how do you get your baby off a bottle!?

Beth - posted on 07/06/2012

Certainly stress that you know where your child(ren) are development wise, some children are early with some things and late with others.

When you do make the decision to swap from bottle to cup, then remember to be firm (in a kind way) and that it'll take time. You will get there in the end. Remember you are encouraging the transition because he is growing up and needs to learn new skills, which he will be doing all the time. Also give lots of praise for trying new things and in the attempt to develop new skills. I am sure that with lots of praise and love he will succeed on moving from bottle to cup.

Erin - posted on 07/06/2012

It'll be fine. First just cut down the amount of bottles per day and replace some with food. Allow him to have milk at the end of the meal when food is done. In natural culture moms breast feed up to age 6 or seven so any claims it's not healthy is probably a bunch of bull. However, these kids probably also ate some food as well. Wal-Mart carries a cool bottle like sippy cup that has a spill proof lid it looks like a cup with a lid and has latex sippy so it's like a bottle. You can also start by giving the baby juice in a different cup, the sippy cup. I had a bottle until I was 4 people are to judgmental on how soon babies stop the bottle. they rush moms into making the babies adults and there's no reason to feel pressured. Some kids take longer. If you want him to switch you just gotta start the process. I just switched my son to a cup with no lid this year he's three. I don't care how anyone else feels about it. So just try some different stuff, something will work. If nothing else does then you just take the bottle away and give him the sippy cup he'll drink it when he gets thirsty enough.

Beth - posted on 06/27/2012

Keep praising your older son when he drinks from his sippy cup and eats his food. When it comes to meal times, basically lay down the rules - he either eats his food or goes hungry. Don't make a battle out of it. My eldest is my fussy eater, but is getting better. At meal times - it's make a good effort then you can have pudding/dessert.

When he kicks off about wanting/needing a bottle - get down to his level and explain it's for babies, and as he's a big boy he doesn't need it. He's pushing the boundaries at the moment for you. After the first explaination walk away from him throwing tantrums. When he realises that he's not getting the attention it should calm down.

Certainly it's time to be the cruel but kind parent. You know that you are doing the right thing for your eldest son, by getting him to use a sippy cup rather than a bottle. Don't worry too much about him drinking water/juice than milk. As for food - he probably won't let himself get too hungry. Give him the choice of either eating what's in front of him or going hungry, he'll feel that he has some power over the one thing that he can control (which is food/drink intake). Occasionally/meal allowing let him have the choice of what he would like to eat. Would he like you to make choice A or choice B for the meal. You're still in control by giving him two choices, but it gives him that little bit of control over what he wants to eat.

Don't worry about trying to feed him yourself. Let him know that as he's a big boy he can feed himself, if he would like some help with his food, then he can ask you. Main thing to remember is not to make too much of a fuss, about the levels of food he's eating. Also don't give him snacks between meals and/or last thing before bed. The extra snacks can be earnt - but won't be given if he's not made a good effort with the meal before, keep the snack small as well.

For milk intake - bowl of cereal would solve that problem. Also look at other calcium reach foods like cheese and yoghurt.

Make sure that you have a clear routing for food times as well with good boundaries. Hopefully with time he'll start eating more food for you and it'll become less of a battle of wills.

Cate - posted on 06/26/2012

i have another son who is only 6 months old. but i did get rid of my older sons bottles. but everytime he sees the little bottes, he wants it and takes a tantrum at me. he was doing good for the first 2 days but now he is back to wanting the bottle whenever and stopped eating. im starting to get a bit frustrated with this because its hard with another baby in the house. he is stubborn when it comes to food. if i sit him in his chair with food on a plate. he wont take it, instead he plays with the utensils. and if i try to feed him myself, he gets upset and starts screaming and crying. i have sippy cups and today i filled it with milk thinking he would take it but no luck. he will drink a sippy cup with water or watered down juice. i tell him hes a big boy now but he still assumes he is the baby

Beth - posted on 06/25/2012

You can either do it cold turkey, swap the bottles for sippy cups - possibly using a bottle fairy or something similar.

With my girls I did a transition - cups during the day, bottle at night, slowly changing over from one to the other. Also watering down the milk to a certain extent. Found by restricting the bottles/milk intake and replacing with cups/water (or another drink) you'll find that he should start eating more for you. Start with a cup with one meal, then increase it to two meal times, until he gets used to just having cups instead of bottles.

Certainly be ready for tantrums about swapping from bottles to cups. Certainly look at getting him involved in choosing his new big boy cup - keep it as simple as would he like to have cup A or cup B to be his new cup. Get 2/3 so that you're having to wash it every time it needs to be used.

When my girls were 2/3 - they were only allowed to have bottles at night time, then I would 'accidently forget' to give it at night time, with time they all got used to going to sleep without their bottles.

Rachael - posted on 06/24/2012

i got my son off the bottle around 1 and what i did was moved him to sippy cups cold turkey. i threw out aoll his bottles and he hated it for the first few days but then got used to it.

Krista - posted on 06/24/2012

oh wow, i took my kids off the bottle at a year... i just gave them a cup instead.. but substituting food for milk isnt healthy.. he needs all the nutrients from food milk cant give him. i would throw away the bottles asap!

Chequita - posted on 06/24/2012

when u find out please let me know!!!!

Caroline - posted on 06/23/2012

It was Easter time when I was little and my mum said that the Easter Bunny Mummy needed a bottle to feed her babies, so I handed it straight to my mum to give the bunny mummy!