Weaning a 2 Year Old from the Bottle

Hi M.:
At this stage of the game, your son simply wants that bottle at night,as a soother.It pacifies him.I always thought (cold turkey) was a dramtic way to cut a toddler off.He only knows,that what he has come to find comforting,has been eliminated(taken from him) I'd think,that because he will most likely be staying with you,in your room on vacation,that he may be satisfied that your there to soothe him to sleep.So he may be alright. What I'd do, is use the next few weeks,to try and wean him off.I'd make a big deal,out of sitting with him (sharing a cup of milk before bedtime.) Him with his cup and you with yours.I'd emphasize that this is how big boys drink their milk before bed.You will no doubt have some sleepless nights. Make sure he has something to replace the bottle. A favorite blanket or stuffed animal. If your going on vacation,its to relax and enjoy yourself.Nobody should be expected to attempt weaning a child,during A vacation. If he isn't weaned by then,take and hide one bottle somewhere in your luggage.Better to save your sanity,and everyone's vacation time,than to make this a bigger issue than it is.Have a wonderful time. J. M

1 mom found this helpful

My son was resistant to give up the bottle, so around the age of 2 I figured it was time for him to "let go". The bottle fairy came to our house. What we did was put all the bottles in a gift bag, tie the bag to the limb of a tree in the backyard and in the morning, the bag with the bottles was replaced with a new toy. I had him involved with the whole process, from picking out the bag and decorating it, to putting the bottles, tissue paper and all into the bag. The whole time I reiterated that he was a big boy and that the bottle fairy needed his bottles to give to the new babies around the world.

Hope this helps and good luck!!!
Cheers,
Jenn

1 mom found this helpful

If he already takes milk from the sippy cup why not try replacing the milk in the bottle with water? Not nearly as exciting or delicious as milk. Explain that milk only comes in the sippy cup and not in bottles anymore. Or maybe have the bottle fairy come one night and replace all the bottles with new sippy cups (exciting ones with favorite characters on them)? Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Just switch it out to all sippy cups, and see what happens, since he does drink milk out of sippy cups already... just at certain times.

good luck,
Susan

1 mom found this helpful

You might have to go "cold Turkey" on the bottle issue. Explain to him that he is no longer a baby and doesn't need a bottle anymore. He can drink from a straw or a sippy cup. Get rid of all bottles, (I hid mine in the top cupboard). He will cry for his bottle for maybe a few days, stay tuff and reassure him again and again, that he is a big boy and doesn't need the bottle. The transition is usually not as bad as we think. I assume that he is also not potty trained, right? This goes hand in hand with the bottle!

Good Luck

L.:)))

Hi M.. I have a girl who just turned 2 last week. We took her off the bottle 2 months ago. Then, we took her off the pacifier just this weekend. Both times, we did cold turkey. What scared us to action is that my 3.5 yr old who we had on the bottle until she was 2.5 is now having to go through a pulpotomy, or a baby root canal, because of the bottle (with the milk, of course). If we had to do it over again with her, we would have taken her off cold turkey too. The guilt and anxiety over having to see my daughter go under and go through a root canal is too much. So, with my younger one, we took her off without hesitating. We had a couple of rough nights, but it took shorter than anticipated. By the 3rd night, she was content on drinking milk out of the regular cup. They don't really need to drink out of bottle or sippy cup after 1 or 1.5 years of age (according to our pediatric dentist). The pacifier took just a couple of nights as well. Just do it. It's for the baby's own good. Don't worry. He'll be fine and you can do it.

We are in exactly the same situation, I have started cutting down the amount in the bottle every other day or so. He hasn't really noticed that there's not as much in it. By the end of this weekend, we should be done completely. I have just substituted a lot more books before nap and bedtime. So far it is working. I'll let you know how things are at the end of the weekend!!

Doodlebug's mom

I am sorry this is not going to be fun. So many parents don't think about this until it's time to take away the bottle. If you were just starting out as a new mommy I would suggest that you never let your baby hold a bottle. I know, so many parents can't wait for the baby to hold the bottle and they can feed themselves, unfortunately this creates a hand to mouth habit, hard to break (a soothing comfort like some would enjoy cigarettes) luckily you dont have that problem yet. A bottle is only a necessity the 1st yr. of life after that it becomes a lifestyle, for parents and baby. I would suggest only allowing your child to have a bottle while in your lap, or stationary. 2 yr. olds dont like restraint so if you inforce this like a law you will defeat the bottle. Have sippy cup handy all the time and if your child wants up and to play offer only the cup. It may be to late to try to hold the bottle for your child but I would try. Dont let them have free reighn with the bottle, set limits. Good Luck.

He's old enough to have the conversation. My kids took a bottle until after 2 because I did not think it was a big deal either. When I decided that maybe it was time to get rid of the bottles, we talked about it, and went shopping to pick out some new sippy cups to use instead. With my first child, she never drank milk again. My second child made an easy transition and drinks milk just fine throughout the day (they are now 7 and 4). Just be honest and explain that we don't have any room in the luggage, etc, but you can choose 2 new cups or whatever and then he will probably understand.

Just don't take the bottles on the trip. Tell your son that bottles are on vacation and that they can't go with you... He already knows that they are for home, if he doesn't get one at school, so he should be ok with that...
If you want to get him off them earlier, try cutting down one a week or so. If he doesn't always get the naptime bottle, I would cut that one out first. He will probably cry, but offer him a cup with his drink, and talk to him. He is old enough to understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Just tell him that the naptime bottle is going byebye and that he can have a cup, but no more bottles. In fact, you could go cold turkey with the bottles to cups... That is up to you. You will have to be calm and tell him the same thing each time and don't give in. It is work, so be prepared for extra cuddles and kisses to reassure him that he is still loved and to help him cope with the loss of a comfort item...
Good luck
R.

p.s. I like the other two answers better, but I will leave my advise in case something is helpful. I especially like the idea of fun sippy cups...

Just try to eliminating one bottle a week. I'm sure he will cry, but they get over it. Just tell him he can have one later. That's what I did when I eliminated sippy cups of milk before naps and bedtime. My daughter is 21 months old and only gets a sippy cup of milk in the morning. I give her milk in a cup for lunch and dinner. Yes, my daughter cried about it, but she finally accepted it when I told her she can have one after her nap. She never remembered when she woke up. Now, she doesn't even ask for it except when she wakes up in the morning. (6:00am)
Good luck!