Getting My Kid off the Bottle

I had my son off the bottle by a year old, when he was 11 months old I would give him one cup of whole milk a day so that he would be use to the difference taste. He would not drink it from a sippy at first. I would give it to him and he would put it in his mouth and push it away. I used the strawberry NesQuick flavoring and he loved it and would drink it out of a cup. Now milk is all he asks for, he is now 2! My mom had to do the same thing for me when I was little too.

Good luck!

Thank goodness some of these daycares force you to break the kids off bottles!! I have a friend who just wouldn't put her foot down and make her son give up the bottle and he drank from it until he was 4! It was embarrassing to even watch!

Anyway, decide in the morning that she is ONLY getting MILK from a SIPPY cup, and stick with it. Throw the bottles all away so you can't give in. Then, offer her the milk in the morning. If she doesn't want it, tell her you will put it in the fridge then, and do not give her anything else. Trust me, she WILL drink it when she gets thirsty. There's nothing wrong with a child going a day without any fluids because when they're thirsty, they WILL drink what's offered to them. I cut out the bottle at 12 months, and with both of my kids I did this same thing. By evening that day, they were both taking the sippy. I gave them milk exclusively for the first few days, and then began offering them water or OJ in there also.

Just take the bottle away. She's being a kid. She wants what she wants, when she wants it. If you let her have a bottle, that's what she'll take. Just take the bottle away and offer her milk in a cup. If she won't take it, tell her you'll put it in the fridge for later when she's thirsty. I would continue to offer her water, but some moms will say not to give her anything else to drink until she drinks the milk out of a cup. I don't know that I'd go to that extreme, but it DOES work. You have to be firm though. It doesn't sound like she's attached to the bottle for sleeping, so that's good. You should talk to her pedi about her taking a vitamin . I don't know how much milk she drinks, but if she drinks a lot then she could be substituting that for her meal. My dd would gladly drink her dinner if we'd let her. Perhaps if she has less milk, water or juice, she'll eat better. Are your sippy and straw cups see through? You may want to switch to the solid ones if they are. I don't know if that would help or not.

I had the same problem, but in a different way. I breastfed, but my daughter was too attached to that. She wouldn't touch a sippy for anything....juice, water, milk, nothing would do. After she turned 1 I tried to wean her, but she wouldn't have anything to do with a sippy. I had to cut her off cold turkey. She didn't drink from a sippy or cup for 2 weeks. I really was concerned. I fed her tons of fresh fruit and popsicles (healthy kind to keep from overloading the sugar). She didn't get dehydrated, but she was fussy for a little while. Eventually she did start drinking from a cup. I just made sure I set one before her for every meal so that it was available for her.

I am facing the exact dilema as you with my 15 month old. I think our problem is the cup. I have bought at least 7 differnt varities. Any luck with your brand?

I understand, what about giving her poly vi sol vitamins? Why can't she have a bottle in day care?

I had just had my son July 9th, 2007 and my daughter turned 2 July 29, 2007, on her second birthday my husband just gave her a cup when it was nap time and she never asked for a bottle again, has your husband tried taking the cup?? It's just a suggestion that worked for us.

Maybe a solid colored sippy so she can't see what she's drinking might get past her issue. otherwise I hate to say it but since she has to be done with her bottle in a time frame, you might have to just take it. If you're concerned about the nutritional effect ask your doctor about vitamin supplements. Or get her used to just juice during the day and milk at night when she can be home with the bottle. Her not drinking alot of milk won't hurt her. My little brother is 4 and won't drink anything but strawberry milk most of the time. My son is 12 months and he only has a bottle at bedtime. He loves his sippy and is happy to have it during the day. Maybe you can get her to the same routine to start with. This solves your problem of daycare. And then you can take some more time to fully wean her at home. When she's home with you, make the sippy cup her only option. If she wants the bottle and you give her the bottle then nothing will ever change. Once she gets used to having nothing but the sippy except for bedtime the problem is solved. But unfortunately getting there is a battle of willpower. It might not be easy but in the end you have to win. Don't be afraid to put your foot down and be firm with her. She'll get thru it just fine.

I hate to admit that I still have a 28 month old that wants a bottle just in the evenings. She'll take any drink during the day out of a sippy cup or cup with a straw, but at bedtime she still wants a bottle. We'll offer her it in a cup, but to no avail.

The reason we're not real concerned with it is that the same thing happened with our 5 year old when she was that age. We had her bottles in the fridge with some 8 oz. bottles of water, and we just kept asking her, "Do you want the good stuff (the bottle of milk) or water?" One night she said she wanted water and never looked back. We figure the same will happen with this one.

Just keep offering it to her in a variety of different cups - you might try getting some cups that she can't see what color the stuff inside of it is, or maybe even try adding some strawberry or chocolate syrup to it so it isn't "white white" and she might try it then.

For what it's worth - and good luck!

My son was the same way. At 18 months our doctor had us remove our son from the bottle because he was having an iron deficiency from having too much liquid and not enough solid food. Your daughter should eat more once the bottle is gone, because she will be hungry. Also, the bottles competely "disappeared." If he did not see them, he did not ask for them. Just make them disappear, you may be surprised at how easy it is. I was. Also, he eats a lot of cheese and yogurt and drinks kefir. So, it didn't really matter that he did not want milk. If it is time for the bottle to go, then as long as she is getting what she needs without milk, I don't think it matters. My son does drink a little chocolate milk when he sees daddy drinking it. And, he has started eating cereal occasionally and will drink any milk left in the bowl. But that didn't happen until months after he was off the bottle. Good luck!

