Help Weaning from Bottle to Sippy Cup with Cows Milk

Hi! Good for you for taking the bottle away at one! I did it that way too, both formula and bottles gone the day after mine turned one. Too many people wait and then it's harder on the child. Having said that, my little boy did the same thing. All I did was keep offering him the sippy with milk in it, and after the first day or so, he took it without objecting. I actually only offered him milk through the sippy cup though, no juice or water, until he got used to it. Maybe you could let him pick which sippy cup he'll be using. Sometimes that makes them more excited.

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Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get him used to milk with a bottle for a few weeks, then try in a cup again

Hi,
I would say to gradually wean him from the bottle, start by taking the afternoon bottle away, but continue to give the morning/nightime feeding bottle. Limit the juice to one cup a day and after the juice is done, fill the cup with milk so that he gets used to the fact that milk can come from another source. He'll adjust after some time. Then, I would take the morning bottle away and offer more milk in the cup. Finally, take the nightime bottle away. My son was the same way, but now he takes the milk fine from a cup, although he'd always prefer juice. :)

HI I'm J.! I had the same problem with my son. He didn't want to take it from the sippy cup. The day before he turned one he decided to start drinking it from the sippy. I had to give him nothing but milk and refuse to give him anything else from the sippy until he started to drink his milk. Of course he drank water and juice from a straw. He just decided to give up the bottle. I had a friend who baby girl only took a bottle at night until she was 18 months old. He will get tired of it. Let him do it at his on paste. I hope that this helps you.

My daughter was the same way. I weaned her from nursing at 11 months old and switched her to a bottle with cow's milk. I tried to give her a sippy cup and to no avail. From what I learned some babies just don't feel right drinking their milk any other way even though they will drink everything else from a sipster. Anyhow after a horrible week of trying with no good results, I just went back to the bottle for a while. I just made sure to brush the teeth extra good when she woke and before bed. When she turned 19 months just recently I tried again with a Nuby cup. They are really cheap and have a bottle like top. It is more like a bottle sipper than any other I have seen and they have one that has a variable control nipple just like a bottle so that they control the flow with their sucking. She took it just fine and is still using it. I know everyone says they have to be off the bottle by one year, but really it is up to the child and you. It will not hurt him to continue on it for a while longer if he still feels he needs it. Also, you might try using a binky if he doesn't already use one. It might help with the sucking need. My dd already used one at the time I first tried so it didn't make a difference, but is worth a try. Good luck.

My daughter has done the same thing! I still give her one bottle of milk in the evening just to get the nutrition (and she is 2 1/2!) But I have had the same problem, for some reason, she doesn't like milk in a cup! My doctor said as long as she is getting other dairy, it is fine, like cheese, yogurt, even ice cream! She also eats a bowl of cereal for breakfast with milk. I feel your pain, it is frustrating!

Heather,
I had similar issues with my kids and I have learned that they will transition from ANYTHING in about 3 days if you go after it completely. If all you offer him to drink at all meals and snacks is milk in that sippy cup, eventually you will win and I bet it will be after 3 days. Don't offer him water or juice or anything else, except for milk and only in the sippy cup. It will happen, you just have to outlast him! You can do it! Best wishes! You might also try Enfamil's Next Step. We used that with my second child, instead of going straight to milk we would put that in his sippy cup instead of formula from the bottle. I read about it and I know it sounds odd to the normal thinking, but I feel like it offers even more than whole milk. You should read about it and see what you think!

Just keep trying. . .

You may try only giving him milk to drink for a while. When he is really thirsty, he'll drink it. Kids don't need juice if they are eating fruit, and even if he refuses the cup for a day or two, he won't be overly dehydrated if he doesn't drink much out of the cup. Another idea - maybe you can try "sneaking" it into his cup. If you've got cups he can't see through, he won't know what you're giving him until he starts drinking it. Apparently he likes the milk; he just associates it with a bottle. Did you ever try giving him formula in a sippy cup? You could try that, and if he'll take it, mix it 1/4 milk, then 1/2 milk, etc. until you transition to all milk.

If he still is fighting it at that point, you might call the pediatrician for ideas.

Good luck!!

Try a different sippy cup. I tried them all and the only one that would work was the Gerber with the soft spout. They're almost like a bottle anyway so it eases the transition.

