Bottle Weaning at 20 Months

No, it's not too soon.

When I started weaning my kiddos from the bottle I'd put the bottle away and give them a sippy cup when they were playing and at meal/nap times I'd offer both, the sippy cup and the bottle.

After a couple of weeks or when they seemed more into the sippy cup, which ever came first, I'd put the bottle away during meal/nap times, so they'd only have the sippy cup. If they just weren't having anything to do the cup I'd let them have the bottle for a few mins after meal times. I also just stoped laying them down w a bottle or cup if seemed fine. After a while they'd just get used to not having it.

My son had a harder time to stop w the sippy cup at bed time, so I just started putting water in it. After a few weeks the cup was still totally full in the mornings.

My daughter didn't take to sippy cups at first, but I found little cups w lids and straws at wal-mart, and she took to that. I'd offer both, the sippy cup and the one w the straw to her at meal times. When she was done and wanted to take her cup w her I'd give her the sippy cup, she would get mad becasue she wanted the one w the straw. I staied strong on that and about a week later she liked her sippy cup becasue she could take it with her to play.

For both of my kiddos if they were having a "bad sippy cup" day, it sometimes helped if I gave them the bottle, let them have a drink and then pour the rest of it in the cup. That just depended on their moods, sometimes it worked and other times it didn't.

I would try getting him used to the sippy cup, especially during the day, then at night. At his age, since he is used to getting a bottle, you will have to stand strong, because he may resist. My pediatrician suggested with my second daughter that we try diluting her milk in her bottle more and more and giving her the good milk in the sippy cup if she was resistant. Then eventually offer milk in the sippy cup and water in the bottle. We fortunately didn't have to get that extreme because she was more ready than I thought for the big switch and adjusted with no complaints. My girls' pediatrician also heavily suggested they be off the bottle by 18 months. But I think that depends on your pediatrician.

Do it now. Have a party and say good bye and throw them away. (You can recover them when he's not around and hide them elsewhere.) The longer you wait, the harder it will be. We never allowed them past 12 months.

I suck when it comes to bottle breaking, so I really don't do it, but I do cut it to just 1-2 at bed time, mine don't nap after a year and a half. What I do is just stop giving the day ones, after of course I have gotten them used to cups/sippy cups, it is hard at first but within a few days they "get over it", and then I work on the nap ones, but I never really get rid of the night-night ones,I just let them self wean on that one at about 2 1/2, I know it's bad but I REALLY want them to go to sleep.

What ever way you go, cold turkey or slow weaning, stick to it, if you bounce back and forth it makes it harder!

I stopped the bottle at 12 mos with both of my kids, just took them away one day and it was over with. You are using it as a crutch which is creating a dependency for your son, if you take them away and be done with it, you may have a day or two of hard times but it will be over. You are setting yourself up if you don't for a big power struggle later as he is not to use a bottle as a pacifier or soother. He can bite the end off now and can choke if nothing else. Not to mention it can ruin his teeth. Kids do not need bottles after a year old. It truly can rot their teeth too.

Give him tylenol or teething tablets if his molars are bothering him. Even Motrin for kids helped my kids as it lasts longer then Tylenol, just give it to him at bedtime. You need to let him fuss it out too as at his age he should be sleeping through the night. It is tough as we never want our babies crying but he is almost two.

Teething will be ongoing on and off for another year if he hasn't gotten all his teeth in yet, so just get rid of the bottles and try tylenol or teething tablets.
Only offer sippy cups, have him go with you to pick out cool ones. Out of sight out of mind and if he asks for a bottle tell him they are gone to babies and big boys don't have them anymore.
I just took them all away with both of my kids and they never even really asked for them, if you do it slowly or make it a issue it will be a power struggle. Just get them out of the house as that can totally backfire if they see it.