When did you get your baby/toddler off the bottle?

Jill - posted on 04/29/2010

We started weaning off the bottle at 12 months. We used the sippy cups with the silicone spouts. Both of my boys preferred these. We continued giving bottles in the morning & right before bed for a few months then replaced the morning bottle with a sippy cup for a few months. We replaced the night time bottle at 18 months.

Lorena - posted on 04/29/2010

With my first i couldn't get her off the bottle till she was 2 1/2, but with my second as soon as she started got her first 4 teeth i took away the bottle and introduced the soft tip sippy cup and she didn't like it at fist but then got used to it, i think the soft tip helps with the transiton and make sure its not a fast flow sometimes that upsets them too. That's what worked for me hopefully it helps someone else

Amy - posted on 04/29/2010

Either get rid of them slowly or go cold turkey.... if you go the slower route, get rid of the one you think he'd be least bothered by first, and then whichever one he likes the most is last to go. Maybe give him OJ in a sippy when he wakes up instead of his milk for instance... you may have to deal with him being unhappy at first - just remember that if he gets upset and you give in, you set the tone for him thinking that is all he'll have to do to get it back next time. my first was tough about this, but eventually he just forgot about bottles and started drinking the milk from the cup i offered him. he loved the big boy cup (open) at meal time too - that helped a lot! good luck!

Arti - posted on 04/29/2010

For my daughter, who is now 3, we introduced the sippy cup early at about 3 months with room temperature boiled water so she could a feel for it, she stopped using the bottle by 10 months on her own and was using a cup to drink milk by the time she was 12 months old. I think, not positive was the early introduction, we are trying it with my 6 month old and we will see how it works.

You could also try to make it a no choice situation, when my brother was little my mom pretended that the garbage truck took it away (my brother was in love with garbage trucks) and he had no choice but to drink from the cup. The bottles were all hidden so he must have really thought the garbage truck took his bottles away.

Nancy - posted on 04/29/2010

I had my daughter off the bottle at 1 year old. For her I just stopped giving it to her and she was ok with it. All babies are different and are ready for things on their own schedule. I could suggest trying to take away the bottle except at night. Only give it at bedtime for now and see how it goes. Try maybe putting a little strawberry syrup with it in a sippy cup to entice the use of the cup. I would have to ask if he uses a pacifier? This could offer a little comfort. Good luck. It can be very frustrating but is well worth it in the end.

Megan - posted on 04/29/2010

I definetely agree that the sippy cup you are using can make all the difference, experiment.

Lisa - posted on 04/29/2010

I took the bottle from my twins at a year old and got lucky that we didn't have a problem. My sister on the other hand is having so much issues with taking her little one that's 17 mth's off so my boyfriend suggested letting her use a straw since she loves drinking from one and so far so good. Good luck to you!!

Amy - posted on 04/29/2010

My daughter was about 18 months when we switched her over. Similar to the other children in other posts here, my daughter took to the soft rubbery top sippies better than the hard top. We got lucky that she had latched onto a name for the bottle- a "nummy bottle," and we were able to transition that name in a little by calling her sippies "nummy cups." She initially felt frustrated by the change and told us one day, "NO nummy cups- Mary wants a NIPPLE!" But we stayed calm and reminded her that there were no more bottles, only cups. After an initial fit or two she would usually take the cup because she was thirsty. It helped that she was really thirsty when we offered it.

Megan - posted on 04/29/2010

My doctor told me to just stop altogether at a year of age, to one day just have it be none existent. It worked great and she never cared. I plan on doing it the same way with my daughter that is 10 and half months. Is there bottles in view? I would try to clean your house out if so and give it a couple of days.

Mel - posted on 04/29/2010

My daughters are turning 3 this may they only have a bottle when theyre about to go to bed and then thats it ..they dont have any bottle in the morning or afternoon ..they awesome drinking from sippy cups or just from a cup ...now i just have to figure out how to get rid of the nightime bottle :(

Erin - posted on 04/29/2010

I got my son switched at 2 years and my daughter at a year old, I just took all the bottles and threw them out - it sounds harsh I know, but they'll get thirsty enough that they will drink out of the sippy cup, and same as Shelby - I told them the cups were for babies and got a cup with their favorite characters on it - My son loves Cars - so he got a lightning mcqueen cup. It worked for us anyway

Nikki - posted on 04/29/2010

One thing that works is just snipping the tip off the nipples and telling your child that they are broken and can't be fixed. Then offer a sippy cup that "isn't broken". It worked for a friend of mine and I also used it for my own. Make sure you put away all bottles so they don't find them or see any at home. Good luck!

