what age do I remove the bottle?

Cammie - posted on 04/24/2011

I definitely think she should be introduced to a sippy cup/ or one with a straw. I took the bottle away very very easily around 11 months and never looked back.

Vjera - posted on 04/24/2011

I just took my 17 month old off the bottle and now he won't drink milk at all. He drinks water out of all types of sippy cups but then when he realises it's milk he'll throw it. Now I feel kind of guilty!

Emili - posted on 02/03/2011

you should have gave her a sippy when you quit bf. mine started on a cup at 7 mos and was completely off a bottle by 9 months. but all my other ones got their bottles thrown away the day after their first bday.

Becky - posted on 12/23/2010

Both my sons were taken off the bottle at 1 yr old. I do however have a 3yr old nephew that still gets his milk out of a bottle but will drink everything else from a sippy. My sister-in-law is trying everything to get him off of them but she gives in to the fits very easily.

Catriona - posted on 12/22/2010

we are currently on our second successful night without a bottle!!!! WOO!!! we just gave him a cup instead and he seemed happy enough, over the last 2 months he has chewed holes in every teat so i made a point of showing him that i was throwing the teats in the bin, the last one was thrown out 2 days ago! Take your time with him if you feel he needs it for a little while longer but dont leave it too long or else he could get 'milk rot' on his teeth, nothing is worth that. Good Luck!

Autumn - posted on 12/15/2010

i am having a hard time doing this too . my son is going to be 3 in march, and my other son 2 in may . and i have not been anle to rid the bottles ! they will scream and scream and scream . so idk what u cld do ! but i still give them bottles , and if this make sme seem bad then i guessit is but idk what else to do . they will give it up when they ready ! but they wont be 5 yr old walking around with coke in their bottles !

Kandice - posted on 11/23/2010

After her first front four teeth, the longer you wait the more chance of damage you risk. The bottle should be gone by 12 months. If she needs a bedtime drink, use a sippy. :)

Judy - posted on 11/23/2010

This is a constant struggle for me. Jenna will drink anything from a sippy cup, except milk! I still give her a bottle at naptime, and bedtime, but am thinking it is about time to let the bottle go!

Linda - posted on 11/23/2010

my child is almost 19 months and only has a bottle at night time, its the only way I can get her to drink milk and it has to be warm, she will not drink it out of her sippy cup or cold.

Jennifer - posted on 11/22/2010

It's not bad for her teeth, YET, but at this age kids get attached to items at an exponential rate so do yourself and your little one a favor but taking every bottle in the house and hiding them or throwing them out. Use a sippy cup and some nice cheap bpa free take n toss cups with lids that use straws, my lil one was breastfed till she was a year and after that we introduced the sippy immediately and now she's on unbreakable toddler cups (look mom, no lid!). Don't be surprised if she throws a fit and doesn't want to go to bed like normal but it's best to get her into a NEW bedtime routine ASAP and remember the sooner you get away from the bottle, the better for both of you!

Elizabeth - posted on 11/22/2010

I was another lucky one. My oldest daughter went cold turkey off the bottle on her 1st birthday with no problem. We took the bottle away from my other daughter when she was 49 weeks old. Didn't bother her, and didn't have to weane her one bit.

Keirsty - posted on 11/21/2010

For me, I am not really worried about my son's teeth or it being too hard to faze out the bottle later. He is 18 months old and he gets a bottle at nap time and one before bed. He gets plenty of opportunity to cleanse his teeth throughout the day with water and when we bruch his teeth. I think teeth decay when people put anything other than milk and water in the bottle and put them to bed with it. My son is only going to be this age for so long and sometimes he needs the comfort of the bottle. I plan to faze out his bottle at nap time within a couple of months and we can go from there.

Mandy - posted on 11/21/2010

My daughter is also 18 months and is attached to her bottle. She will drink water from a sippy but not milk. HOWEVER, I just found a sippy that she likes to drink milk from. It's called a Green Sprouts Trainer Bottle. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp... It's on sale for cheap at babies r us online so I think it's worth a try! You never know! Hope this helps!

