Weaning off bottle

Kristina - posted on 04/05/2010

Every baby is different my oldest was off the bottle by her 1st b-day, my 2nd yea not so much, she is 13 months and still has her bottle she drinks juice sometimes from a cup, and we give her regular milk in a bottle but she also takes formula once at night and once in the morning. I am not going to force her to give it up just yet.

Candace - posted on 04/05/2010

My advice: Find another doctor! That is just ridiculous. If your Dr. is a DO shame on him. It is not healthy, or wise *just ask your grandmothers* to force a child (or "wean" them) to come off the bottle before THEY are ready. Some kids need an extra month or two to slowly come off that night time bottle. Heck, I was nearly 20 months before I came off my night time bottle and I am no worse the wear for it...and neither were my parents *hinthint*. So, here's the point. Anything a Dr. says to you about your child's food "goals" are merely GOALS not deadlines and are to be taken as "Here is the next step you should be working on and let's try to get it done in a reasonable amount of time." And NOT as a "Do this or I'll call CPS and have your child removed!"

Some doctors are SO full of themselves. If he deals with any sort of "teenage welfare" mothers he has probably also been hardened to the stupidity of people not ready to have children...so those goals are very necessary to lazy or very young mothers. Since you are asking about this and active in your child's life...let me tell you from helping out with dozens of children...your ability to get him down to one bottle a night in THAT short a time period is just AMAZING. Whatever your doctor says next disregard unless it's praise for your ability to positively schedule and nurture your child so that they only need that one bottle a night.

More advice: Seriously...seek out another doctor OR take what he says regarding THAT particular aspect of your child's development as a guideline and not a rule book. There's no perfect way to go about anything and YOU know your child better than anyone else. If he wants his "Bah" before bed...and that makes him happy for another month or two...screw the physician and tell a little fib. He won't know. And what he doesn't know regarding something so insignificant won't hurt him or your precious little boy.

Blessings,
Candi

Trudi - posted on 04/04/2010

My youngest boy is one and still has his bottle three times a day. They can have cows milk by the time they are one so I would definetly start him on tath but dont not give him milk at all, he is still a baby and they say they still need about 600ml of milk a day. My oldest boy who is now three had his bottle until he was two, we now just give him milk in a cup. But one year olds still definetly need their milk, I wouldnt be in any hurry in getting him off the bottle for now.

Jennifer - posted on 04/04/2010

We are having trouble with my nearly 13month old getting off the bottle--absolutely refuses all sippy cups (we have tried so many different ones including straw cups)- he simply tosses it aside--and has been doing so repeatedly since 8mos. He is however, taking the milk and water in a cup without a cover if we feed it to him--loves it this wy in fact. This is a big mess--and for alot of reasons not a great solution--including I'm not sure he's getting enough milk b/c so much spills, but wondering if other peoople had same experience. I am trying to figure out if it is a bad thing if he never uses a sippy cup and eventuially in a fewmos. gets to just use the cup himself.

Monica - posted on 04/04/2010

its easier than you think.Just give him whatever you give him in the daytime at night he may cry for a day or two but it goes away Quickly I took my daughter off her binky and bottle at the same time she was 11 months it was bad for a day but she quickly got over it.Its harder on the parents thaen them

Laila - posted on 04/04/2010

My daughter is 13mths and I simply just took the bottle away! She is drinking juice and milk out of a sippy cup!!! If they are thirtsy they will drink.

Lisa - posted on 04/03/2010

We tried to transition to whole milk when my daughter was 11 months and she refused it. We recently tried again at 12 months and she's taking it. I am afraid I'd upset her success at taking whole milk to make the change to a cup at this time. I know when she's eating well, established meal patterns, then I don't have to worry about her nutrition, the cup will be our next change, and at her pace, not a doctor's timeline.

Michelle - posted on 04/02/2010

I take each child at their own pace. My little one turned a year on the 12th of march. i gradually started giving him age appropriate table food around 10 months. He's completely on the food we eat now. He still gets his babba, but is now on regular milk. he gets sippy cups in ehs and as often as possible at home with the exception of a couple of times a day. he wouldn't take a binky so it's a little more difficult getting him off the bottle. My older child was really easy to transition. 10 days is ideal but if it doesn't work, just continue to try each time and increase the amount of time before u give in to the bottle or other food. another food u can try would be the graduates, it is really tasty and gets them prepared for the consistency and taste of table food.

