Toddler Not Giving up Bottle

She just needs more time. Don't worry.

I had the same problem. What we did was first we placed the nipple of the bottle in the nuby sippy cup until she got used to holding the sippy cup. Then we replace the nipple with the sippy cup nipple.

Hi, i have a 3 yrs old boy, who didn't speak until near his third bday, now he won't shut up and speaks quite well so leave the child and speak clearly and properly to her and she will speak when she is ready. As for the bottle try talking to her when you give her the bottle and feeding cup that big girl usually drink from a cup. the bottle is sometines they way of keeping close contact with you especially if you sit with her during bottle time. be petience and she come alone all kids grow at they own speed

J.

Hey,my name is S. and I am a paeditric nurse here in germany and I have experienced what you described!The bottle thing is not so easy,especilly since she is only 2.With older kids you can try like a giving up the bottle ritual,but that won`t work with a two year old.I t can be hard to stay straight, but try giving her the milk in a zippy cup and do not give in or let her have her way.When she will realize that she only can have milk from a zippy cup she will drink it,just do not let her get her way.And when you fill the milk in the cup tell her she will only get the zippy cup,do not let her see that you still have bottles!The speaking trouble I have seen in my family,my cousin hardly spoke til he was 6 years old that is when the doctor found out that he has hearing problems and needs a hearing aid,just let you doctor check on it ot visite and ear-nose-throat doc and you can also see if she reactes to noises or you calling her from close and further distance,from the reaction you can tell if she has trouble hearing or not!Well I hope I could help you a bit!Have a great day!
S.

Hello - First off, just throw out all the bottles. She's gonna have to learn. It's really hard (trust me, I've been there) but you're doing her a favor. I took my 2 son's bottles away from them at 1 yr old. I think, no offense at all, but that may be the reason why she won't give it up - she's had it far too long. She should have been introduced to a sippy cup a year ago. 2 yr olds are tricky & they become attatched & understand a bit more. As far as the milk goes ... don't worry about it. My oldest son would not drink milk AT ALL until almost 3 yrs old. & My youngest is now 3 & still won't drink it. My pediatrician said it's fine. My oldest (5yrs) drinks milk religiously now but as for my youngest ... the dr said that as long as he gets plenty of cheese, yogurt, ice cream, milk in his cereal, orange juice w/calcium - he's doing just fine. The OJ w/calcium was a huge relief for me b/c I knew he WAS getting it. And he LOVES cheese & yogurt & ofcourse who doesn't like ice cream? And he does love cereal & I don't even think he realizes it has milk in it. lol

so good luck. And seriously - toss out the bottles - get some sippy cups or even just cups w/covers & straws (any time we go out to eat, i always take home the kid cups w/the lids ... you can keep them forever! toss them in the dishwasher & they're fine! They're great to have on hand too ... I also took sippy's away from my boys at age 2 & got them on straws right away & they've done beauitfully. The covers just help minimize any spills!)

As for the talking ... take a deep breath - she's fine. my oldest was a bit advanced & was talking clearly at 18 mos old, but my youngest didn't really start talking talking until almost 2 1/2 & now he won't shut up! lol and he talks just fine. You have to do alot of repeating. "over play is the only way" if you want her to learn certain words, get the object in front of her & say the word over & over again, telling her to say the word & after she says it (and if she says it 'wrong' just keep saying it over & over - practice makes perfect - & she'll catch on i promise!)

again, good luck. parenting is a hard job but you're doing fine. and there's no right or wrong way - every mom has to find her 'groove' and remember - what works for me or anyone else may not work for you. just keep trying, you'll find out what works for you & your little cutie pie. just don't show frustration when you can't understand her ... she'll feed off that & continue to do it to get a rise out of you. =0)
God bless!

My daughter would not drink cows milk either after weaning from the breast. We tried all the milk alternatives, and finally found that she would drink Vanilla flavored Soy milk. You can buy this in enriched form with extra calcium.
While you are experimenting, add extra cheese and yogurt to her daily intake.