Hi,
You should try putting milk in two identical sippy cups. Show your child that you are drinking out of one. Then tell her it's her turn. Make sure the cups are not see through. When she starts the toddler class, she will see other children without bottles. Peer pressure can be a good thing sometimes. I know you are concerned with her nutrition, but you really need to get rid of the bottles. Maybe for a day don't offer her anything but milk in the sippy cup. She will get thirsty eventually. I know that may seem cruel, but you have to go cold turkey. If you continue to give her the bottle, in her mind the bottle will always be there if she refuses the sippy cup. I know someone who continues to give their three year old a bottle with milk when she gets tired or cranky. I get so upset when I see this, but she is not mine so I cannot say anything. Good Luck,
T.

My kids had a hard time taking milk from a cup too. So one day I took the bottles away and gave them only milk in a cup to drink. I figured they would get thirsty at some point and drink. That worked great for one son, the other not at all. My mom suggested for him to just not even offer him milk for a few days only juice or water in a cup. Then after a few days give him milk in a cup with no to do. It was like he forgot he was supposed to fight me on it and took it like a pro. Hope that helps!

I had the same problem with my first son. He was almost 2 when his baby brother was born, and he was still drinking from a bottle just before bed. He loved his bottle and I felt bad about taking it away. I know he would have gotten over it if I had just taken it from him, but I didn't want to. He would not drink milk from any kind of cup, either. Then, one night when he had a sore throat he wouldn't drink from his bottle. It was the same the next night. So the night after that, I didn't even offer it to him. He hasn't had his bottle since then. He did ask for it from time to time, but I replaced the bottle with something else in his bedtime routine. So, try that.

My son is now 3 1/2 and still doesn't like to drink white milk from a cup. I worried about that for a while (I am an extreme worrier when it comes to my kids! LOL) But, I don't worry about it anymore. He gets enough calcium from his foods. I give him yogurt every evening before bedtime. He loves cheese. He loves chocolate milk, so a few times a week he gets to drink chocolate milk. I also give him a multivitamin. So, I understand what you are going through. You don't want to upset your daughter by taking her bottle away. But, sometimes we just have to do it. So, try giving her a 4 oz yogurt cup before you start the bedtime routine. She will be getting her calcium, have food in her belly, and will sleep good and not be hungry. Then, replace the bottle with something else in her bedtime routine. Hope this helps!
A. M.
www.homewithmykids.info

J., I would just take it away...forever. I think when you have the bottles around it is just too tempting to use them. My youngest one always tries to negotiate other drinks instead of just plain water. She refuses the sippy cups, sometimes throws them on the floor. I just pick them up, put them on a place she can reach and ignore the behavior. As soon as I leave the room, she goes back and drinks all her water. I went through this with all my kids. It is not recommended to use a bottle after 12 months due to tooth decay so more than the daycare, do it for the health of her teeth. I'm sure she will look for the bottle all day and next day she won't even remember she had one!

Just ditch the bottle. If she really wants milk she'll start drinking it out of a sippy cup or straw cup. If not, well... she just won't drink milk. Not a big deal. I still don't understand this countries obsession with drinking milk. The vast majority of people in the world (especially in other industrialized countries) do not drink milk once they are weaned. Most human bodies aren't adapted to it and in fact many people can't tolerate it but drink it anyway here and end up feeling a variety of other symptoms but still drink it.

Try a normal cup too, at mealtime. By 16-17 months all my kids were drinking out of a normal small plastic cup at the table. They are more than capable and a couple of them started at 12 months. Just fill it 1/4-1/2 with water and don't freak when (not if!) they spill it. It WILL spill a few times while they figure it out but after a few days they'll have it down.

Kids will NOT starve themselves. Your job is to offer a wide variety of healthy foods at meal and snack times. It's your child's job to actually pick it up and eat it. Yes, there will be days when you swear she only ate a single cracker. But guess what? A week later she'll inhale everything in front of her for 3 days straight. Then she'll go back to eating a few crackers a day. It all balances out over a few weeks and that is what nutritionists look at for young children, especially toddlers. Also keep in mind that she isnt' growing as fast as she was a few months ago. Food intake sharply decreases around 13-18 months.

Our pediatrician told us to get rid of the bottle by around age one; after that they get too attached and it becomes a struggle. That being said, I would get rid of the bottles cold turkey and only offer sippy cups. If she is thirsty enough she will drink it. Just remember to give her lots of fruits and veggies so that she doesn't become dehydrated! My guess is after about a day she will drink from the cup and forget all about the bottle!

Good luck,
L.

My daughter, who will be 2 April 17, is EXTREMELY, picky about her drinks. She will only drink juice from a sippy cup, she will only drink V8 splash from a CLEAR sippy cup, and for the longest time she would only drink milk from a bottle. If milk as in any other container she would hand it back. If her V8 juice was in a non clear container she will hand it back. If juice is in a glass she hands it back. Finally, with the doctor's advice, we just took the bottle away and never offered it to her. We kept offering her milk in other containers. After about a week, she took milk from a glass with a straw. Now she will only drink milk from a glass with a straw. It does not hurt them to go a few days without milk. You may even find that she eats better. My daughter started eating more at meals when she wasn't filling up on milk. Plus if she eats other things like cheese and yogurt she sill be getting enough dairy. Good luck!