14 Mth Old Still on Bottle and Drinking Formula

Hey there : ) I feel for you, my son resisted going from formula to milk, too. BUT you have to remember... YOU are the parent and YOU are in charge. And as hard as it may be you need to set the rules, with love and compassion of course, but it does need to be done. She may not like it, and she may throw a fit, but truth of the matter is she will get hungry and she will eat/drink when she needs to. But if you keep giving her the bottle and formula she won't ever go for the food or milk... becuase she knows if she cries enough you'll give in. My son's pediatrician said to go cold turkey, to throw out all the bottles at once. But I had a hard time with that. So I weened him off of the bottles. I gave him a bottle when he woke up in the morning, then 3 meals of food during the day and a bottle at night, before bed. After a week or 2 of that I got rid of the morning bottle and not soon after that the night time bottle. And you know what? He didn't even miss it. In fact, HE was the one who decided he was done with them... one night after only 3 ounces he spit it out and was done. No more bottles.

Now for getting him used to whole milk... I had to slowly introduce it to him. The doctor suggested mixing half and half (formula and milk) and giving it to him in his cup. Eventually, mix less formula and more milk until its all milk. My son wasn't into the cup either, not did he like the milk... he's spit it at me. lol... but after a while he got used to both and now he likes them. You just need to be consistant, as with anything in parenting. Even if they don't like it, repetition will always win over. Just be committed to making the change and do it so that its comfortable for you (like me not throwing out all of the bottles at once). Consistancy is SO important. Be strong and trust that you can do it!! Good luck! I'm a single mom, too, and it IS tough.... but you and I both know that it is SOOOOO worth it : ) You can do this and she will be just fine. She'll adjust to the changes, trust me. She may fight it, but it will happen. We as parents have to do whats best for our children and its not always whats easiest. They won't always be happy with our choices, but we know what's best for them right now. So get a plan/routine going and stick with it. It will pay off. Take care!

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My son is 16 months today. And I still have him on formula (NEXT STEP)too. And still on a bottle. He only takes his juice in a regular plastic cup. He hates the sippy cups. I've tried different ones. But he rather drink it from a regular plastic cup. I figured he sees us drinking from a cup or glass, so he wants the same.Well the reason why I chose to continue with the fromula was because I tried giving him whole milk when he turned 12 months. And he did not want to take it. I even tried mixing the formula in it. He is not a picky eater. He eats very well and still continous to take his naps. And sleep through the night. But the problem is that we are always out. And he still takes 6 to 8 oz. every three hours like still an infant. And when his hungry he lets the whole world know(lol!).
I told his Doctor when he had his 15 month check up about him still taking formula. And he said your spoiling him, eventually if his that hungry and knows there is whole milk in the bottle he'll take it. And also said if you have the money to spend on formula it's up to you. And about the teeth and bottle. I have a 14 yr old son too. That did not want to leave the bottle until he started pre-k. And he never had any problems with his teeth. And until now never had a cavity (KNOCK ON WOOD). But, also I never gave him a bottle before
bed time, or juice in a bottle. And I do the same with my 16 month old.

Hi try the nibby i think they are called they are soft tip sippy cups that simulate the nipple texture and start easing her off the formula by less fomula and whole milk mixture that is what i had to do with my son and he was bottle broke in 2 weeks

Im no sure what your daughter eats, but one thing I did to get her used to milk was moistening some cheerios with the milk, Adding a little more every week or so until their bodies can handle it, I know at first she was a little constipated, but some warmed up apple juice did the trick. My daughter loves the chocolate soy milk, you should try a little in a sipper cup. I personally cant stand to see those 4 year old kids walking around with bottles, so as soon as she could eat baby foods, I was giving formula to her in a sipper cup that I would hold up for her until she figured out what to do with it. The take'n'toss cups worked the best for starting out for me, I personally dont like the nubbies, but others seem to love them. Try the see-through cups, they like to see the liquid swirling around in there. I dont see anything wrong with putting her formula in her sipper cup, as long as she doesnt have the formula available to her all the time, I always have one with water available, You just want to get her used to the idea of using a cup, I save the juice and milk for meals so I dont have to worry about sticky spills. You could water down the bottle little by little until its all water and have the sippy cup with the regular formula/milk in it. If all else fails, just take the bottle away from her, its alot harder for you than it is for her, and she wont remember the bottle in a couple days, Stay strong, Good luck!