These days you can also get it in juice boxes, which makes it very fun! I would also suggest skipping the "sippy cup" if it's not working, and just letting her try a glass. She sees you use one, maybe she wants to be BIG!

maybe this sippy bottle will probably help with ur daughter.. Born Free's sippy bottle.. there is 2 kinds of sippy.. one is training sippy and 1 is drinking sippy. the training is for 6-12 mos and the drinking sippy is for 12+ mos. both s nipple designed natural shape and soft smooth. not like nuby or latex feeling. just comfy feeling. it works on my son when he stopped breast feed at 18 mos and refuse use sippy cup. i used training sippy for a while then i changed the nipple to drinking sippy and it works. he weaning it off at 2 yrs... maybe it will help your daughter? u can check it out on www.newbornfree.com
you can buy those bottles at wholefoods. some sells it at babies r us too.

those bottles/sippy are free of BPA :o)

Hi M.
it has been a long time since i have had a 2 yr old in the house,my boy is 12,however,i can remember having a problem taking away,his binky..i think the key words here at the end of your problem,is when you say "until we give in"..the important thing to realize,is your baby knows you just as well as you know her,if she knows you'll put the milk in a bottle,she will scream until that happens. my suggestion is have a big girl party and throw all bottles away with her...make it a huge celebration,and remind her next time she cries,she gave the bottles to the little babies...if she is thirsty enough,she will drink the milk...no worries....as far as the non-communicating,practice not giving her what she wants if she points and makes a noise,reward her with things only when she says the word,shes still young and if she doesnt need words,she wont use them...good luck to you
R.

Hi M.,

I had the same problem with both my girls, now 4 and 5. It was about Easter time sooooo... I told them both, when younger one was 2 1/2 that eh easter bunny needed bottles for his/her baby bunnies. The girls left all the bottles out with their easter baskets and never went back after that. Hope this helps a little.

A little about speech. My youngest did not speak well at all either. I contacted birth to three and they told me, after testing, she didn't qualify because she only needed one area of help. My advice, as a teacher too, lie!!!! Tell them that she had difficulty with speech, has tempers because of it and maybe... say she's a poor eater/drinker. Once I learned the "trick" she recieved services from the public school system for free. I did however enroll her in private speech therapy since I was not happy with the progress she was/wasn't making. She is now fairly easy to understand and to this day, tonight actually, goes for 45 min. and can even be understood on the phone all the time!!

G.

Have you tried just a regular cup?I have a 2 and 5 year old, the 2 year old does really well with a small plastic cup. It's sturdy for the dishwasher, but small enough for his hands. I started with maybe an inch of liquid and he's gotten really good at it. He also uses the straw cups by Playtex(?) If you throw away all the bottles in the house..maybe to the bottle fairy for all the new babies that need them, and replace them with a basket of all new, fun character cups, she might be more accepting if she knows there are no bottles in the house to give her. Good Luck!

Hi,

My daughter is 4 and here is my advise to you. With my daughter I took away her bottles and gave her a sippy cup she didn't have a choice and I didn't give in. I know that it is hard to understand her and you are the one that is going to have to deal with her crying but, trust me if she is thirsty enough she will drink from the sippy cup the transition will be hard but, she will drink from a sippy cup. She knows that you will given that is why she won't use the sippy cup. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for sometimes. Be strong and don't give in.
It will work.

O

I think the child is confused as to what exactly mommie wants. Give her one sippy cup and do not change. Support your efforts with a reading resource. Start reading and showing pictures of children with sippy cups. Then give her one. Do not talk to her with babytalk regarding this new adventure in her life. Make up a song with her name and sipply cup in the lyrics. Stay to the course, even if she cries. She will still love mommie. When she can figure out exactly what you want her to do. 2 is not necessarily too old to babble. read to her, sing to her. she will respond.