Bonnie - posted on 04/29/2010

To soften the transition a little, take him and let him choose his own cup from the store shelves, that way he has some control over the situation and then go cold turkey. You may still need to listen to the crying, but remind him that he is a big boy and he chose his own cup and that is what you expect him to drink from.

Melinda - posted on 04/29/2010

I took my daughter off the bottle when she was 13 months old. It was hard the first couple of weeks. But she got past it. She loves her sippy cup now. Ignore the tantrums. Stay firm on not giving him/her a bottle at any point. One slip up or saying okay maybe just this once will start the process all over again. Good luck =^)

Lucy - posted on 04/29/2010

just take it away. eventually he will drink from a cup. i took all 3 of my girls off the bottle at 10 mos which was great and easy bcuz when they were walking and talking all the knew was the cup

Tricia - posted on 04/29/2010

My Son is 16 months old now and he got off the bottle cold turkey about 3 weeks ago. He has gotten water in a sippy cup for a few months so he was aware of and fairly used to the sippy cup already. The doctor recommended cold turkey...he was fussy for the first day or two but now he is great with it. The soft tip nubby cups from Walmart are great! It was really only hard on him for the first 48 hours! I wanted to ween him off of it but the doctor was very persistent on cold turkey so we tried it and it was easier then I thought! Cold turkey worked great...out of sight out of mind!! Now I don't even think he remembers the bottle :)

Shannon - posted on 04/29/2010

I got my son off a bottle by 7 months by using Gerber's transition cup which had a soft top rather than a hard plastic one

Wendy - posted on 04/29/2010

I took my little one off the bottle at 6 months. She didnt like it at first but when she was thirsty enough, she took it because there was no bottle. Reagan took to the cup with in a day or 2. now at age two is she drinking from a regular cup at home, and s sippy cup when we are away.

Stephanie - posted on 04/29/2010

Angi- a 6 month old on a sippy cup? Why so early???

Sandra - posted on 04/29/2010

i stopped giving bottle to my daughter when she was 1 yr 3 months she had got a gastric flu and therfore couldn't take any "normal" milk. i grabbed the chance and begun to give her the milk orderd from the doctor in a sippy. but i had the same experience as you. then i tought of using a plastic cup which has a cap and a straw and it did work but i made it clear to her that she has to drink it in a sitting position and some rules. ( i had a few spills every now and then but that's how they learn ) so i suggest try a sraw instead of the sippy and see how he react, you need to give him some chance to learn how to drink trough it.

Caroline - posted on 04/29/2010

As luck would have it my son got sick at 14 months with a stomach bug and he went several days without milk as a result, so when he was feeling better I gave him his milk in a cup and never looked back. I figured that it was the best time to make the transition and he never put up a fuss. So it all worked out.

Crystal - posted on 04/29/2010

None of my children would take milk out of a sippy either.. Whats the deal with that? The Dr. told me try putting water in the bottle and that they would learn that only water came in the bottle and they would give in to Mr. sippy..

Annette - posted on 04/29/2010

I see a lot of moms sugguesting the nuby sippy cup it kind of acts like a bottle. The only reason why he wont drink is bc bottles hide the taste of milk in their mouths. You should try giving him nestle chocolate milk with 25% less sugar and has all these vitamins in it, the strawberry kind does to, you can do this until he turns two and then switch to regular milk so he doesn't get used to chocolate or strawberry. My daughter would spit out the milk all the time bc she cld taste it, well hiding the taste works best for me. I hope it will work best for you! GOOD luck!

Rachel - posted on 04/29/2010

i know it is hard, my daughter was the same way. my doctor suggested to just do juice out of the sippy and supliment with cheese and yogurts and other sources of calcium first. then give him the sippy with milk and see how it goes. if he still refuses dont give him another option. he will eventually get thirsty enough and drink his milk from his sippy.

Claudia - posted on 04/29/2010

My daughter was 12 months old when I took her off the bottle. I just tried to give her water, milk, or juice in the sippy cup during the day so she would forget about the bottle. At night time she will ask for the bottle and wouldn't want the sippy. After a while she needed her milk so she will take the sippy cup.

Michelle - posted on 04/29/2010

Have you tried the different sippy cups? I made them have a sippy cup all day then they got it at night. Then I took that that. But mine were off the bottle around a yr old. The last one still had his Binky at that time. My other 2 did not but I don't remember them giving me a problem after the first few nights.
Every child is different good luck.

