Trying to Wean My 1 1/2 Yr Old off Bottle

I keep saying not sure what the push is to take bottle away. I equate it to
someone taking away your morning coffee. As long as she is not walking
around with it all day, don't sweat it. She probably finds it comforting. I know
I am in the minority, but in the scheme of life, how important is it? She is
only a baby.

2 moms found this helpful

We weaned my son from bottle at 12 months. I started by taking away one bottle feeding at a time. The first I took away was his midday one, because he seemed the least interested in this one. The bedtime was the last to go. My pedi told me not to mix milk/formula, not to warm milk, serve it in a bottle etc in the transition phase as this just makes it more confusing for the child and drags it out. Just take away one feeding at a time and make sure you offer her a sippy of whole milk and regular snacks/meals. She WILL NOT starve. I worried about this as well, and was obsessively trying to count ounces of milk, assuming he was not going to be okay. Then I realized by asking around, most moms really didn't know how many ounces of whole milk their toddlers are drinking because this is not nearly as important as it was with formula. My son never put up a fuss about this at all. Your daughter most certainly is ready to be weaned - she's well beyond age that bottles are needed. Please beware the longer you wait, the harder it will be. Perhaps she's already "testing her limits" about it because she's developed an attachment to her bottle feedings. I think you will find it you wait longer, it will only be more difficult. Just start and don't look back :) Good luck

1 mom found this helpful

my vote is to eliminate the night bottle as quickly as possible to prevent tooth decay.

my next thought is to just go cold turkey...she'll adjust, & the quicker it's over....the quicker peace will return to the home.

Did cold turkey with both my sons at age 11-12 months. They both loved their cups during the day so it was an easy transition.

1 mom found this helpful

I did my kids at the 1 year mark and gave her 2 weeks. I took the bottle away EXCEPT for naps and bedtime...2 weeks later, I took the naptime away...then 2 weeks later I took the bedtime one away. I never had a problem (no fits like yours)
Do you make her milk warm in the sippy cup like you did bottles? may help..my biggest hurdle was finding a cup my kid liked...she ended up liking the straw sippy cups.
My best advise is whatever you are going to do....stick to it. a 18 month old doesnt know what she needs. its up to you to help her with that. shoot my almost 3 year old...she would eat candy all day if it was up to her.LOL
GL

1 mom found this helpful

Fill the bottles with water and give her as much as she wants offer milk and juice in cups. It wont hurt her if she drinks more water than milk for just a few days. then if she isnt drinking enough milk you can take away the water bottles.

With my daughter we used the nook sippy cup. It has a spout, but it's soft like a nipple. It so happens that she was about 6 or 7 months when this happened b/c she got sick and the only thing she could keep down was pedialite. I'm not sure why I put it in a different cup. After that she would no longer take a bottle. Now, I have several friends who had a hard time getting their little ones to take a sippy, and this cup worked for everyone! We bought them at Wal mart. The ones I have seen most recently (I only know what the girl one look like!) is pink w/a princess and a dragon on it. I'm sure they have a boyish version too! Hope that helps! Here's a link w/a pic of the one we used.
http://www.bing.com/shopping/nuk-learner-cup-silicone-spo...

mine was on the bottle past her second birthday. I did a decreasing dose until I only put 2 oz in her bottle. Then we just took it away one night. I think the decreasing dose was best for us because she was getting so many calories from milk cold turkey would have been difficult.

The best advice I ever got for weaning away that bottle is actually a simple concept and it works! I got my daughter off at 19 months and my nephews were almost 3 and were seriously attached to the bottle. They crave the sucking which is comfort to them. The best way ti gamble this- take the top off! Throw away the bottle top and the nipples and just off the bottle like that. You will have a ticked off little one for a few days but I promise it works! It took my baby about 3 days and my nephew about 5 days and prepare for some attitudes but im telling you it works! My sil didn't believe me until she stuck with it! Give it a try and let us know :)

start with the morning one since you already did, and once she is over that, move on to the night one.