I've had great success training a 2 year old to drink from a regular cup. Yea, they spill at first but it doesn't take long for them to get the hang of it. use a small 5 oz plastic cup but only put about 1-2 oz in it. show her how to be carefull and take small sips. she should feel like a big girl (like mommy !!)

also with her babbling... try to get her to imitate you (make the same noises she does now) and then add some new sounds. she'll pick up language skills that way too.

I am raising my 2.5 yr old grand daughter. She has a bottle for her nap and bedtime. I figured that she drinks from a sippy or cup fine, but not her goat milk. Sometime this summer, I am sure that she will just naturally wean herself from it. When I was a new & young mother, I used to sweat this stuff out and get all stressed, but you know, it is not worth it and time solves most things in a more natural way.

Regarding your daughter talking.....she will be talking up a storm by 3 and you will hardly be able to stop her! In my opinion, this early intervention is a new thing that is not necessary. Parents panic about age 2, if their little one is only saying 2 words and grunting, but you know these programs take all the credit, when in all actuality, the children would be talking by 3 anyway! Give her time. My son was barely talking at three and a concern for many folks around me. By 3 1/2yrs, he was talking better then most 5 yr olds and asking very intelligent questions. My grand daughter is just now opened up from a few words to full sentences.

Stay calm and let her grow on her time table, not someone else's.

My son would only drink milk from a bottle and water from a cup (sippy or reg) but not the other way. He was 3 and 1/2 years before he would give up the bottle but still will not drink milk out of a cup. The doctor has told us not to worry he will be willing to try it down the road and to give him yogurts, cheese etc to get the dairy.
My son also wasn't speaking at 2yrs. He babbled and dragged us to tell/show us what he needed. We are in NH but as I understand there is speech and ot help(free) until they are 3yrs at the state level in all or most states. They evaluated him and gave the appropriate services. I found this out by calling a speech path to make an appt for him. They asked his age and said until they are 3yr they are seen by this department no matter of financial status. I also did lots of "intervention" music,gym,swimming,sensory,signing and horseback riding (yes at 2yrs). Each class had its own benefit to him. Signing and the signing time videos were a huge help. He turned 4yrs today and won't stop talking. There is plenty more to the story feel free to email me.
M. S.

Hi!!

Im H., mother of 4. Ages 9, 7, 3, & 8 months. I would say get rid of every bottle in your house and Never give in. Your child knows that you will eventually give in if she/he puts up enough of a fuss. At first it will be hard but before you know it he/she will be drinking out of that sippy cup. In the future all binkys & bottles etc. you should take away at the age of one when they are still somewhat of a baby & when they can't become overly attached. I hope I helped. Take care and stay strong & consistent.
H.

I work at a daycare with 18 month olds and me and my coteacher had to deal w/ this for 9 different children that i consider my own, maybe cut down during her bottle feedings, for example give her her milk @ breakfast and then during lunch time tell her only a sippy will be used and most likely she will have to give in and if she is crying let her and don't give in. I know it's hard to listen to your little one cry but you need to tell her who is boss and eventually she will break and start using the cups and during her bed time she can have her bottle, it will take time but you have to do it one step at a time. For her not speaking have you looked into early intervention? Look up Anne Sullivan Center or another EI, and they can help you with your daughters speech, and its free. I did it with my daughter and now she doesn't stop talking and if it does progress to something more she will benefit from it when she starts going to elemantry school.

This sounds harsh but it is the only way I could get my daughter and son to give up the bottle. Plan a fews days to stay home and just throw out the bottles so she can not see them. Do not give in!!! This will just make it harder for all of you. Yes, she will cry but is better to get her off the bottle as it will damage her teeth. My kids are now 29 and 17 and this did not harm them in the long run.

Hi M.,

We went through the same thing, however our youngest would actually throw the sippy at us and demand "baba!!!". So, one day I got rid of all of them. Yup, every last one so I was able to open the cabinet where we kept the bottles and show him that they were in fact all gone. Our oldest (the boys are only 17 months apart) was drinking from a regular cup (at 9 months assisted) due to being born with a cleft palate (the Plastic surgeon said no surgery until he was off the bottle). So if you're interested in how we did that you can email me and I'll give you the breakdown.