Amanda - posted on 11/21/2010

my second child is 18 months old tomorrow and is still on 2 bottles a day, one before nap and one before bed. i actually took the bottle away when we was 12 months but just for 3 weeks. he did great but i was not ready to totally get rid of it. :) take care of your kids' teeth, take a deep breath and do what you want to do. they are only small for so long....you will know when the right time to take it away is. (my 6 year old daughter was off the bottle at 12 months, but it didnt feel right with him...) :) Good Luck!

Heidi - posted on 11/20/2010

My Lil Guy will be 18 months at the end of the month and I give a bottle in the morning when he wakes up and before going to bed, then has a sippy cup with water all throughout the day. I have bought a sippy cup with the straw but he hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Farrah - posted on 11/20/2010

I took my baby off the bottle just before his 1st birthday.

Daniela - posted on 11/20/2010

Thanks!! He enjoys drinking from a sippy cup with a straw, but he keeps tilting his head back to get more water. I tell him to keep it down and keeps tilting back. I guess he will earn with more practice. I guess he is used to doing it with the other sippy cups. Thanks again Stephanie!

Stephanie - posted on 11/20/2010

you can try a straw cup. just so she learns to drink out of a straw. they have those that wont leak either. my kid doesn't like sippy cups anymore... with the straw cups she's doesnt have to bend her head backwards and she gets more flow with each sip. but go with whatever is most convenient for you and your child.

Daniela - posted on 11/20/2010

Do you think that sippy cups with no straws are not good for the age of 18months? Should I get rid of those sippys and begin only with straws? Any advice would be great!

Stephanie - posted on 11/19/2010

i wouldn't worry about bottle feeding her too much, if she drink out of sippy cups and straw cups also. my kid gets the bottle twice a day but drink water and juices out of regular cups and straws.

Daniela - posted on 11/19/2010

My son is also 18 months and he has a bottle of milk when he wakes up in the morning and just before bedtime while I read him a story. Then we head off to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Not sure if your little guy is falling asleep with the bottle, cause then i do believe it will cause the tooth decay. He only drinks out of a bottle those two times and then the rest of his drinks are in a sippy cup with water. I have tried the sippy cup with milk but he seems to choke on it or does not want to drink the milk because of the faster flow of the sippy cup. He is used to continous sucking on the bottle. I have not been to the dentist, but I think what everyone else is saying is right. Cut it off by age 2. I think if you brush before laying her down then that will be fine. I also think as long as bottles are not her sole way of drinking fluids you should be fine.

Amanda - posted on 11/19/2010

I just had this conversation with some of the moms at school. Between us there are 4 kindergardeners with sibling girls in the 18 month to 2 year mark. None of our girls are off the bottle yet and it ranges from 1 bottle at night to 3 throughout the day. One of the moms said that her kindergardener didn't give up the night bottle until they were 4. If you give it like a sippy, take it away and don't let them carry it around, then it's not going to have the "baby bottle tooth decay" problems that everyone is afraid of. We don't allow our daughter to take the bottle to bed with her, she finishes it before we lay her down and before tooth brushing time. It just is a little bit of comfort during snuggle time that I think both parents and baby aren't quite ready to give up just yet. As long as you are educated on what the potential issues might be, it's more important to do what you feel is right.

Rebecca - posted on 11/18/2010

I had a hard time getting my 18 month old off the bottle. Part of his issue was he cannot drink whole milk, but I didn't want to put him on soy when he turned 1. So we kept the formula but he wouldn't drink it out of a cup. Finally, at 18 months I felt comfortable putting him on soy and he gets it in a cup and has only had 1 bottle in 3 weeks. No more bottles here. It was easier than I thought it was going to be.
Also, I am 20 weeks with baby #4 and I wanted to get him off before she is born so he is no longer wanting a bottle when she starts drinking from it.

Sara - posted on 11/18/2010

My baby still drinks from a bottle at 18 months. She also drinks juice through a spill proof cup with a straw. I think people are saying things about the bottle because not enough parents brush their children's teeth after that bedtime bottle. At 17 months, my daughter has 14 teeth and not one cavity!
Just because someone had a problem with something they did, doesn't mean you'll run into the same problem. Your child will let you know when she is ready to give up the bottle and use a 'big girl cup'.

