Getting Rid of the Bottle and Putting Milk in a Cup

Well, the fact that he knows you will pour it back into a bottle (if he just lets it sit long enough) probably is not really helping the situation. You know, my Mom always said children will not starve themselves or go thirsty by choice. So, he just needs to learn the bottle is no longer an option. It has become more of a comfort thing for him at this point instead of a something he has to have to enable him to drink....since you know he will drink out of a cup at a caregiver's home. Just give him his milk in a sippy cup....maybe find some fun ones that he will enjoy using. But, you need to get rid of the bottle now, or it will only continue. He may cry at first, but, he will survive....really! And about heating the milk....I was not heating my children's milk at your son's age. That'll make you life easier too! Good luck!.....by the way, I had both of my sons off their bottle by the age of one...it really is easier the earlier you do it!!!!

S.- I'm glad to know we're not the only ones!! My son is so attached to his bottle, and we too have tried all types of sippy cups, but he just won't drink milk out of one. He'll drink water all day long, but just not milk. I thought I was crazy until I read an article about it in a parenting magazine, in an advice column written by a pediatrician. Someone had written in that their son just wouldn't drink milk out of a cup, and the doctor said it was a common problem. I guess it's a comfort issue. It's gotten worse since my second son was born a few months ago because my older son sees the bottle and cries for it. As we speak, his sippy cup is on the couch, untouched. I try to put the emphasis on milk- "Want your milk?"- but he'll say, "No, no- BOT-tle!" He gets so angry when I give him the sippy cup of milk, and he sits on the floor and bursts into frustrated tears. My friends tell me I just need to be consistent and eventually he'll come around, so I'm trying, but I feel so bad. Especially because the new baby is here- I don't want him to feel like he's been replaced and the baby is getting his bottle because we love him more. Maybe I'm being ridiculous- but I do feel bad. So I'm sorry I don't have advice for you, but I'd love to read anything that other people can tell us! (Oh, by the way, I also heat up his milk, so I'd love to know if I should stop that as well.)

B.

For me, my son was totally off the bottle at 14 months I believe. I went through several sippy's until I used the one sold at Target by Gerber. There is 2 in a pack and they change colors when cold liquid is inside. Anyways, how I transitioned him was to replace one bottle a day with a sippy. If he didn't take it, it was back to the bottle. Eventually he started using it, but had problems tipping it up when the milk got low. Hope some of this helps.

I'm with Beth on the Gerber sippies, they have been the most leak-proof. At his one year check up, his doctor asked me if he was still using a bottle. I told him he drank juice water from a sippy cup and his milk from a bottle. The doctor then told me to stop using the bottle because there was no reason we had to switch back and forth. When I told him I was worried my son just wouldn't drink any milk, he told me not to worry, that missing some milk wouldn't hurt him as long as he was still eating well and drinking other liquids. I stopped giving him the bottle that day. At first he was a little resistent, but it turned out he didn't miss the bottle that much. It sounds like your son is ready to drop the bottle if he's taking the sippy from someone else. To help sway him, you could try putting his fave juice in the sippy cup.
Warming the milk is a hassle, but it's not really bad for your son. Just for your convenience, you could try giving him cold milk to see if he likes it.

At 16 months old, he should be getting most of his food in solid form. We broke our 2 oldest children from the bottle early. By a year old, they didn't use bottles. What we did was keep a sippy cup of juice on hand all the time. If he acts like he's hungry, feed him solid food. My kids usually get breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and then dinner and dessert at that age. Don't get into the habit of letting him snack all day though. You may just have to give him milk in the sippy every now and then. I know it is especially hard for them at night. Trust me, kids WILL NOT starve themselves. They get hungry or thirsty, they will be happy with whatever you hand them. He is testing you. Seeing how serious you are about this "no bottle" thing. Think of it this way, if he is old enough to eat solid foods without a problem, what use does he have for a bottle? Also try talking to him like a bid kid and saying "Okay, big boy! Help me get rid of all these baby bottles! Let's go throw them out because only BABIES use bottles and we don't have any babies here anymore do we? We have a big boy!!" Keep all the bottles in the house in a box way up in a tall cabinet so it's harder for you to give in. I had to do this. DON'T GIVE IN!! It will be harder if you keep giving in. Have him help you by allowing him to throw one older bottle away. That will reinforce the all gone idea. You may even want to let him pick out a cup. Kids like choices. Take all the cups you have and say, "Which one do you want, big boy?" or take him to the store and allow him to pick one out. Kids like choices. It makes them feel like they are in charge. If this doesn't help I got more tricks up my sleeves. Just email me at ____@____.com
I know how hard it is to break kids from the bottle.

Well, we just packed the bottles up and gave them to my sister in law (she was preg at the time and my daughter was 12 months old). We had also told her that we were going to give away the bottles about a month earlier (not asking if she wanted them to go away to the new baby but telling her that they were.) I never warmed the milk so I have no clue. Maybe he will take cold milk from a sippy cup but not warm? I never gave my daughter milk in a bottle at all in fact, just water. She still hasn't had juice.