I think it all depends on how important it is to you to have your child drinking from a sippy. Once we got rid of the bottles, I put some watered down apple juice in a cup, took my finger, diped it in and then put it on his lips. He had never had juice so it was a real treat. Drinking came pretty easy after that. You've got lots of wonderful suggestions. I'm sure you'll find the right one (or a combination of a few) that works best for you. Best of luck. S.

get your daughter to a ear nose and throat specialest maybe that why she is not talking much she cant hear you. my son also turned 2 years old and spoke very little and my doctor recomended that i go to the e n t and i found out after all the ear infections the fluid didnt all drain out and it made this big gummy like substance over the ear drum so it blocked all the noise my son could hardly hear us the doctor put tubes in his ears and cleaned all the gunk out and now his hearing is awsome. The only problem is that now his is behind in his speech so i have found somebody to help him catch up. And giving up the bottle issue throw the bottle away have her see you do it tell her that she is a big girl now and only babies use bottles yes this is harsh and rough but it works i did it, it was rough for a few days but children will not deny themselves food or water she will get used to the sippy cup. Jenn

I had the same problem with my daughter. I have a 21 month old who no longer uses the bottle. I talked with different family members and my sister said it was me that was hooked on the bottle not my daughter. I felt bad at first by handing her a sippy cup in the morning. Since each morning I would get up and make her a bottle and lay in bed with her while she drank it. So I did the same thing except for putting into a bottle I put it a Nuby cup it was longer and skinnier for her to hold. Amazingly she drank it she would pull it away and give it a funny look a couple of times but she realized it tasted good so she continued to drink it. I wasn't sure how to handle the rest of the day. When should I give her another sippy cup with milk/juice and they said the same as you did with the bottle. We get into routines and it is sometimes harder on us to make adjustments. So I would fill two sippy cups one with juice and one with milk and I left them on the table where she could see & reach them and She knows where they are when she wants a drink she goes and gets her cup. You can do it. Try not to give in. It really took me about week to get used to the change but it all worked out fine. Good Luck!
M.

Hi

Just a quick question...does she drink out of a bottle all day long, or just at night time? Just before my son turned 2 (he's now 2-1/2), he would always have a bottle of milk right before bedtime. We went away on vacation one time and I totally forgot to bring a bottle for him, but we had his sippy cup. Instead of going out somewhere to buy him another bottle, I just figured I'd use this opportunity to my advantage and cut out bottles altogether. When we put him to bed the first night, he didn't have a bottle, but had a sippy cup instead. That was the end of the bottles. I think it was just that I "took it away" (without really meaning to of course), and he realized that if he wanted a drink before bedtime, then the only way he was getting it was out of his cup. Maybe just taking it away altogether would help you out? It might sound mean or whatever, and the first few days might be really tough, but at the same time, if she really wants that drink she'll take it however you give it to her. You can also try giving her a regular cup as well (instead of a sippy). Also, are the sippy cups you are using age appropriate? She might not like it if it is one that is meant for younger children because it's harder for the liquid to come out, whereas with the bottle it is much easier. You mention that she will cry until you give in, but this behavior might only cause problems down the road for you later on. Good luck, and I hope that you and she can find a good solution together!

Don't give in! She knows you will and that is why she cries. As far as the babbling goes, I know some children will not talk if they don't have to.

Hi M.--I just discovered a new cup by Gerber that allows tots to transition easier from bottle/breast to sippy cup. It is Gerber Nuk Learner Orthodontic sippy cup but has a latex nipple that is a cross between a bottle nipple and a sippy cup.My 20 mo old refers to it as her "ba-ba" while she refers to her plastic sippy cup as a "cup"--so, I'm just going off her recommendation!
I think this will help your child wean to the cup.
Here's a photo:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=165750&amp...