Katy - posted on 04/02/2010

My baby is almost 13 months and still gets her bottle at night. We're using up the rest of her formula. I don't want to take her night time bottle away from her. She gets comfort from it. It isn't like were going out and she gets a bottle all the time. i think it's okay for her to have a comfort at night before bed and she drinks her milk and water all day from a cup so I don't see the harm. Maybe in a few months we'll take her off the bottle completely but for now she can have it.

Tracy - posted on 04/01/2010

my son, is turning 13 months right away. he is on formula and i plan to keep it that way till 18 or even 24 months, his pediatrition says most ppl advise to stop, solely for the cost associated with formula. if i'd been able to brest feed i would had done it that long too... i say go with ur gut it's usually right... renae is right though bossy, bossy, bossy

Melissa - posted on 04/01/2010

You do what you feel is best for your son. They have formula( by nestle, since that's what i used for my son since he was both breast and bottle fed) and nestle has 12-18 months transitional formula.(yellow case) which means that you can not listen to your doctor and keep your son on formula until 18 months. Sometimes babies don't like the sippy cups with the spout, I know my son didn't really like his for a long time(picked one up for him for christmas when we was 9 and 1/2 months). The last few play dates with a friend of mine and his daughter, she had a sippy cup but with a straw and the handles on both sides and my son got pretty attached to it lol(taking it when we wasn't looking) So i ended up buying the cup with the straw and he uses that all day and wont even touch the other one. He also has the gerber graduates sippy cups, but those are not spill proof because it's more open in the spout. He uses those when he eats.
It's no big deal if your son is only having one bottle at night, My son still wants the one bottle of warm cow's milk(2% and not homo) before he goes to bed and i wont change that anytime soon. Learn to pick your battles, having the bottle at night is mainly for comfort for them anyways. If women can still breastfeed their child(ren) up to 4 years old, then i don't see why one bottle a night is going to do any harm. If you son has teeth(and unfortunately my son is still toothless lol, but has two bumps on his bottom gums) just make sure to wipe them with a damp cloth before he goes to bed.

So long as your baby is healthy and happy, I don't see any reason why you would "have" to get him off the one bottle a night.

Jasmine - posted on 04/01/2010

my doctor at the time gave me great advice for noah who is now one year old. When he was 7 months old she had me start him on a soft spout sippy, they get used to it if you keep it up. He hasn't touched a bottle since 8 months old. The earlier but not before 6 months, the easier it is to wean them off. You can try a soft spout sippy, it's closer to a nipple than a hard spout.

Evelyn - posted on 04/01/2010

I stopped my son from the "bah bah" cold turkey one day before his 1st bday. It has been successful using transition sippy cups, his favorite is the Avent 5 oz sippy with a latex spout. I have been adding a few ounces of milk to his couple ounces of formula. It has been 8 days without a real bottle :) and he pretty much only eats table food already.

Roberta - posted on 04/01/2010

formula can be used up to 24mths, my daughter is 1yr and she still has 2 bottles of formula (1 morning and 1 before bed), she'll drink small amounts of water or milk but throws a fit when I try to phase out a bottle. up to this point she's been the one to decide when a bottle gets dropped because I will not force it and she knows when she's done. don't let your dr bully you! there is nothing wrong with staying on formula as it ensures baby gets everything needed to grow. my daughter is mostly on "table" foods but occasionally still gets it out of the jar if we're in a hurry, there's nothing wrong with that either ;) your dr is not your boss, do what you feel is right for your son as all babies are different and only you are in a position to accurately judge if he's ready.

Katie - posted on 04/01/2010

I agree with the ladies that are writing, take your time, each baby is different, and do what is right for your child. They say it is easier to wean a 1 year old off stuff than a 2 year old so that is probably why doctors push with weaning now instead of later.

Don't stress over it, let it take its time. It is not an overnight process. It can take up to a month to wean a child completely off the bottle (from what I've read) with the night bottle being the last to go.

So you may have a few nights that are hard as you are weaning him off the bottle at night. I did read one idea is to substitute the bottle time with something else. He will need extra love and cuddling as he weans off his bottle/comfort device. We read to our child and she loves it now. Doesn't even look at the sippy cup anymore at night. She points to all the books she wants us to read.

