Bottle Bye Bye

Throw the bottles away today. Out of sight, out of mind. Show her the sippy cup and tell her the bottle fairy took all her bottles away and left the sippy cups for her instead. After 12 months, bottles should not be used at all.

Our pediatrician told us that some kids are attached to the "method" by which they get milk/juice/water etc. So her suggestion was to have a special cup for milk, something different than the other cups you use for other beverages. Try the Nubi or one with a softer spout. It's more like a bottle so she may be more accepting of it.

She's probably too young for this just yet, but when my daughter turned 2 we had the "bottle fairy" come and take all of her bottles away. The bottle fairy left her a big-girl present. We did a countdown of 3 days before to help her be ready and she did great. We had 2 or 3 days of her asking for her bedtime bottle and then that was it. So if you're okay with her having the bottle a little longer, you may want to try that. Personally, I don't see any big deal with a baby having a bottle! And I think that 15 mos. is still a baby. :) Good luck!

I agree with Jennifer M. I let my kids keep the bottle until age two to ensure they were getting at least 16 ounces of milk a day. And, the bottle fairy is a great idea... "cold turkey" really is the only way to go. With my now 3.5 yo, he gave his bottles to Mickey Mouse when we went to Disney for his 2nd B-day, and now with my younger, even though is is only 23 months (today) I felt like Christmas was the perfect opportunity to wrap his bottles and leave them for Santa on Christmas Eve. Worked like a charm. He has asked twice since about the bottle, but I just reminded him that we gave them to Santa, and said "all gone bottles." He opened the dishwasher yesterday and said, "Mommy, all gone bottles." He has been drinking milk from a cup with meals since he was about 15 months, but would only take the full eight ounces from a bottle. So now that the bottles are gone, we do a light snack a bedtime with a little bit of milk in a cup. It was the same with my now 3.5 yo, and both times it was an easy transition.

If you do decide to eliminate the bottle now, just make sure she is getting plenty of healthy fats from other sources. Doctors recommend 16 ounces of whole milk a day until age two becasue it easily provides the fat that toddlers need for proper brain development.

Great advice so far - get rid of the bottles, let her pick out a sippy cup and/or a straw cup.

A.,

I had the same problem with my youngest son. I had to do the unthinkable. I took all the bottles out of the house and gave them away. I then put the milk in a sippy cup and if he wanted it bad enough he drank it. I know that it sounds cruel, but believe me if she wants her milk bad enough and she sees that there are no bottles in the house anymore she will drink her milk from that sippy cup.

I would remove the bottles from whereever you keep them and completely get rid of them. If she asks for a bottle show her that there are no bottles in the house anywhere. I know it sounds mean but it does work, I did it with my son right around the same age.

Good luck.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys 14, 6 and 3

Throw out the bottles...if she is thirsty she will drink...show her you are throwing them out and say "bye-bye"
Try different types of sippies too--maybe even take her with you to "pick one out."
But this is the first of many power struggles you will have--and you need to remember you are the parent. No more bottles, she may refuse at first, but only because you give in...she will not go thirsty-i promise!

I agree 100% with Shelly S (the response below). Do it NOW or you will regret it. As she gets older it will be harder to do. Also, don't stress about her not drinking milk for a while until she adjusts and realizes that the bottles really are gone and not coming back. My son's milk intake dropped dramatically once the bottles were gone (at 12 months) and the doctor said to just make sure he gets calcium and fats from other sources. Also, I had one kind of sippy for water or watered down juice and another kind for milk-- but both were kinds with a built in straw, which makes it super easy when at a restaurant or someone else's house because he can drink out of any type of straw

My daughter had the SAME problem... and at 15 months to the day, I decided i HAD to get rid of the bottles, or it would be SO much harder. She would drink her juice from the sippy cup, but milk only from the bottle. I started giving her milk w/every meal ONLY in her sippy cup. She never really DID get much milk but I continued with meals anyway. I tried to cut the juice out as much as I could and only offer her milk. One day I tried to give her her milk in her sippy cup...at the same time/place as I would have with her bottle. She threw it to the ground. So in an instant, i decided to change locations. We went from her high chair in the kitchen (where she also drank her bottles) to the living room w/the TV on. I actually found that while she was otherwise occupied, and in a different location, she actually drank the milk without even thinking much about it or realizing...change locations, times, anything you can change from what your child associates w/the bottle...hope things work out. Just remember, your child will not go to kindergarten drinking from a bottle! :)