drink from cups and have done since 6ms they dont have bottles for sleep just to drink milk. i really wish i knew what the deal was,as people r told u can still breast feed so whats the differance

Nicola - posted on 08/28/2010

My son is 14 months old but he still has a bottle in fact he has sometimes up to 4 bottles a day still, until reading this conversation i didn't actually think this was a big deal. he has a sippy cup also for his water during the day and by his bed at night.
Like your daughter Brenda my son doesn't cling to his bottle all day he just sits down and has his bottle and then he is off again. Agreed that they are sucking regardless, bottle or sippy cup (of any kind).
I don't think you should feel pressured to cut out her bottle for a replacement sippy cup. In regards to things like this (comes in the same category as potty training) you know your own child i'm sure your going to know when the time is right for her. All Children/Babies are different, And i think they have there own way of letting you know.

Samara - posted on 08/27/2010

I personally have no idea why its so important. I agree.. either way thay are sucking. My daughter wont give them up yet... she will drink milk out of a cup during the day, but when its nap and bed time she will only drink it from a bottle... then we brush her teeth and i rock her to sleep!!! i have no problem with it.. shes not running around with a bottle hanging out of her mouth during the day, she eats her reg food (mostly veggies and fruits though) and gets two or sometimes 3 at the most bottles. I know one day she will not wnt them anymore... she is starting to not want the one at nap time, she normally only drinks about 2 oz of it so i think i might try to take that one away.. but i know the one at bed time will stick around for awhile... My daughter is a night owl as well, letting her drink from a bottle on my lap helps calm her down, lets her relax and soothes her so that she is just about ready for bed!! If you are comfortable giving it to your daughter, i say by all means go ahead and continue!!!