Katie p.s. but our doctor said that if our baby is about to go into convulsions because she is not getting her bottle at night to give it to her. There will be nights that are easy and nights that are rough but eventually she'll learn that she gets her liquids in a cup rather than a bottle.

Brittany - posted on 03/31/2010

my doctor told me to start breaking my daughter of her bottles at 11 months old. so the day she was 11 months i just quit giving her bottles. she never looked back. sometimes cold turkey is the best way to go.

Paula - posted on 03/31/2010

My son had a hard time stopping nursing, so I was scared of breaking him of bottles too, but one weekend, I just specifically only used sippy cups with the soft spout and he had no problems at all.

Amanda - posted on 03/31/2010

Our daughter is a year old. She only uses a bottle twice a week - during my aquafit class when she is on poolside in her carseat and feeds herself!
I am still breastfeeding three times per day, I have MS and it helps keep me healthy so I'm not going to force her to stop before she's ready.
The sippy cups which are non-spill have a valve inside so the baby still needs to suck, they don't help the transition to drinking from a cup.

Amy - posted on 03/31/2010

Our daughter is almost 13 mths and we're trying to get rid of bottles too, still supplementing with some formula. We found that the Nuk brand of sippy cups work really well. It's the only sippy cup emma will drink formula from. It has a soft, flexible top (alot like a bottle) and we're goin to stock up on those kind. Good luck!

Susan - posted on 03/30/2010

My Doctor believes the same thing. He has 5 kids of his own and it really is the best way, but I don't think it works the same for everyone. With my 5 yr old, I weaned him from nursing, switched from his supplemental formula to milk and took the bottle away in 1 weekend at 13 months. He instantly adapted and had no trouble. My 2nd turned 1 this past weekend and he's not going to be as easy. I think putting formula in a sippy and then transitioning to milk might be a good idea to help ease the change. Some babies are very stubborn about it and every baby is different. Just make sure your baby's teeth are getting brushed after the last bottle or the night time bottle is water or his teeth can start to rot. I used to be a dental asst and saw plenty of 2 yr olds with rotted out front teeth from their parents putting them to bed w/a bottle or giving them milk or juice at bed time.

Kelly - posted on 03/30/2010

Oh and as far as the table food - I agree with the prior posts that you take your time with this. If you force it, they may reject the food AND they have to form a liking to it so in the beginning, they may not eat as much as they would if they had eaten their babyfood - I mix them...giving some chopped grilled chicken or hamburger..whatever, and then babyfood fruit...varieties like that. Choking is a major fear for most parents, so when you feel comfortable with it, then start gradually. Babies always give signs for when they are ready! I wish I knew this with the first or I would have been MUCH more relaxed in making my own decisions. : )

Kelly - posted on 03/30/2010

Hmmm...Ok I am going to give you my opinion on this and you can take it however you'd like....

With my daughter (who is now 3), I was instructed to do the same at her 12 mo appt. As I felt a little uncomfortable with it because I felt she was so young at 12 months to be off the bottle already, I did what the pedi said. She was my first child and I was a bit naive on what the steps were. Well, after a week or so of no bottle and her crying bc she didn't like the sippy cup just yet, and mostly the guilt I felt bc she was still a baby and I felt that it was unfair to be taking her bottle away this soon, I took it upon myself to let her have her baba back and continue enjoying her baby life.

I feel everything is so rushed nowadays...for what? Time goes by so fast...when they are ready to take the next step, they will show signs themselves. No need to force it and stress out. Emma continued to have a bottle until she was 2 - one when she woke up every morning. I see no problem with this. We cuddled every morning and she enjoyed it. Now she is 3 and she is a very well adjusted, intelligent, and independent little girl. I plan on doing the same with my 1 year old son. He has 3-4 bottles of whole milk a day. I will wean him off as he shows me the signs himself of wanting less. Just my opinion!! lol Hope it helps. : )

Melanie - posted on 03/30/2010

I don't think there is any rush to get your little one off his bottle or the formula. My son just turned one and he takes really long to chew the table food, so he still gets most of his food mashed (and his bottle) and then I feed him as much as he wants from my plate of food. I feel kids don't need such strict schedules to their development...

