my son is 22mths old and im trying to get him of the bottle. any suggestions?

Stephanie - posted on 07/24/2009

Gradually make the hole in the teat bigger and bigger and he will eventually get sick of it. i know it sounds nasty but in the end he should have a giant hole in his teat. You could also just say that another baby needs his bottle now because he's a big boy. x

Karen - posted on 07/24/2009

My 22month old still has a bottle morning and night but has gradually been losing interest in it.. so wont be long till he isnt having a bottle at all. Havent ever tried giving him milk in a cup. i never read any of the 'manuals' i think when they are ready they will tell you!!! There is too much emphasis put on milestones etc.. they all develop and grow up differently! so long as your wee one is happy then you cant be doing wrong-thats what i go with anyway?! hehe

Gwen - posted on 07/23/2009

the bottle is ONLY damaging to the teeth when it is not used properly. kids should not be taking bottles to bed with them...ESPECIALLY bottles of milk, juice, kool aid. the sugar sits in the mouth and rots the teeth. rotten baby teeth can also lead to problems w/ permanent teeth. brush toddlers teeth every day and only put them in bed with water..if necessary. there is absolutely no reason that a child has to be weaned from a bottle at age 1.

Jessica - posted on 07/23/2009

At one point i was tearing myself up about my son (22 months) not wanting to take milk other than from his bottle. After being told by the clinic nurse that he should be off it (this was when he was just over 12 months), i thought i was being a bad mother and making wrong choices...but after seeing my son cry so much as he wasn't getting that bit of comfort from his favourite drink i decided to put his needs first...who makes these rules anyways?...so now i'm in the mind that if he's happy to have it and he enjoys drinking his milk that way, i'm happy that he has it...he also drinks milk from a normal cup during the day, so he'll let me know when he's ready. and we make sure he brushes his teeth twice a day...i think you just gotta do whats right for you and your child...everybody will have an opinion, but everybody is not you...good luck

Emma - posted on 07/23/2009

see i asked the nurse that come sees your baby till they are five and she said that my son is alright he only has it when he goes to sleep other then that he has a cup, and really dont see how a bottle with milk damages their teeth when milk is meant to make them stronger

Mindi - posted on 07/06/2009

I took my son off the bottle the day after his second birthday, i tried soon but he was too attached and daddy was to attached also. But the day and his 2nd birthday i jus tossed all of the bottles in the trash, he threw a fit for that night and then he was fine

Amber - posted on 05/31/2009

I took the bottles from my children the day of their 1st birthdays so I wouldn't know. Neither one of them seemed to mind. But I do have a nine month old that won't drink out of a sippy cup so he might be the one to have a fit. Good Luck!

Tatyana - posted on 05/30/2009

Obviously each child loves their bottle a different way. I also panicked when my son was 13 months old and the doctor said he should be off of it already. Luckily it only took 3 days to get him to use the sippy cup on a full time basis. The first day i gave him a sippy cup for lunch, next day for lunch & dinner, & third day for all three meals. He didn't mind switching at all. If your toddler is very attached to a bottle you can try substituting it for one of their meals, lunch is usually the easiest. And yes, a soft tipped cup might work best as well. The older the child the harder it will be. but you need to think about whats going to be best for them in the long run, and losing teeth early on is not good. You're the mom, you're the boss, remember?

Traci - posted on 05/29/2009

Kids are not supposed to have a bottle after they are a year old. What I did for my kids was to introduce the sippy cup at 6 months of age and gradually have them use it more and more until they reach age one. Then one day, you throw out the bottles. My little brother used a bottle for a long time like that and he had to have his 4 front teeth on top all pulled out when he was 4 years old because of it. Tough love, mommy! Toss the bottles :)

Sarah - posted on 05/29/2009

Quoting Tykeda:

I just asked the same question before I read other conversations. My son is 12 months and he has 10 teeth so the Dr. suggested taking him off of the cup and he just ain't having it. So I'm looking for help with the same issue. He will drink out of other kid cups and cans and water bottles but he's just not into a sippy cup..

Sounds like your little guy likes regular cups =] It may mean more of a mess, but if he likes them, let him use it =] My daughter just recently turned one & only has 2 teeth. Her doctor isn't concerned about the bottle issue yet.

Sarah - posted on 05/29/2009

Quoting Tykeda:

I just asked the same question before I read other conversations. My son is 12 months and he has 10 teeth so the Dr. suggested taking him off of the cup and he just ain't having it. So I'm looking for help with the same issue. He will drink out of other kid cups and cans and water bottles but he's just not into a sippy cup..

Sounds like your little guy likes regular cups =] It may mean more of a mess, but if he likes them, let him use it =] My daughter just recently turned one & only has 2 teeth. Her doctor isn't concerned about the bottle issue yet.

Tykeda - posted on 05/28/2009

I just asked the same question before I read other conversations. My son is 12 months and he has 10 teeth so the Dr. suggested taking him off of the cup and he just ain't having it. So I'm looking for help with the same issue. He will drink out of other kid cups and cans and water bottles but he's just not into a sippy cup..

Amanda - posted on 05/28/2009

Do you mean a bottle or a sippy cup? It's recommended a child should not use a bottle after 1 years old because of tooth decay and it can cause problems with the teeth.



If you mean a bottle maybe you could try a sippy cup with a soft tip. I think they are called Nubies and you can find them at Wal-Mart for very cheap.

Emma - posted on 05/27/2009

i have a two year old and got very worried when i read that they only meant to have a bottle till one year i think coz the milk wreaks there teeth. but my planket lady said he was fine trying to get him off bottle now tho so what i do is not give him one unless he asks for it. so far i have only had a few time of him asking for one.

Stacy - posted on 05/27/2009

Change up the routine and put the milk in a sippy cup and put water in the bottle, eventually he will get it that the bottle wont have milk anymore and wont want it.

Ann - posted on 05/27/2009

once he throws it say its dirty .put some coffe in it and show him.my doughter is almost 2 and still takes the bottle.want take milk out of the many cups.thats what iv been advised to do.

Abi - posted on 05/27/2009

My son is 19 months old and he still uses a bottle at bedtime too!!!! no worries...they will give it up when they are ready! the fact is...theres no harm....think about what a sport top water bottle is....its just a bottle for adults!!! LOL!!!!!!

Belinda - posted on 05/26/2009

ok thanks, i just had a lot of people that kept saying "his still on the bottle" and pressure to get him off of it. i did think he was a ittle to young

Colette - posted on 05/26/2009

i have a 3yr old and 15mth old,he still takes his bottle at nite time, wudnt go 2 bed without it! My daughter was two and a hal before she gave up her bottle, so my advise is to leave him until he is ready, offer him water/juice from the cups instead of milk, let the bottle just be 4 milk, as long as he is eating cheese, yogis etc he will be getting enough calcium from them, u have to remember is still really just a baby! Hope this helps best of luck!

Colette - posted on 05/26/2009

i have a 3yr old and 15mth old,he still takes his bottle at nite time, wudnt go 2 bed without it! My daughter was two and a hal before she gave up her bottle, so my advise is to leave him until he is ready, offer him water/juice from the cups instead of milk, let the bottle just be 4 milk, as long as he is eating cheese, yogis etc he will be getting enough calcium from them, u have to remember is still really just a baby! Hope this helps best of luck!