Going from four to three bottles & from bottles to sippy cups?

Mistik - posted on 06/23/2010

Yup, an extra meal will cut out a bottle. Sippy cups are soooo different. If one does not work, try a different brand. Also, offer juice in a sippy cup only. They usually prefer juice and will do the extra work for it. I have started sippy cup with my 6 month olds and sometimes we do good, others not so...don't give up, always reintroduce and try again.

Monica - posted on 06/23/2010

3 meals a day with a snack or two, bottle in the morning, naptime and bedtime. Sippy cups with meals, water or diluted juice. You should have no problem making both changes at the same time.

Once they are able to drink well from the sippy cup, start substituting it with milk for one of the bottle times (probably mid day first would be easiest). This can be given at the regular bottle time or at the closest meal. Then drop another bottle, whichever you think would be easiest. For us we gave up the bedtime bottle last.

Candyce - posted on 06/23/2010

nope i have 1.5 yr old twins and i just switched to the sippy cups with handles. and they changed over well, i put a lil bit of peanut butter on the spout so they'd have to suck a bit to get the idea, hope i helped

Melissa - posted on 06/19/2010

i dont have twins (wish i did tho & had boy/girl twins) but introuced the sippy cup to my daughter when she was almost 7 months old & she did great with it so i took the bottles away for good when my daughter was 7 months old also my daughter was about 8 months old when she was introduced to the straw by her God Father & she did great & so i'd buy her the tiny juice boxes they have at walmart with 6 in a pack that has clifford on the juice box.

Kathryn - posted on 06/19/2010

My twins turned one on May 14, and have not had a bottle since just after their birthday.
Because they couldn't grasp the concept of tilting the sippy cup, I found the straw cups to be amazing for us. I just held the straw with my thumb blocking the end, holding the liquid in it, and put it in their mouths. As I let me thumb go, they quickly realized that there was something yummy in there, and began to suck frantically. Speech therapists also say that going right to a straw is great for oral development!
As per meals throughout the day, my kids wake up and eat their breakfast (infant cereal with a side of cut fruit) with a cup on milk in the straw sippy cup. An hour later I give them yogurt/cereal mixed as a snack. After their 1st nap, they wake up and have a small snack (Cheerios, cheese, fruit... whatever!) and a straw sippy of water, and then about an hour later, I feed them their lunch (Either something I've made, or a full jar of baby food for 12mos+, with a side of cut fruit) with their milk again in a straw cup. After their afternoon nap, they are given another snack with water, and an hour later they'll eat dinner, which combines what they ate for breakfast and lunch as per quantity (cereal, full jar of baby food, cut fruit, yogurt and their milk in a straw cup). As part of their "nightnight" routine, I give them yogurt mixed with cereal and a straw sippy of milk after their bath and have them brush their teeth in their high chair after their snack... Then they walk behind me to their room for a story and off to bed they go.
We do this routine every day... I cut one bottle out each day, replacing it with the straw cup. The last one I cut out was what I thought would be the hardest, the night night bottle. My kids didn't even notice... I took all the bottles and dropped them off at the Women's Interval Home and no longer have even one in the house!
As hard as you think it'll be, they likely won't react as badly to it as you think. Basically at one they can be eatign the same type meal schedule as you are!

Rina - posted on 06/18/2010

Hi
My twin boys will be turning 1 on July 8th, so not far behind you. I find it easier to have time stamps when I ask help for these kind of questions, so I hope this can help.
My current schedule at this stage;
6.30am or 6.45amish - b'feed
7.30am - b'fast solid (water is available if still thirsty)
11.30am - lunch solid (water is available and they drink it)
12.30pm - milk (I used to b'feed them here but I had to ween them off to prepare them for day care, so they're on formula for this feed)
2.30pm - afternoon snack (yogurt with fruit and biscuits)
5.30pm - dinner solid with water
6.30pm - b'feed to sleep
and they sleep through for me (now). The above works for us and the only fluctuating time is generally the 2.30pm and is all dependant on if they're still sleeping but this is their snack time. I think though my boys have an inbuilt clock coz they would always whinge close to any of the feeding times above.
They also still have two sleeps a day for me.
Hope this helps.

Beth - posted on 06/17/2010

immediately start offering more smallish snacks, i assume they are on full soft foods now right? no more premade baby foods?
if they are still on baby foods , thats most likely why they prefer bottles, baby food is bland , and not very interesting
and yes sippy at the same time is fine , my kids all started on sippy cups once they hit 8-9 months, no more laying down with bottles, youre are older , but still ,the only thing from a bottle is formula or milk and only when laying down near you , to prepare to sleep ..
now its been going on for a while , so theres bound to be transition frustration , but should be manageable

Laura - posted on 06/17/2010

my two will be 1 next weds...add a meal but dont rely on what books etc tell you, you know your kids...my 2 eat 3 meals a day have 2 snacks but can still drink 4 bottles a day....it doesnt bother me i think the kids will tell you when theyre ready x

Jocelyn - posted on 06/17/2010

My twins turned 1 in April and until the week after their birthday they still had 4 bottles a day. What I did to cut out bottles was first got them used to sippy cups with meals. Usually water, sometimes juice/water mix. I would also start giving them 3 meals a day since once the bottles are gone, regular food is the main thing. My boys got bottles after every nap so instead of giving them a bottle I just gave them a sippy. I started out by holding them like I would've with a bottle and eventually I was able to just hand it to them and they'd walk away drinking it. I did this with 1 of the mid-day bottles first for 2 days, then did the other mid-day. After about a week I took the am bottle away. They took the transition really well. I usually fed them about an hour after a bottle but now they get about 1/2 as much milk from the cup and a meal or snack soon after.
They are 14 mos and we still do a bed time bottle and will do so for a while b/c we are very dependent on it!
Some people think cold turkey is better for getting off a bottle but I couldn't do it. If I were you I would (if they aren't already) get them used to a sippy. Once they can drink from it take one of the mid-day bottles and replace it with a sippy with 1/2 milk 1/2 formula (if they aren't used to milk yet). I would really start working with them on "real" food and 3 meals as well. Then you can slowly (or quickly) take the bottles away. My boys did really well doing it this way so maybe it'll work for you too! Good luck

Ashley - posted on 06/16/2010

My boys are 15 months but 11 months adjusted. I feed them 3 meals, one snack, and just recently to homo milk. They still wake up at night. I give them there milk in a sippy cup at each meal. My one twin loves it and the other not so much. Consistensy! And if he wants more than 3 bottles, give him water after!

Colette - posted on 06/16/2010

My two will be one on July 9th, I feed them 3 meals a day and a snack. They only get 3 bottles a day. Working hard on the sippy cups but this isn't working well for me

Jamie - posted on 06/16/2010

Oh and for the sippy cups. You can introduce it to them and see how they do. Try to introduce it several times a day.

Jamie - posted on 06/16/2010

I agree with Heather. I would add a meal!

Heather - posted on 06/15/2010

U should add in another meal that you feed them. Feed them food at breakfast lunch and dinner. thats how i got my daughter down in formula intake/bottle. U could always ask ur doctor sometimes they have good suggestions.