Denise - posted on 03/29/2010

lol. I'm not supposed to take my 1 year old off the formula yet. She only weighs 16lbs 1oz. Very picky eater (textures) doesn't like milk, which we have finaly been given permission to give her. Just opens her mouth and lets it run out (but she likes juice which she isn't suposed to have because it's not enough calories lol) I'm going to try warming it up and then slowly bring down the temp. untill she hopfuly likes it cold ( I hope thats the problem) We do have a sippy cup that is for hot or cold drinks and has a silicone top (so its kinda like a bottle nipple)

Cecelia - posted on 03/29/2010

Hi Brooke, I wouldn't rush to get him off the bottle all together, it is only one before bed i am guessing, so it isn't hurting you or him to keep it, but if you were worried you could just replace it with a sippy cup. My oldest boy who is 3 now got rid of his bottle by him self, he got rid of the morning bottle once he started sleeping in his big bed, when he was about 18months, cause he had a little brother coming soon.

Ashley - posted on 03/29/2010

I have 2 very stubborn boys. The way that I did it with them was about 2 weeks before they turned 1 I took there bottle away during the day. I still gave it to them at nap time and bedtime but that was absolutely it no matter how big of a fit they threw!!! Then about a week before their birthday I quit giving to them at naptime and just letting them have it at bedtime. The day they turned 1 I went and gathered up every bottle in the house, washed them, and put the away and that was that. They did throw a fit for about 3 days but after that they realized that it was no good and they haven't missed them since!!

Rachel - posted on 03/29/2010

Our daughter turned one year today and still uses a bottle morning, noon and night, she's on formula but on the toddler sort which has extra nutrients as all health pros say that at least one cup/bottle of milk a day is best so they get there source of calcium.
Its sort of like when they are born they come when they want to!

Emma - posted on 03/29/2010

My Daughter turned 1 on 22nd and she was on 3 bottles a day breakfast, mid afternoon and bedtime. She then decided that she did not want to eat off of the spoon anymore so now has finger foods, this is difficult as she does not eat all of it and throws alot on the floor. She started waking in the night as she was hungry so we have added another bottle in so now on 4 a day. We now give 1year growing up formula milk as the cows milk was too thin for her and was getting spit up (she has suffered with reflux).
She is my first child and I thought I was doing a really good job until I visited the health visiter and she made me on edge telling me I was doing everthing wrong!!!! My choice was then to listen to my mothering instincts not a complete stranger that reads books, spends 10 mins with my child and TELLS me what the BOOK wants me to do!!!!
EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT!!!!
If you think your child needs a bottle then you give it.

Mary - posted on 03/29/2010

Was there are reason that the doctor wanted you to transition the baby so quickly? My daughter will turn one this week and I plan to transition her off the bottle gradually of the next 3 months. I just have to wonder why he gave a 10 day deadline. Some babies do better with transition than others based on their personality. Unless there's a medical reason to have them off the bottle immediately, I don't see the harm in taking a little longer to transition off of that last bottle. It sounds like you've done really well getting down to just one bottle at night!

Felicity - posted on 03/29/2010

I think you are doing great at having one bottle at night. My little one is still on three bottles a day and is in no hurry to change so I am not going to push the issue all do it in their own time. She is on cows milk and has water is a cup so don't rush him sometime dr don't know best only you know your child.

Lauren - posted on 03/28/2010

Hey! My dughter has had recations to cow's milk, so we give her soy milk. It's great for her because she loves it. You can always try that, sometimes babies can't handle the lactose in cow's milk.

Lauren - posted on 03/28/2010

My daughter just turned a year also and is almost off the bottle, except some nights she still wants one after dinner. I give her soy milk instead of cows milk (she needs lactose free... and I don't like how cows milk has steriods and antibiotics in it!). She loves the soy milk and eats really well. What made it easier for me to wean my daughter was to distract her from wanting one. When she'd ask for a "ba-ba" I'd give her a cup with milk or juice. I also give her milk and a snack after her bath and before bed, so when she does get tired she won't be wanting a bottle. It takes time, but they will eventually not need it any more!

Ree - posted on 03/28/2010

My son turned one on Saturday and he is my second child. My advise is to do what you think is best your his mother and you know him best, my daughter was still having one bottle at two as that was her comfort and I found that if she didn't have it we wouldn't get a good nights sleep!!!! My son is also fond of his bottle and im in no hurry to take it off him, I am however introducing normal cows milk so I split the bottle half formula and half milk and have been doing this for about a month now so far so good! Good luck and hope this helps!