Hi!
I experienced the same with my daughter. We just stuck with the cup, if she was thirsty enough she would drink from the cup. We cut the bottle down to just at night, then took it away also; use the advent cups that have a soft sippy, she was able to drink that as though it was a "bottle", then we switched to the regular cups.

As for the speech; we tried baby signing with my daughter.. It was AWESOME!!! As early as 10 months she was saying, drink, eat, please, more and all done by signing, she is 19 months now and speaks like a 3 year old. Try it, the communication barrier will be knocked down and you will love it! Studies have proven that it advances speech. We bought a simple $5.00 book at the bookstore called baby signs and just did the important ones.. everytime we gave her food or drink we would sign to her, as well as say the word out loud.. I almost died the day she came into the kitchen on her own and signed drink! A couple of weeks she was speaking the word as well as signing it!
Good luck!

your daughter will certainly not walk down the aisle with a bottle, so try not to worry about it unless it holds her back. The community at large would completely disagree with me on this, but I will tell you I have three children who all gave up the bottle around 5. Try not to make such a big deal out of it, and make sure you set reasonable limits with it that you can all reinforce and handle. My children were not allowed to go to sleep with a bottle in their mouth because of tooth decay, and were never allowed out of the house with it. For a relaxiing break, what does it matter what she is drinking out of.

As for the not talking, you should talk to your pediatrician and have birth to three take a look at her. You are entitled to free services through birth to three (a state program to help young children) and they are awesome. It is hard to think there could be a problem, but if you wait too long it could get worse. The key to any delay or difficulty is prompt intervention.

Good luck.

Give her time on both the bottle and speech. As my mother-in-law said to me, she won't be going to first grade with it! You sound like an attentive and caring Mom. Talk to her pedi about the speech, but don't be surprised if she says the same thing for now! Good-luck!

How about putting the straw through the sippy cup top. Also drinking milk is not as important as you might think. There are so many other foods that can supply the nutrients/calcium/fat needed for development. I had a child that refused to drink milk. Her favorite color was pink, So i thought let's try pink milk (with a little strawberry syrup). Pink is her favorite color. It worked. Maybe add chocolate or ovaltine too . Just habd your daughter the drink do not tell her it is milk. be creative call it something else. My pediatrician was a great source of ideas too. I also work with a speech pathologist who recommends learning to drink from a cup without a sippy top. The mouth muscles need to strengthen learning to drink from a cup. This helps with forming words- language development. She has seen over her 30 years in the school system the need for more speech with children. She attributes some of it to bottle and sippy cups being used much longer than necessary.

Hope this helps.
S.
I am the mother of 3 - 23, 20 and 16. Yes I am old! I also ran a small daycare, back in the day

Hello well I have been threw the same trouble. My son did not want to give up his bottle and my advice to you after going threw it is to just take it away I did the same as you and give in after a hour of crying, but really its the only way. She will cry and have a hard time just try offering her the cup and if she wont use the straw so she still gets her fluids. If you dont give in and give it back she should be fine in a few days. My sons teeth went bad from the bottle. And you dont want to go threw all that. Kids are stubburn but so can adults be. Lol. Also about the speech, you could speak to her dr. and see about getting her a speech evaluation. Here where I live they do them at 18 mon. If they feel she needs some therapy they will come to ur house and help her its great b4 they actually start school. Good luck with everything.

you need to stop giving in. It is only more difficult short term. let her have only water in the bottle so her teeth don't get bottle rot. we hung my daughters bottle in a tree for the bottle fairy. the bottle fairy left a treat in return. earlier that day we let her pick her own special cup out which replaced the bottle. it was hard for the first few days but she has forgotten about it.

Hello there,
we just went through the same issue. The doctor told us to just take it away. Don't give her anything other then Milk in a sippy cup. It took 1 day of crying and fussing, finally right before bed time she finnaly took the sippy cup with milk. Second day it was a walk in the park.
So throw away all the baby bottles and put mikl in a sippy she will eventually drink it. Don't give her water or anything else, just the milk in a sippy./ I gurantee you thet by the next day she will be drinking the milk no problem.