I switched my son to milk by starting with putting some milk into his formula bottle and then gradually I would put one less scope of formula and add a little more milk. As well, I started a couple of days in replacing the water for the formula with milk. This made it so that the milk is some what masked by the formula and then you lessen the amount of formula gradually so she is less likely to notice the difference. You may start reducing it by just reducing each one by half a scope every couple of days, once she has readjusted to it. Another thing is that if at first she refuses let her go a little while without it, so of course use a daytime or morning bottle to do this instead of a nighttime bottle. She will get thirsty after a while of playing and is likely to just take it because its what is given to her again. Put it in the fridge and it should be fine. As for the sippy cup thing I don't have any advice because my son was easy on switching. I just gave it to him when he ate and then fnally just stopped having the bottles available and he used the sippy cup because that was what he had to do. I don't know if that will work with a child who doesn't want to take the sippy cup at all.

I just started giving my son milk and dairy products. He is on Alimentum formula (against my wishes, but that's another story) I am weaning him by making some formula and adding in some milk to it. Right now, since we are starting, it is 2oz milk to 6oz formula...if you work it slow, she may not know the difference. Every 3 or 4 days change the make up of the formula and when you get to a full bottle of milk, she will probably never know the difference. Tristen didn't even flinch when we gave him one.

As for using a bottle, Tristen still uses 2 or 3 throughout the day. He has long since been wanting something before bed time, but we usually make sure he has something not too long before then because he is a very, very good sleeper. As of this moment, I think I'm going to have to wake him up because he's been asleep for about 12 hours. Offer the sippy cup whenever you can. Just sit it down near her, or leave it where she can reach it. Babies our kids' age are very curious and she will check it out when she is ready. I am concerned about dental issues as well, and what you can do to alleviate some concerns is go to the baby's r us or something similar nearby and find the best orthodontic rubber nipples for the bottles you use, and do your best not to send her to bed with a bottle or pacifier.

Hope this helps!
M. M.

It might seem harsh but if they get thirsty enough they will drink whatever you give them and it may be hard for you at first but it won't take long to break from the bottle and the formula if you commit yourself. I have two girls who are 4 and 2, i found that getting a sippy cup that has a sipper that is the same texture as a nipple really helps to ease the transition from bottle to sippy. The picky eating is sometimes caused by not letting your child experiment with all kinds of foods, even if you don't like it you should let her try it and be enthusiastic about it. I find it kind of hard to give advice because most of the time the people don't want to hear it but i do have two kids who transitioned easily from bottle to sippy and neither are picky eaters. Hope this helps :)

Hi N.!!!
I read your recent request.... have you tried to slowly make the transition by mixing both formula with milk??? This worked for my daughter.... I continued to mix formula with milk for about a week and was able to totally switch from formula to whole milk. Best wishes!!!
S.

Your daughter isn't ready yet. Our pediatrician says to wean from the bottle by 2. You still have 10 months. We tried to switch our daughter earlier and she wasn't ready. I chose to feed her next step until her 2nd birthday for ths vitamins and nutrition. Closer to 2 start mixing half and half. The nuby sippy's were the best to transition I thought and amazingly it took us 2 days when she was ready we started a few weeks before her 2nd birthday. Keep trying the juice during the day. I started leaving a water sippy out all the time and she would take it when she was thirsty. Don't be in a rush, Your baby is still a baby believe it or not and needs that comfort for a while longer. Good luck

My youngest son was 2 years when I had him throw out is bottles. It really works.