Pamela - posted on 03/28/2010

my son started eating what we did at 5 months.. at 9 months we went straight to cows milk he eats enough food and variety of food for it not to be a concern.. he drinks from a cup and has since 6 months ( I HATE BOTTLES) weaning a baby from one thing to another is never easy but it takes persistence and they do get it quicker than you think .. I took both my boys off there dummy's at 7 and 8 months took a week of miserable babies and bam they don't even think about it any more

Bonnie - posted on 03/28/2010

My daughter just turned one and my hubby and I agreed that we are going to make gradual changes in the coming months. We are first going to gradually switch from formula to milk while adding solid table foods. Then after we wean her off of formula then we will work on weaning her from the bottle to the cup. I don't want my daughter to feel like I am just taking everything away from her. I want to change her routine slowly so she doesn't become frightened.

Charlene - posted on 03/28/2010

Our public nurse asked us if we were on milk yet, but my son has a reaction to milk right now, so he's still on formula, lol. But he only has a couple bottles a day now-one in the morning (we joke that it's his morning coffee), one with a story at night and sometimes one in the middle of the night if he's hungry. He'll wean himself off when he's ready, like he's done with everything else. It sounds like you're dong well!

Lindsay - posted on 03/28/2010

My daughter turned a year old yesturday, she still takes a bottle a nap time and bed time, but thats it, she wont go to sleep unless she has a bottle , but she dosent take one with meals or during the day or in the morning i think its like a soothing thing really, I dont think she will do well when we take it from her this week we are going to try not to give it to her at nap time and only bed time then if she does okay we will take it from her at bedtime, i dont think you need to rush.

Angela - posted on 03/28/2010

I feel pretty lucky in this one. Baby has been strictly bottlefed since three months, he didn't latch on right, so I pumped and bottlefed him mostly. Thing is, he could care less that he doesn't get the bottle anymore, I give him sippy cups and the the cups with the built in straws. He's been getting sippy cups since he was about six months old though. I was giving him bottles at night but Dr said no more formula at bedtime, I tried water, he doesn't like it, so he doesn't have the bottle anymore, I have never put reg homo milk in the bottle, always a cup. It was an easy transition for us.

Renee - posted on 03/27/2010

I have a little girl who was one at the start of the month, she has been on full cream milk from like 5 months and on solids from 2 months because formula just wasnt enough and then again at about 7 months on table foods with veg and stuff.... she only has a bottle when she goes to bed other than that she now drinks out of a spill proof sippy cups and handles them really well, just take everything at your own pace and dont let any one tell you what to and what not to do with your child, you are the parent and what ever happens is your choice and finally ends with you. i have 2 year old twin nieces and they still have bottles when they go to bed....Good luck

Lindsey - posted on 03/27/2010

My daughter Hates sippy cups. She is just over a year old and we are off the bottle, formula, and sippy cups. It was a VERY hard process. She screamed at night for her bottle we spent about 4 nights of that then she got use to it. The thing I did to help her get her milk and fluids was letting her drink from a straw since she couldn't had a glass yet. They have the sippy cups that have straws in them but they are not spill proff. That is all she will drink out of now.

Polly - posted on 03/27/2010

I can't believe your doc said that! I have warm milk at night before i go to bed too! My 1 yr old daughter has a breastfeed, but if she wasn't it would be a bottle of cows. My health visitor said theres nothing wrong with bottles even though she has 8 teeth. She refuses milk from a beaker anyway - the only thing she'll drink from if im not with her is special 'breastflow' bottles that are like nipples.

Lisa - posted on 03/26/2010

My daughter just turned 1 and at her 9 month visit her doctor told us he wanted her off the bottle by 1. My daughter has been teething like mad and has 12 teeth. When she teeths she goes off all food and will only take a bottle. I let her do her thing. Now that the 12 teeth are in, she's eating pureed foods and crunchy foods like little star cereals and the snack crunchies. She'll pick at crumbled cheeses and scrambled eggs. When I give her a sippy cup she bites it and dumps it, and then laughs at me. I will keep giving her the bottle for a little while longer, when I know her last four teeth are up a little further and not paining her. Once that's done, I'll begin giving her a cup except for morning bottle, nap bottle and bedtime bottle (she was taking 52 ounces of formula a day!). I think now that she is beginning to eat a little more, the formula volume will decrease. I don't force foods on her. This is my third child, my first two, born twenty years ago, were good eaters. One thing that worked for my sons in weaning off the bottle was putting a little mustard on the nipple of the bottle, and when they reject the bottle, give them a cup. It seemed to make them think the bottle was nasty and the cup was much better. I am not on a time frame for that though, when she's consistently using the cup to drink rather than teeth or play, that's when I know she's ready to consider it a source of comfort/nutrition as she does her bottle.