Dana - posted on 11/18/2010

For the sake of her teeth, I say get her on the sippy cup ASAP !! Both my kids were breastfed for over a year. But I started introducing the sippy cup at 6 or 7 months old with a little water, breast milk or watered down juice. I had no problems taking my daughter off the bottle and my son never had one. My son is almost 19 months old and he is starting to drink out of a cup with no lid.

Tamia - posted on 11/17/2010

My son gave up bottles at 10 months and has used his sippy cup ever since. Occasionally I will turn him loose with a regular cup of water which usually ends up all over the place..lolol.



The bottle of milk at bedtime is bad for her teeth. It cause the "baby bottle rot" where their front teeth rot and decay from the exposure to the milk during the night. It is a nighmare as they usually end up having to get the teeth pulled at an early age. I stick to water at bedtime and have never had this problem, but I have friends whose children had to have teeth pulled as young as 2 years due to the decay.



I will add though that I don't think kids ever really get over the loss of the bottle, just the other night my 16 year old daughter and 18 year old son were drinking apple juice out of bottles..lolol

Rebekah - posted on 11/11/2010

My kid's pediatrician told us to get rid of the bottle between 12-15 months. My son was 14 months and my daughter never used a bottle.

Lyndsey - posted on 11/11/2010

recommended age for swapping bottles for cups is 12 months, my son was about 14 months and i got him a rubber topped sipper cup and there was no problem at all. i would recommend getting rid of bottles asap, in my line of work as a nursery teacher i have seen 5 year olds drinking coke from baby bottles and 2 year olds with decaying teeth because of them - neither is a good look...

Holly - posted on 11/11/2010

i think its up to you personally though i do think the longer you leave it the harder it will be. My daughters just turned 18 months and was still having a bottle in the morning and at night before bed. But 3 weeks ago she started chewing the teats so i decided that was it no more bottles. I havnt been so lucky though, now she wont drink any milk at all i have tried every cup you can think of and she will NOT drink it at all. I think shes just being stubborn and i hope she will give in eventually. I have even bought chocolate flavoured milk and she wont drink it. So i just have to make sure shes getting plenty of calcium from yougurts, cheese, milky porridge ect. Hopefully she will stop being stubborn soon lol x

Tina - posted on 11/10/2010

My 18 month yr old steals her brother's bottles, he's 6 month, so I have a hard time keeping her away from them...she drinks out of cups so that's not a problem. I'm prob'lly just going to wait until I wean him.

Melissa - posted on 11/09/2010

My son randomly thew his bottle on the ground the week of his first birthday, and hasn't wanted it since. However, my goal was to have him completely off the bottle by the time he was 2 years old. In my opinion, 2 seems like the perfect age for everything.. End to bottles and binks, starting to potty train, trips to the dentist, etc.

Chanel - posted on 11/09/2010

I stopped giving my daughter a bottle right when she turned 1. I started putting her milk and water in a sippy cup. I was lucky..she had no problem with it. I'm sure the longer you wait to switch the harder it might be. But i'm sure she'll be fine. Good luck :)

Melissa - posted on 11/09/2010

I wouldn't worry so much about the comments. The only concern is your child's teeth. Many people stop the bottle at 12 months a recommended by pediatricians. I waited until my son was 20 months because his sister was going to be born after he turned two. I didn't want them fighting over bottles. He went to the dentist at 3 1/2 and his teeth are perfect. I wouldn't recommend keeping your child on the bottle past 2 because that when most of the teeth are coming in. Currently my daughter is 18 months and won't give up the bottle. I'm planning on phasing them out over the next couple of months (mostly because they are falling apart).

Ricky - posted on 11/09/2010

the sooner you get her off the better. Its not good for her teeth. Plus the longer you wait the harder it will be to take away. Try to introduce a sippy cup or a straw cup or even a regular cup. If you are concerned about his teeth and if it is bad I suggest seeing a dentist they can answer your questions.

Adonna - posted on 11/09/2010

my opinion you should start he on a sippy cup or a bottle that has a straw attadhed to it. you can still give he the bottle at night with tea until eventually she get accustom to the bottle