I wouldnt worry too much about her still drinking from a bottle.Ive never seen a 12 year old drinking from a bottle.Have you?I would just keep offering the sippy cup with something other than the formula.You dont want to keep the same formula habit in another container.Sometimes,kids will treat a sippy cup like a bottle and suck on it constantly.So beware of that.Try putting half formula and half regular milk and slowly let her get used to the taste without her relizing it.The last thing is you might have to be firm and just say no and stick to it.She will cry,scream and throw a fit but eventually get over it.GOOD LUCK!!

This is what I would do in your situation. Try mixing the formula with some milk and then increase the milk and decrease the formula. Wean her down slowly until its all milk.

My DS was very impatient so I used it to my advantage. I would give him all his drinks in a sippy cup then when he asked for a bottle I made it a long drawn out process sometimes taking up to 10 min. to switch. He would get antsy and take the cup while waiting for me. Eventually I just tossed all the bottles and told him all drinks come in a cup. He has not had a bottle since he was 11mo old.

I would also work more with solid and table foods she should only drink about 24oz of milk or formula a day. I used to make a nibble tray for my DS. I would cut up different foods and put them in a muffin tin and let him eat out of the compartments. I stole the idea from Dr. Sears. I put it on his highchair at meals and I served one protein, one veggie, one fruit, one grain, dairy product and sometimes a dip. It worked and he now enjoys a variety of foods. I would feed him 3 main meals and 2 snacks per day(all healthy foods we limit junk food in our home)

These are just some ideas that I put together for my son and they happended to work each child is different and if you are truly concerned about eating ad her teeth talk to her doctor they may have some good ideas too.

Hi N. -
No worries. My son is 2 1/2 and still drinks three bottles per day...we feed him organic soy milk. I think a bottle is fine and won't mess up teeth...eventually they grow out of it. I'd try combining the formula with soy or milk and put less formula in over time. Gradually changing the flavor will be effective. Good luck! - L.

It is true the milk from the bottle will hurt your child's teeth and so will milk from a sippy cup. It is up to the parent(s) to properly brush their children's teeth either with a toothbrush or a wet cloth after each feeding. This will help prevent the sugary substance left on your child's teeth. If you seriously want to get rid of the bottles, put water in the bottles and milk in the sippy cups.

Hope this helps!

We waited way to long to take my son off his bottle! He would take a cup but boy did he want his "ba"! My aunt told me the best thing for me to do was give him a cup with milk, juice, or whatever it may be, and then give him a bottle with only water in it! Make that the only choice! cup with some thing good and a bottle with only water!! It has been over a week with out the bottle for us!! My son still will not take milk! But the doctor said thats okay just give him other dairy products but make sure he is drinking other things! Hope that helps! As for the milk problem try other milks, as in soy and things like that! My son is on lactaid!

Maybe if you get rid of all the bottles and anything to do with bottles, and either take her to the store to pick out a special new cup, or put a few new and different cups in the cupboard, and then when she wants something to drink. Have her pick one out, and take her through the whole process, even have her 'help' you pour.

As for the bottle thing slowly get rid of them. Yeah it sounds harsh but try regular 2% milk. She's looking for the bottle. Dont give in. give her a few ounces of formula if need be but not inthe sippy cup because she knows that that stuff oges in the bottle and then no more offer the sippy cup of milk. You will never starve your child. She will eat or she will sleep cause she is upset that you broke the cycle of the bottle. in her sippy cup for bed put milk in it. I mean if she really wants it she will drink it and it will kind solve it self. She will learn to accept the sippy cup on her own terms just like we accept change on our own terms. hang in there mom it will be alright. R.

