Bottle Weaning

I know all the docs and books say no more bottle at 12 months but I would say go with what feels right and what is best for your child. When my son was 12 months we were traveling alot and moving around so there was no way I was going to stop. Only now that he is 2 (mind you we have been settledhere now for a year) have we stopped with the bottle. He still drinks milk in the morning and before nap and bedtime (not in bed so his teeth are fine) but we went and got 'special' milk cups and threw his bottles away so he uses those instead and I think becuase he was able to understand, he wasn't upset at all. If your daughter is really upset by it, let her have it and wait until you think she is ready or try in another month or so. As long as she is not going to sleep with her bottle, I don't see much of an issue.

E.,
My daughter just turned one on Jan 1st so I happen to wing her 3 weeks before her b-day. My son would get bottles morning, naptime, & bedtime but by 5 months for both my kids i had them drinking out of a double fisted sippy (the gerber ones) so all day they would have a sippy for water, juices.. etc.. but not formula. My son was very easy I just replaced his day bottles with a nuby cup (it has soft silicon so it's somewhat like a bottle but it's a sippy).. and gave him a bottle at night.. we had no prob. And by a year he was completely off the bottle even at night. As for my daughter..lol I went to give her a nuby during to the day to cut out the bottle and she would refuse it. But i didn't give in. I put the nuby down and i said 'well here's ur milk' i figured she'd drink it when she was ready and she did!! i did, however, hide all the bottles so she wouldn't seem them in the cupboard. it took about 3 days until she would actually take the nuby filled with milk from me. Other than that i would set it down and a low shelf and walk away. My sister-in-law had 3 kids and she did this. It's a new idea for them. i personally don't like the idea of a baby walking around with a bottle either. So put the nuby cup down w/ milk and walk away. Chances are they will pick it up b/c they know you won't give in. Remember it's all a test and power stuggle to see what they can and can't get you to do. It'll be a little crazy at first, but i wouldn't worry as long as they are getting enough fluids through the day with a sippy. They will eventually take the cup. Now her nuby is ONLY for milk and everything else is for juice and what not.. Soon i'll wing her from the nuby too and eventually put everything into a sippy! I wish you the best of luck!
M.

Hello E.! We took our son's bottle away at 12 months(he is 2 1/2 years now), I got him soft spout sippi cups(I think Gerber makes them and there is a Wal-mart brand)he did ok, he missed the bottle but it wasn't a huge battle sense his sippi cups had a soft spout. Good luck!

Sounds like you've already gotten a lot of great advice....my oldest(6y now)went with a bottle until he was about 15-16m. that's when my dr said he should be off of it by 18m. So I started weaning him...but seriously it was all in finding the right sippy...My next son(2y now)kinda just started taking sippy's around 15m. he had a lot of food issues back then I thought it'd be hard but playtex makes a soft spout and he went right to it....My youngest who is 8m. is already taking a sippy it's called Nuby and you can buy them real cheap at wal-mart or meijer's the spout is silicone like a nipple and is a great next transition...might want to try them....it's awsome!!!

Good Luck and God Bless,

S.

I know doctor's say to get rid of the bottle by the age 1 year, but I feel every child is different. What works for some doesn't always work for everyone. I kept my daughter on a bottle(using toddler formula), from the age 12 months to 24 months, one first thing in the morning and then another at bedtime. I never tried to offer formula in a sippy cup. I think this can confuse them. Leave formula for the bottle only. I'm sure by the age 2 she will be done with formula then you will no longer need a bottle. Only offer water, juice and certain things other than formula in a sippy cup. That way when you give them a sippy cup they will know what to expect. Also when you try to get rid of the bottle at age 2 I think they understand just a little better. We had absolutely no trouble getting rid of our bottle with this system.

Let her have the bottle. One year is still young. Our son started refusing the bottle at about 14 months, we weren't planning on cutting him off, he just stopped drinking them. Don't try to cut her off because it's what the doctors and books say. There's no reason to take away something that comforts her.