Good luck
A.

I think the speech issue is more of a concern, at her age she really should be talking. If you can locate your local Early Intervention or Birth to Three office and make an appointment for a speech evaluation. They will come to your house and do the eval and IF she has an issues they will make weekly visits to give her therapy.
If her speech is delayed you really need to work on moving forward asap..girls are not usually too delayed.

Working on the bottle..you may have to go cold turkey as she is really fighting to keep it. Maybe do what they do with paci's tell her another baby needs her bottles and it is time to pass them along to the baby..put them all in a package and pretend to mail them out and then have another package come to her full of some feathers and small toys to thank her.

She will drink from a sippy cup or cup when she is thirsty. Good Luck!

PS My son was speech delayed, he got therapy and even is started singing at 4 1/2.

To me the bottle issue is not as concerning as the talking issue. My advice is to call Early Intervention. Your daughter may be eligible for (free) speech and language services.
Call your pediatrician regarding the bottle issue. Maybe start by only giving the bottle at night and letting her choose a cup during the day and offering verbal praise. Hope it works out.

asa far as drinking milk goes she can get calcium from cheese and yogurt and you can try making smoothies for her to disguise the milk
my son had a hard time giving up the bottle but i eventually at 14 months packed all of them away and just gave him the option of seveal sippy cups to use and he choose one to use(he actually used the nuby) he did spend time crying but he got thirsty enough to drink
he actually drinks only milk and drinks from sippy cups with straws-which might work for your child
as far as it being related to speech it might i'ld talk to the dr and have her checked out my son was also a late talker and will be receiving speech therapy(he's 3)

I had this problem. In the end, I offered milk in a sippy and water int eh bottle. I gave him the choice of the bottle of water or the sippy of milk. He chose the bottle of water the first few times, but after one drink he realized his mistake and requested the milk. It only took a few times of offering both, then bottles were done. I did this at about 18 months.

Good luck!

Hi M. -

My son was unable to give up his bottle (again just for milk) until he was almost three. He only used it at night before bed. Eventually, I offered him the opportunity to give his bottles to a new baby (the son of a friend of ours) in exchange for a "big boy toy." I know that this is basically bribery but I don't believe in taking away a child's comfort item before they are ready. Anyway, one day he decided he was ready. He found a box, put the bottles into it, had me drive him to the baby's house and he hand delivered it to the baby's mom. This was under his direction not mine.

He was very happy (and a little sad) that someone else was going to use his bottles and that he had earned his new toy.

This may not appeal to you but I thought I would reply as I have definitely gone through this with my son.

- A.

No advice on the bottle part, but on the no speaking thing, both of my sons did not speak until after 2 (one still does not, but read on), and they both got free services from Mass Early Intervention - the second one who is just 26th months is just starting. He has one word currently "cookie"...My 5 year old had two hours of speech therapy a week in MY HOME, for free from two great professionals. When our pediatrician first recommended it my husband thought there was some kind of stigma with accepting these services, but he was so glad that we did - it helped our first avoid a lot of frustration around not being able to communicate. He was speaking normally, and indeed, would not shut up, within 3-6 months. There are so few quality things that are free for kids these days, I highly recommend this. You can refer yourself. If you want contact information, let me know and I will find out for you what the number is for the Watertown office.

My now two year old wouldn't drink milk out of a sippy cup either. Not that she wanted the bottle that much...just no milk. (We don't give the kids juice because our four year old was on the heavy side when we adopted her at 6 months so she doesn't need the extra calories and they are happy with milk or water, plus they get juice at daycare.) We really felt like she needed the milk so we tried putting a bit of water in with the milk, making sure that she saw us put the few drops of water in the cup. She's pretty much over drinking "milky-water" now but asks for it every once in a while. Oh, and she'll drink out of ANYTHING as long as it has Dora on it! I'm not real crazy about the character stuff because if it's dirty and she wants it, there is a good chance there will be a melt down.