Angi - posted on 04/29/2010

My toddler breastfed and never took a pacifier or bottle. at 6 mo. we gave her a sippie with water or breastmilk. Now she is almost three and I am still trying to get her off of sippie cups. She uses big girl cups at home and we take a sippie with us if we go out. Now my 6 mo old now will take a bottle if I am not around. I am trying her on a sippie cup now.

Amy - posted on 04/29/2010

both my children were 9month old when i got rid of bottles, i would just throw them away , if there not there he can moan all he likes but you cant give in!!!, try a plastic cup, my son could drink from a normal cup at 8 month!, he has his milk in a sippy cup , he didnt like them , only when we bought the cheapest style would he take it x good luck x

Sandy - posted on 04/29/2010

I don't know what kind of cup you are using, but NUK makes a soft spouted sippy cup. It's rubbery like a bottle nipple. My son liked it. I started introducing the cup to him when he was about 8 months. By the time he was a year, he was using the regular Playtex cups. I gave all his bottles away right after that.

Mos - posted on 04/29/2010

My oldest had strong attachment to her bottle too. I found these Nuby sippies from Walmart that she was willing to take. They have a soft silicone top similar to the feel of bottle nipples. She was willing to take those. Then we slowly made the transition to straw sippies then onto regular cups. I found with all 4 of my kids that it's easier to introduce milk in a sippy at meal time. Instead of giving them water, I gave them milk. So they got 4-6 ounces with every meal, if not slightly more. I hope this helps.

Stephanie - posted on 04/29/2010

I only read a few of the posts before I commented but now that I've read more I wanted to say how great it is that so many of you realize that babies need to suck to sooth and comfort themselves. Very smart Mommas! : )

Stephanie - posted on 04/29/2010

My kids are 2 and 3 years old and still take a bottle at night. They only take one milk bottle when it's time to wind down and read a story, say prayers, etc., then they go to bed...but not with the bottle. I brush their teeth before bed every night. I haven't even really considered taking the bottles from them bc I don't see it as unhealthy or a big deal. They'll naturally pull away from it when they're ready. I think taking a bottle away at 9 months is very drastic. At 9 months the baby is still a baby! And needs formula or breast milk so why take the bottle away so soon. Sucking is a natural relaxant for a baby- they need to be able to do that to sooth themselves. They aren't yet old enough to process what stresses them and sucking is their outlet. No offense to the moms who did this, it's just for me and my kids that wouldn't be right. I feel like that is way way over the top.

Michelle - posted on 04/29/2010

hi i have 3 girls and the oldest two had theirs till they were three and then williinly gave it to santa at xmas mine never really had dummies or blankies so bottles were their comfort i id hate to take that away my youngest is 18months she has a bottle in the morning and nite and sippy cups during the day all my girls have lovely white teeth.

Kim - posted on 04/29/2010

my son is 2 yrs 5 months he has a night bottle still it relaxes him and puts him into a better sleep, when I cut out the day ones i just simply said no he also got upset but i just did not give in, i then found a bottle in boots that was a tippee that looks like it had a straw but was still a bottle texture so i put juice in that and left it on side and told him big boys can have drinks whenever they want and that seemed to work

Allison - posted on 04/29/2010

I wouldn't push the child to stop the bottle. Do some research on a child's need to suck and then decide the best age.

Sarah - posted on 04/28/2010

My 9 month old is already weaned onto a straw cup (i use generic sterilite straw cups because icould squeeze the cup to help him learn the sucking technique). I only give him a bottle at night when he wakes up. I found that putting something in the straw cup made him want to suck and learn how to use it. You could try juices or thin milkshakes. Straws are best for the teeth also. But i also did that for my now 3 1/2 year old daughter around 9 months as well. good luck!

Kaila - posted on 04/28/2010

Hi Suzanne! My youngest just turned 2 and just kicked the habit. She would take a sippy all day but 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night, she wanted a "bobby".



I started the weaning process by reducing the amount to the 4oz Playtex disposables so that she gradually learned how to soothe herself without the sucking action (she never took a pacifier). Then when I ran out of the last 50 liners, I just stuck to my guns. Continually offering her a cup instead. We had a rough few days but nothing horrible. She did like throwing the cups at me, but then I was able to distract her with storytime or rocking.



I think it's mostly a habit thing which is just as hard on us as it is for them. If you really want to switch just do it cold turkey and he'll get thirsty at some point. That's why I put her to bed with the cup. I figured if she was thirsty, she'd cave in, drink and learn to like it and guess what? She did!



