How Do I Transition from Bottles of Formula to milk...getting Scared!

Dont make a big deal out of it! Just put their milk or formula or whatever in the cups and offer it to them. Keep doing that until they catch on. They may like it and you are worrying for nothing. Gradually get rid of the bottles all together and only have the sippy cups. Neither of my kids had a problem taking the cup and one was bottle fed and one was breast fed. Try for one meal only giving the cup, dont have the bottle out or they will reach for that. As they catch on you can get rid of the bottles. It may go very smooth, so dont panic.

I have made the transition from formula to milk (and sippy cups) two times now and am about to start again with my 11-month-old son. My main advice to you would be to treat the transition as two separate things. Just because they are moving to milk doesn't mean they need to give up their bottles if they aren't ready. I would make the switch to milk first, but let them have their bottles until they have mastered using a sippy cup and are ready to give up their bottles. For my two older children, this ended up being around 14 or 15 months. As for switching to milk, my pediatrician has always had me do it gradually, say starting out mixing one ounce of whole milk with seven ounces of formula. Then the next week, two ounces of milk with six ounces of formula, and so on. Don't worry, it will work out!

Here is what I did with both of my kids (and my son will be 1 on 10/11). I started giving them formula in a sippy cup to experiment with until I was sure he could actually drink from it. You may have to try a few sippy cups before your kids are comfortable with one (both my kids liked the Playtex ones with two handles and a soft sippy part). Once I was sure he could drink from it I stopped with bottles altogether. After he was drinking from a sippy cup only, I just stopped formula and gave him whole milk. Both my kids loved the milk and did not miss the formula at all. There were no stomach upsets and our doctor was totally fine with this happening at 11 months.

I guess it depends on your kids and your style, but for me and my kids and quick transition was best. Good luck.

My twins hated milk so we substituted about an ounce of milk to their bottles of formula. Every few days you increase the amount of milk until they are drinking all milk. We offered them water in a sippy cup for awhile until they got the hang of it. It takes a few weeks. Then we cold turkeyed them to the sippy cups. They fought it for a day maybe but then gave in :0)You can do it ! Don't worry:)

oh, I forgot. It's more important to transitition them to the milk than it is to get rid of the bottle. Everything in time.

You are not alone - this freaked me out, too! We had the perfect schedule and I was so worried to tweak it. Fortunately, kids are way more resilient than what we give them credit for, so chances are they'll roll with the punches just fine.

At mealtimes, give both a bottle of formula and a sippy cup of milk. They may not touch the sippy cups but that's okay - they're simply getting used to the idea. I decided to go cold turkey at 12 months (well, once we ran out of formula which was at like 12 months and 3 days...). I panicked and thought there was no way he'd go for it. Much to my surprise, he took to the sippy cup like it was the normal routine he'd been following all along. My point? Don't be scared to switch because they might do just fine.

At sleep time, I switched up the routine slightly. My son didn't get a bottle before nap but he had been getting one before bed. Instead of getting the bottle for soothing, we added a new book to the routine and then put him down as usual. Again, I was so worried he wouldn't know what to do but because the routine was so similar, he just went to bed without problems.

Good luck to you!

Like another poster mentioned, my doctor said don't put milk in the bottle.

His analogy was "You could drink your morning coffee with a straw...you just don't." Your children probably associate the formula and bottle together, so just start a new association!

So, for my son it was "formula in the bottle" and "milk in the sippy." We took away the bottles around meal time first, then the one at nap time, and then the one at bedtime. We still did cuddled at bed time with the sippy as he drank, but pretty soon he gave that up.

When my son turned one, he was taking three bottles a day. Morning, Afternoon, and before bed. The first week after his birthday, I weened his afternoon bottle...a week later I weened his morning bottle, and the third week I weened what I thought would be the most difficult, the before bedtime bottle. I thought it was going to be so difficult, and found that he never missed it. Many of my friends weened the bottle much later and their kids were much more attached to it, so I would recommend weening early. He also never cared when I switched to milk. It was so much easier than I expected. I have a ten month old right now, and hopefully I will have the same experience! Hope this helps. Good luck.