He still has a need to suck so it might help if he took a pacifier to fill that need instead of a bottle. When all else fails, try again in a few months.

E.

What i did when one of my twins didn't want to drink from a sippy was when it was in the day at nap time try to give a sippy of milk or warm it a little.....but at night gave him a bottle till he was ok with a sippy....they will learn to take a sippy....it just takes time......just try when he is not crying or anything else...i have 4 other kids and they were not like this but he was and it was a little hard at first to get him used to it but it was ok soon after and it might take a few weeks but i hope everything goes well........

One thing I have learned is that when a child wants something...they will do whatever it takes to get what they want. I believe your child is just going through the normal case of being independent. He knows what he wants and how he wants it. I would suggest to just keep offering the milk in a cup and whatever you do...don't give him back a bottle just to get him to drink it. I don't believe he's refusing the milk...I believe he's doing what all kids his age do...thinking that they will get what they want...how they want it...when they want it. Have you tried only giving the cup of milk as a drink if he's thirsty? My mom hammered one item in my brain that I will never forget. Children are extremely stubborn! If they have any thought that they will get their way when they want something, they will move a mountain to get it. You have to become more stubborn than the child. Stick to your guns hon and good luck!!!

we went through the same thing... mine actually turned 1 a week ago... the doc wanted him off the bottle that day but Tristin had another thought about leaving the bottle behind...I just kept pushing milk in the sippy during the day at meal time & after a few bites he'd drink it just because he was thirsty, even though he didnt really like it. He still had a bottle at his bedtime so he'd be getting the milk but eventually after about a week of doing it this way he was content & since we did it gradually... he has given up the bottle. that was my experience & it worked for us... good luck & congrats on your lil man turning 1!

You sound pretty adamant about taking the bottle away at one year old! :)Let him transition at his pace and be a baby because you will miss those bottle days! He may take a week or maybe more to get used to the taste of it. Let him do it with a bottle. No harm really! He won't be on it for much longer I promise!

When I was little, I used to drink out of my younger brother's bottle. To stop me from doing this, my mother put something on the nipple like black pepper. Since I didn't like the taste, I left my brother's bottle alone after that. You could try something that doesn't taste good, but yet is safe & see if that works.

When switching him from a bottle to a cup with cow's milk try to make it different. Try using Nestle's Quik (chocolate or strawberry). It has less sugar then the generics and it has added vitamins. It's a little over $6 for a huge container of each flavor at Wal-Mart. That's what I had to do for my daughter and it worked when I found out what her favorite flavor was. Now she downs the milk out of a cup.

Hi Heather,
I had the same problem with my daughter. It took her about a month to drink milk out of her sippy cup. I had to warm it up a little bit and then she would drink. But it took till she was 15 months to totally get rid of her bottle at night. But if your son doesn't ask for his bottle, it might work just to heat it up in his sippy cup. Hope this helps.

My son doesn't drink well from a cup alone; however, sippy cups work just fine and you avoid the bottle issue. Good Luck!!

I did the same thing as you with both of my children. They started getting water, and diluted juice at about 6-10 months old. When they turned one I took away the bottle.

I found that they wouldn't drink the milk if it was cold, straight from the fridge. They were used to drinking their forumla which wasn't cold. SO.. I put the milk in the mirco for about 20 seconds, then tested it.. Shook it up and put in the sippy.
Worked like a charm. Now they love milk!! Eventually they transitioned to cold milk.

Umm...maybe I am crazy but why can't you give him his milk in a bottle? My daughter is 2 and still gets her milk in a bottle....2 times a day, in the morning and at night. That is the only way she will drink it. So that's my advice, if that is the only way he drinks it...let him :) Good luck with whatever you decide to do mama :)

Hello Heather,

Just to say, that you can wait a couple of months until yo take his bottle away, but in the meantime you can give him a little of milk in the sippy cup at the VERY SAME TIME every day (snack time for instance, never in his first bottle or the last one at night, until he is drinking from it comfortably).\
I had exactly the same problem with my baby boy, and I wanted to make this transition for him a little bit better, and I did the way I described to you. It worked!!!
According to my ped, it is important that kids get rid of the bottle at one year or just a little bit later because at that age they make a lot more effort to suck and that may damage their ears, that's the reason.
well, I hope this can help you..Good Luck

A.