My son can't tolerate whole milk so my pediatrician requested I try rice milk. That has worked wonders. My son can drink it and it will actually stop the bowel problem that he has. I personally don't like the taste but my son drinks the vanilla flavored(RICE DREAM). It has the same properties as whole milk like the calcium and protein it just does not have Lactose. The doctor preferred he drink this over the SOY milk due to he contorversy of the soy milk. I personally think the rice milk taste a little like the formula my self. It has a powdery feeling to it and it is very watery with the same fat content as whole milk. It is just a thought but I can only suggest it maybe your childs doctor can give you a little more input.
The other thing is if you take the formula away just get it out of the house keep offering her the milk and if she refuses it for a couple of days it is not going to hurt her not to have the milk as long as she is eating regular food. When my son has a cold they aways recommend holding of on the milk for a least 3-4 days until the congestion is gone. ( I currently live in Michigan so the congetion is never gone.LOL) Cant wait to get in the vegas heat... So that is always another option. My doctor always says you have to be in control other wise your children will do this for everything they dont like even as they get older. You have to train them now to like things they are just testing our boundries. Don't worry I haven't figured that out yet either.( My 3 yr old son still crawls into my bed every night now I can't fall asleep until he gets in) that is a whole different conversation but I know how hard it is to change their minds.

Well I hope this helps! Myson has been drinking rice milk since he was a little over one and he turns 3 this week. We had his check yesterday and h is growing just fine. In fact he is in the 75th percentile of height and weight so it obviosly did not effect his growing by any means.
T.

I know it seems cruel, but take the bottle away.
My best friend had a similar problem with her son.
He would not sleep at night without his bottle.
I told her to throw away the bottles in the house to reduce temptation.
Buy a few different type of sippy cups. The ones I found worked for my picky daughter is the ones with the soft wide straws....Nubby makes one, I believe parent's choice also makes one.
My daughter was the same way with the bottle. But once she took to the sippy cup everything was good. She did have at least one BIG tantrum, but they get over it. I know my daughter was happy to have a pretty cup.

Also if you don't believe the bottle will cause problems....you are wrong!! My son who is autistic was on the bottle until 3 1/2. He is now 9 yrs old and his teeth are so bucked. I can't even ever get braces for him, because I know he would not tolerate it. He had been using an orthrodontic pacifier too!

Hi N.! I never thought I would ever ever bottle feed my child...I did. I didn't have a clue how it even worked. So, when I was at his well baby check up before his first birthday and his very critical doc told me 1 year he was to stop with the bottle...I did it. It was about 2 weeks after his birthday. I slowly narrowed it down one bottle at a time. I replaced the bottle with a sippy cup no matter how much he cried, (really hard to do but well worth it). I replaced the formula with a water bottle too. So, at night he had a bottle all night long for the sucking and the comfort but it was just water. I gave him one bottle of formula right before bed. The doc said that was fine. During the day we had a lot of fussing but after less than a week he realized if he was thirsty he would have to use a cup. I got him new sippy cups to start. Fun ones. Straws, charactors, ones that make sounds. I use a water bottle with a straw that he loves so I got him one like mine too. It was really frustrating at first but I was so consistant and determined that it worked. I was really proud afterward. Just plan to have a rough week or two. You know she's not going to be 15 and still using a bottle. I wish you a very easy transition.

Hello,
Have you tried mixing both the milks? Little by little just add more of the regular milk. Also, with one of my daughters that loved her bottle I just got fed up one day after her Dr. Apt. and went home and threw the bottles away. She had one bad night and after that she was fine. Took a cup for everything and forgot all about the bottle. I have 6 kids so I have tried just about everything, but I hope one of these Ideas works for you! Good luck!
M.

My oldest daughter who is 5 yrs old now was on the bottle till she was 18 months old.. and her teeth isnt messed up.. Have u tried the regular milk? like vitamin D? Also try to see if shes ready to throw one away.. bottle that is... I did that with my daughter I let her throw the first one away and say Bye Bye to it.. and that worked for her.... Since then we never went back to bottles...

What I did to wean my oldest was to slowly dilute the formula. Like I would put 7/8 formula and 1/8 milk. Then after about 4 days 6/8 formula and 2/8 milk until she ws drinking all milk.
Make one change at a time. Cutting off formula and switching to milk at the same time is too much change. Switch to milk first then work on moving from bottle to sippy cup.