Heather - posted on 03/26/2010

I personally don't think anybody should be in a hurry to take a bottle away from a baby, cuz in my book just cuz there one doesn't still mean that they are a baby. They need that security and nutrition that they get from the bottle.My first didn't give up the bottle till he was 16 months old and I let him do it himself and my second just turned 1 last saturday and he is still on formula and bottle and I am in absolutely NO hurry to take it away. I think the best thing any parent can do is let your child lead you in these big decisions they will show you the signs of what they are ready for.

Leah - posted on 03/26/2010

too funny, we're still breastfeeding and my daughter is almost 13 mos - My "family" doc was shocked when I declined a script for pain and told her I was still nursing. She asked "doesn't baby have teeth?" I just can't believe how old fashioned and sticklers for "schedules" that some docs are. she is baby #6 for me, and the longest one to nurse, everyone else just weaned themselves, but she's just not ready yet - but she does drink whole milk just fine from a cup, it's just a comfort thing.

Laurie - posted on 03/26/2010

So what is the difference in getting a sippy cup that has the nipple like a bottle? My ped just told us to ween her off the formula slowly. I'm using up my stash and then we will be just on organic whole milk. As for table food, I mostly give her pureed b/c I want her to eat her veggies and I give her table food when I eat to get her used to it. So funny, she spits out what she doesn't like, lol. I think all kids are different and they will transition in their own time. I'm not rushing her. Oh, btw, when she drinks from her sippy cup (since she is majorly teething right now) she bites on the sippy cup and it dribbles down her chin and it makes such a mess. I give her a sippy cup once in awhile.

Bri - posted on 03/26/2010

I personally think trying to do all that at once will leave your baby hungry. When babies drink from a sippy cup, they typically get less milk than from a bottle because they don't have it all in one sitting. The same goes for puree'd food and table food.
My girl turns one today, and is down to morning and night bottle. We will phase those out slowly. At every meal, I give her a little baby food/puree and then lots table/finger foods. The most important thing is my kiddo's nutrition. I know I could just take the bottle away from her, but she won't get enough milk and I am pretty sure I won't have to send her to kindergarden with a jar of baby food if I decide to give it to her for a few months longer. Do what feels right. Every doctor is different, so it is all just opinons. Your baby isn't going to have lasting effects from a nighttime bottle and baby food for a few extra months. Good luck!

Kate - posted on 03/26/2010

Mine turned one recently too. I started to mix formula and regular milk together so my boy took to milk pretty good. Bottles are still okay. I have taken away the meal time bottles to sippy cups but still give bottles during the day. I will be breaking mine of the bottle fully pretty soon but that is my choice. Most kids still have a bottle or two a day until the age of two. Try different things with table foods. Take your time and go at your own pace. It is you child, not the doctors and you know what is best.

Sabrina - posted on 03/26/2010

I have two kids ... two step kids... YOU do whats right for your baby. Try a few things and do what is working for them. My son is one today and I am in your shoes as well!

Kimberley - posted on 03/26/2010

we tried our daughter with her formula in a cup when she was about 9 months and she just tried it and drunk a little bit from it so we went cold turkey with her bottles so she never had any confusion to what she was getting her milk out of and i think she was fussy for a few feeds where she didn't drink it all but after about a day or so she was drink it normally. i did the same thing with her milk i just tried her on normal milk and she drunk a bit then i went cold turkey and just gave her normal milk and shes been fine. i did the same with my first child aswell and they were both seemed to adjust fine as they didn't have the confusion of it changing back and forth.

Rheannon - posted on 03/26/2010

My daughter has been off the bottle since she was 10 months old. I started only giving her bottles in the morning & at night. And then went to just in the morning & then none at all. She made the transition fairly easy. I agree with Renae your doctor seems bossy. However in my case, I wanted my daughter off the bottle, & done with formula at a year old. Only table foods is different, I have a lot of baby food left over & we WILL be using it & not letting it go to waste :) I think you just have to be consistant, if he is thirsty he will eventually figure out ohh I can get juice out of here! And he'll drink it. That is what I had to do with my daughter.