My husband and I were lucky. Our son took formula one day and drank whole milk the next. He didn't have an issue with the transition whatsoever. I hope the same for you.

what my ped said and worked for us was at 11 months offer sippy cup of milk at all 3 meals then gradually lesson the formula bottles, he rec never to put milk into the bottle
that way they associate milk and sippy cup then formula with bottle my daughter did great with this option and plan to do it with our daughter, he also said i could offer water in the sippy during the day too

it will all work out

To make things easier for yourself get rid of the bottles at nap time now before you switch. I had one daughter that was so sad about her bottle being gone that she wouldn't drink anything all morning. (My girls never were given bottles at nap or bed time. My oldest never used a pacifier.) When she woke up from her nap, bam! she was so thirsty she drank 2 sippy cups back to back. That worked like a charm although I was very upset when she wouldn't drink anything. Cold turkey is tuff but will work quicker than weaning them. My second daughter, who used a pacifier, could have cared less when I switched her from the bottle to the sippy cup. I think it might be a little harder for you since your girls are use to getting bottles at nap, so that is why I would get rid of them at nap time now. Both of my girls seemed liked milk better than the formula. They are still great milk drinkers. Good luck

Our ped told us to reduce the formula by 2oz first and add regular milk to the bottle. After a few days then take it down another 2oz and so on til they are drinking full bottles of milk. My son is 13 months and still uses the bottle when we put him down (water of course). We give him sippy cups during the day. We started the sippy cups at dinner at around 8 month. Now he gets them all day and a bottle in the car and at bed. Good luck.

Hi,
The advice of our ped was to start with plain yogurt (mixed with baby fruit) then cheese to make sure our little girls tummy was ready. Then we gave her cows milk in the bottle, then switched to sippy and straw cups. Good Luck!

With my son whose 7 months I give him a sippy when he has his solids to get him use to it and with bottles I give a bottle at least 1 hour before he goes down. I learned after my daughter that he needs to put himself to sleep on his own and not with rocking or a bottle and that has really helped with my son.

Try heating the milk & putting it in the sippy cup. I think going from warm formula to cold milk is a shock in both taste & temperature. Besides, warm milk makes you sleepy.

Hi R. Just gradually ween them from the bottle little by little.

No need to be scared. Just start gradually adding milk to the bottle an ounce at a time. Keep giving them that for a week and move up another ounce the next week (or go longer if you feel you need to). Why don't you just introduce the sippy cup to them when you sit them down to eat their meals. Just put water in them. They'll probably get a kick out of this new-fangled thing you're putting in front of them. It'll take a little bit of getting used to, but they will get the hang of it.

These are the steps I took with my daughter, and they worked without any issues. I understand your anxiety though. Just when you get comfortable and into your routine, it's time to hurdle over another new developmental milestone. Good luck!

What I have done with all of my kids is gradually replace the formula/breastmilk with regular milk (vitamin D). You should wait till they are 1 year to start the transition. For example, for a few days (or how ever long you choose) put a few ounces of formula and an ounce of regular milk (or something to that effect). Then another day do 2 ounces of vitamin D, then 3 or 4, until they are no longer getting the formula. My son was on isomil and absolutely refused vitamin D milk so I transitioned him to soy milk and he drank it. I just wanted to point this out because I couldn't understand why he wouldn't drink it until I realized that it's the taste. Transitioning them to sippy cups will make things easier for you in the long run or you will have to transition them to the cup later on. If they absolutely need there bottles then give it to them. You may be suprised though they might not need or want them. It took me a few sippy cups to find the one my daughter liked and drank from. This pickyness of a certain cup only lasted a little while and now she will drink from whatever cup she is given. Try not to be scared or worried about this it will only make their transition harder. To be honest, I would start focusing on transitioning them to another new baby in the house:) Good luck to you and don't worry everything will be fine. They may even regress once the new baby comes but if you tell them that babies get bottles and that they aren't babies anymore may help them realize that they don't need baby bottles. Congratulations on your upcoming arrival.

Who says you have to transition now?..Last time I checked, whole milk could be drunk in a baby bottle. Go with your gut and wait on taking them off the bottle.

You have received a lot of great advice. I will add my two cents, and hope you find a way to make a smooth transition!

As others have said, I started wtih one change at a time. I also did 75% formula for a few days, then 50/50, then 25/75.
My second daughter was pickier with sippy cups. She would only take the Nuby ones with soft silicone top...she did not like the hard plastic ones. To get her to try it, I put some watered down Gerber juice in it. A little treat to get her to try it.
We also first did it during meals, (and during this time gradually heated it less and less) then did breakfast with a sippy with milk, and the night bottle was the last to go.

I breastfed, but also bottle fed. I have to say, I was luckier than most, because my son just started tossing the bottle away and went right to sippie cups on his own! If you are not so lucky, I would start by giving a smaller amount in the bottles, and also having the cups available. Keep the bottle going just for the naptime, but for regular meals, trips in the car, etc. switch to sippy cups. Also, try giving them watered down juice in the sippy- they will like the taste and it will help them get used to using the cups. Gradually they will just get used to the cups and stop wanting the 'ba-ba'. Good Luck!