Feeding Question - Central Falls,RI

I've said this to others, and I'll say it again, I don't get the point of taking away the bottle on a time line. I introduced my daughter to a sippy cup as soon as she could hold it, but I never tried to remove the bottle, and always gave her the choice, She gave it up on her own at about 3 years. She's almost 14 now, and has no ill effects of having had a bottle as long as she did. So my advise, unpopular as it may be, is let him keep his bottle until he's ready to give it up.

Dont cut back on the bottles, but introduce a sippy cup with his milk in it. Then slowly switch the bottles to sippys completely so there is no more bottles :)

I don't think you necessary need to cut back on the number of bottles, but just transition him to a sippy cup or a regular cup. Gerber Nuk was a good transition for us from the bottle. I would transition just like you would wean. One meal at a time, maybe for a week, then the next. Save those important ones for second to last (like morning or night). Good luck.

Our dr said the goal was to get them to a sippy by at least 15/18 months. Although most of my friends drs said 12 months. Anyway, I think the number of bottles you give is fine, it is just mechanism with which they are getting the fluid.

Our little guy did great with the transition. We got the soft top sippy cups, he had absolutely no problems switching to that (IMO, they are pretty darn close to a bottle!). It was a harder transition to a hard top sippy, that came about 3-4 months after.

Good luck!

Introduce nide soft intersting foods. he will want to investigate them. Try avocado. It is a great food, rich in healthy fat and minerals and vitamins. Try different fruits. Put fruit juce in the bottle instead and gradually change the bottle to a cup or a reusable bottle. He may take to a sippy cup, he may not. A lot of kids prefer to drink straitght out of a water bottle or picnic bottle. Don't worry he will drink out of a cup just like you in a year or so.

Try buying him a sippy cup... I took my son's bottle when he was about 10months old and didn't have any problems. Take the bottle away all together...

My doctor said she wanted the bottle gone by 15 months, not 12. In the end, my son self-weaned. We just refused to put milk in a bottle, so the bottle was formula and the milk was in a sippy cup. He gave up the bottle on his own before his 13th month.

Is your son drinking from a sippy cup yet?
If so, just slowly wean him off the bottle by substituting it for the sippy cup throughout the month.
If not, start him off by giving him 1 of the servings in the sippy cup, then 2, ...... until he's only drinking from the sippy cup.

During the last 2 weeks before my son's b-day, I told him about the "bottle fairy" and how she gives gifts for bottles. When I finally weaned my son off the bottle, I took all his bottles & put them in a box. I told my son the bottle fairy was coming tonight and she was going to take the bottles & leave him a gift in exchange for them. When he woke up he found a toy where the bottles were. He never asked about the bottles again. Good Luck!

Personally, I wouldn't take anything away.

My son was on a bottle until he was a little over 2. No biggie in my eyes.

I could tell he wasn't ready to give it up, and I saw no medical or safety reason to force him away from it.

You're his mother, and no one knows your child better than you. If you feel he isn't ready to give it up...then let him keep it.

Remember that just because a pediatrician says it, doesn't mean it's gold. Use your motherly instincts.

Good luck.

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Actually it's better to start getting rid of the bottle well before a year old. Then you don't have a bottle fight on your hands. I was just reading an article that the AAP is recommending to pediatricians to have a discussion with parents at the 9 month check up to start getting rid of the bottle.

You need to introduce the sippy cup stat! If he is reluctant you can try it with a tiny amount of warm milk and the spout out so he understands what the sippy is all about. But at 11 months he may do well. You can also try straw cups too.

He's only getting 12 oz a day and that's not a lot it would seem. When a toddler starts whole milk it's recommended around 16-24 ounces per day.

You don't cut back on anything for a growing infant. You son will still need some form of liquid nutrition to balance with his meals. For most people this is whole cows milk.