I also just want to add that out of 3 kids, she was the hardest. All kids are different. Only you know your child. I wouldn't let anyone make you feel bad because we ALL do things differently. And as long as you're keeping up on his oral hygiene (brushing and flossing), he'll be just fine :)

Elissa - posted on 04/28/2010

I am having the same problem, and I am concerned it is effecting his teeth. My son has total melt down and screaming tantrums anyone have any suggestions? I have tried a sippy cup with no luck. Thanks!

Katie - posted on 04/28/2010

My daughter loved her "babas", After she was one, I cut her breakfast and snack bottles out, and only gave her a cereal one for dinner, a while after she was able to eat more finger foods i only gave her a baba at night if she woke up, and replaced her dinner drink with a sippy of whole milk. I found that she doesn't like plain milk at all, so she gets chocolate milk, which i am not proud of, but it gets her to drink a gallon of milk of week. In your situation seeing as how your toddle is a little older, I would cut one out at a time, start with afternoon, after that breakfast, and then dinner. I hope this helps.

Mary - posted on 04/28/2010

my son is almost 2 and he only has a bottle to go to bed, and i dont see him getting off that bottle, dont worry if he is really starving he wont refuse food, eventually they just give up and eat the food

Jasmine - posted on 04/28/2010

when my daughter was a year she didnt have a hard time adjusting to sippy cups. she actually liked them better then bottles. & she threw her bottles away in the garbage herself. & theres some sippy cups that are soft so you should try them out to see how he takes it. and little by little see if he likes the hard ones.

Melina - posted on 04/28/2010

I took both my kids ffthe bottle at 5 months... however I did nurse them for a year. and I think that makes a difference.

Sarah - posted on 04/28/2010

my daughter was 10 months when i got her off the bottle, she just kept on wanting everything out of a cup like we did, and she took right to her sippy cup...i guess my husband and i are just lucky...we tested it took away her bottle and she never wanted it back...

Lucinda - posted on 04/28/2010

I can't really help cause I never put my son on a bottle! My parents waited with me though till I threw it out of the crib then just never gave it back! I know children give things up in their own time so try not to push to hard! Good luck

Sheila - posted on 04/28/2010

as soon as my son would take a sippy with a soft nipple, we took him off the bottle. he was completely off the bottle at 7 months. and shortly after his 1st birthday i started only giving him a few morning sippies, and one sippy before bedtime. during the day, i would space out different types of liquid to give him. he turned 2 in february, and now all the gets as far as milk sippies, is in the morning with breakfast, and sometimes in the evening with supper

Melinda - posted on 04/28/2010

My son was taking soft top sippy cups around 6mo and was completely off bottle around 9 months cause i didn't want him to become attached to it. On the flip side, he had his pacifier until 2years 7months when he told me he was done. honestly if he feels he still needs it and wants it. I don't think its fair to take it away. Dr. give advice we hire them while what they say is definetly important i always take it with a grain of salt. He won't go to kindergarten with it. try to find a way to make getting sippys exciting or rewarding and not work.

D - posted on 04/28/2010

My daughter made the switch somewhere between 12 and 15 months. We started out by changing the morning bottle. She was most hungry then, so would take whatever she could get. We tried many, many different cups until we finally tried a straw. She did much better with the straw cups than the sippy cups. Good luck!

Kris - posted on 04/28/2010

I was pretty lucky I guess cause my daughter was off the bottle at 16 months when we moved her into a big girl toddler bed. What we did was we told her that big girls that sleep in a big girl bed drinks out of a big girl cup, and se started off with the ones that have the plastic nipple, or the cup with the straw that they suck out of and went from there. You can try that, but make sure you ween him off the bottle and not do it cold turkey. Start off by giving him a bottle only when he goes to bed aor takes a nap, and during the day try giving a cup to him and if he throws a fit them let him and if he is the type to throw him self down on the floor then put the cup in front of him and walk away.

Good Luck
Kris

Coriana - posted on 04/28/2010

I have recently takin my just turned 2yr old son off the bottle cold turkey. I hated it as he used it as a comforter an would walk around sucking on it empty as well, he also would go to sleep drinking his bottle. I was so ready to give in on the 2nd night but i didn't an just stayed calm through the 3hours it would take for him to drift off. I thought he would never get over it, well its been 8 days now and he hasn't asked for his bottle for 4 days and has gone to sleep on his own for the last 5 nights. He still has his milk before bed but I give it to him in a glass an he sits on the couch an has it. Just stick it out, because they will give in, its just breaking there routine and habits. Stay strong and YOUR the BOSS!!!!

Staci - posted on 04/28/2010

I took my children off the bottle at 12 months. The first cup they got was from Walmart and it was a called Nuby. They seemed to like it better than the bottle.