Hi E.! I faced the same issue with my daughter. She turned one year old and her doctor (a wonderful pediatrician) firmly insisted that the time had come to take away the bottle. It was a nightmare and went against my instincts. I just knew she wasn't ready, but I second guessed myself because of my respect for her doctor. I like to do things by the book when it comes to healthcare, but kids don't always fit the book's timelines. We tried to cut out all bottles and it was traumatic for everyone, so I made the executive decision to remove any remaining daytime bottles (naptime) but to still keep the nightly bedtime one. My plan was to gently and gradually get rid of it when I knew I could/should. She kept it for another 2 months and then it was very easy to eliminate it, too. While the doctor had good reasons to encourage the 12 month cut-off, my gut ultimately knew what was best. Doctors just don't want toddlers running around, bottle dependent, with early tooth decay, etc. But children develop at different rates, and my daughter wasn't ready to let go of the bottle entirely at exactly 12 months. When taking in the big picture, what's another 8 weeks, anyway? My advice is to listen to your gut and cut out what you can, when you can.
If it's traumatic to cut out the morning bottle now, consider reducing the amount that is in the morning bottle and gradually eliminating it altogether. You'll get there, as long as it is your goal to do so. You just may not do it on the exact date that the doctor has pronounced as the "right" one.

-M.

Try putting only water in the bottle morning and at night. After a few days of this, try replacing the bottle with a cup and give her one of her favorite beverages.

If this doesn't work, try putting a newborn nipple on the bottle. She will find it very difficult to get anything out of the bottle, and will lose interest in it. Then give her a cup immediately after she "throws the bottle" (and she probably will!). She will be happy to have her favorite beverage, even if she has to take it from a cup!

Also, by giving her a bottle at night, she is probably confused as to why it is okay to have a bottle at night but not any other time. Be consistent!

Don't give in to her, and she will see that throwing a tantrum or crying will not get her what she wants! You know what's best for her!

I'm rooting for you, Mom!

This is all up to you and what you are willing to deal with. I personally don't like the look of kids drinking out of a bottle when they are old enough to walk around...but that is just a personal opinion. If you want your kids off of the bottle by 1 then you need to focus on that. Our doctors told us to not put formula in a sippy cup. Use the sippy cups for milk or water only. They never had a bedtime bottle. They also only got milk when it was with a meal...other than that they could walk around with a sippy cup of water all day. We also just focused on the idea that they were getting big now and that bottles were for babies and they were a big kid. All 3 of our sons were off the bottle by 1 and it was done in a positive way.

Good luck with whatever you decide and remember you have to do what works for you.

We are in similar situations. My son is also just 12 months old, he had been getting 3 bottles a day, and last Saturday we started doing only a bedtime bottle. He will drink water from a cup, but not formula. From others I've talked to that is common. We are working on the cow's milk, I think it surprises him still to have milk come when he expects water. I have been giving a bedtime bottle, half formula and half milk in the meantime just to help keep him from getting dehydrated. He does get upset if he sees other kids with a bottle, or if he spots you making the bedtime one, but during the day it doesn't seem to be quite a big deal. Good luck!

ok this sounds crazy but it works.....It did with mine....My Grandfather did everything by the "signs"........I weaned my son, using an Old Farmers Almanac, found at Feed Stores and such.....Look for weaning and make sure it is an Old Farmers Almanac....It worked great for me, he never asked for it again....

my son was more like 16 months. and he kind of did it on his own. he kept taking his older brothers sipy cups. i might wait a little while long . and give her the option but don't get frusterated . she wil quit when she is ready.

E.,

My "babies" are older now, but they were all weaned before 12 months. I read somewhere to start with the sippy cup and formula (or breast milk) around 6 months. I did this with all three of mine. None refused the sippy cup with milk; it just took them a while to get the hang of it. About a month or so. Then, they took it without a problem while in the high chair. Of course, in the meantime, I was still nursing them as before. The transition later was not a problem. If you haven't tried the sippy cup until now, you just may need to be patient until your baby understands that if she wants milk, she'll need to get it from the cup.

And definitely no, she's not too young to take the bottle away. It is proven that if the bottle is given much past that time, it interferes with dental development, teeth, and bite, etc.

Hope this helps.

K.

I am not sure how many bottles she gets per day..but maybe try taking out the mid day bottle(s) first then the morning and I did the night one last. My first daughter had her night bottle until she was 18 mos! She did well with the order and was ready by then to just switch to a sippy at night w/ milk. Good luck!

We took our sons away when he turned one with the formula and changed to vitimin D milk. He was breast/bottle fed and wasnt' really attached to the bottle by any means. He also drank great from a sippy cup. My sisters daughter turns 1 in one month and she is working on weaning her from the bottle too. She too only gives formula in the bottle and when the formula is gone the bottle is gone. But, each child is differnt. I know it took my sons half brother until 15 months before they could take his bottle away completely.