Need Advise on Weaning My 13 Month Old off of the Bottle

Updated on February 10, 2010
B.L. asks from Golden Valley, AZ
8 answers

My 13 month old is still on the bottle. She will drink out of a sippy cup when she feels like it during the day, but she will not go to sleep with one. I am also having problems finding cups that do not leak any suggestions

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So What Happened?

Good news my daughter has been off odf the bottle for over a month. I bought the Playtex cups that were recomended. She is doing great with them. She is even drinking out of a straw as well.! Thank you all for your advice.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Relax and do not worry about it , she does drink from a sippy so she is half way there , she likes her bottle with her bedtime milk as that is the routine that she has gotten used to and it's a comfort to her. My daughter is 19 months and still has her bedtime milk in a bottle , she is my 3rd and last child and I am in no rush for her to grow up!!

As for sippy cups that don't leak , I have had success with the playtex cups , either the spout top or the ones with the straw.

2 moms found this helpful

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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

Every child is different, but here is some great info from: http://www.ucsfchildrenshospital.org/education/baby_bottl...

When is my child ready to be weaned from the bottle?
In general, children can try a cup at 6 months and be weaned off the bottle around 12 to 18 months. Children are ready to be weaned when they:
* Can sit up by themselves
* Can eat from a spoon
* Show more interest in solid foods
* Have an established routine for mealtimes

How do I wean my child off the bottle?
* Wean your child during a relatively stress-free time. It is not a good idea to start when a new sibling has just arrived or when the family is moving to a new house.
* Introduce the cup early, at age 3 to 6 months. Let your child hold and become used to the cup without liquid.
* At age 8 to 10 months, substitute a sippy cup for a bottle at one feeding during the day. Choose a feeding when your child usually drinks just a little, rather than a major mealtime. Use this same feeding time to use the cup every day for a week.
* Every week, introduce the cup at another feeding, slowly decreasing the number of bottles your child receives.
* Feed very slowly. Help your child hold the cup and tip a small amount of liquid into his or her mouth.
* Some children may need to suck as a way for them to control their behavior. This sets their mood to accomplish certain tasks such as sleeping, concentrating and running. Some children may continue to suck on a pacifier or bottles of plain water for the first few years.
* Consistency is key to successful weaning. Be sure to give your child the cup at the designated feeding time and don't switch back to the bottle at this feeding.

What can I put in a bottle and what can I put in a cup?
* Put only breast milk, formula or water — no cows' milk before 12 months — in a bottle. Never put juice or other fruit-flavored drinks in a bottle.
* During the weaning process, only use water or milk in the cup. (Remember, no cows' milk before your child is 12 months old.) If you put juice in the cup, your child may come to expect it. After weaning you can offer diluted juice in the cup.

How can I make weaning easier on my baby?
* Offer other comforts such as a soft blanket or stuffed animal, or play soothing music.
* Spend extra time cuddling with your child during the weaning process.
* Buy cups with handles, spouted lids or baby cups with straws to make drinking easier.
* Be a positive role model and drink from a cup with your child.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

We tried pretty much every sippy cup available. Ultimately, we transitioned our son off of nighttime bottles at 14 months with Thinkbaby sippy cups because they were most similar to bottles, but with a sippy spout. To let the flow come faster (simulate regular cups), we cut a very tiny snip in the sippy opening. We found that the Nuby sippy cups had somewhat bulky sippy spouts and were hard for our son to drink through. We transitioned off of a nighttime bottle altogether a few months later during a brief time when he was feeling sick with a cold and didn't want to drink anything. After a few days of no nighttime milk, he never even noticed that he was not longer being offered it before bedtime.

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L.S.

answers from New London on

Sounds like you are doing everything right. She is only 13 months. My son got a morning and nitetime bottle until he was two and drank out of a sippy cup during the day. He never took one to bed with him. The Gerber sippy cups don't leak from what I've found. The playtex ones leak sometimes because the plastic stop is stop and wears over time. If it bothers you that she is still on a bottle, just throw them away or tell her they are broken.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.P.

answers from Albuquerque on

My girl decided that she preferred her sippy cup over the bottle at 11 months! We started introducing the sippy cup at ~8 months old and by 12 months she was a pro. Now (14 months), I let her "pick" her cup from the cabinet so she will be more motivated to finish whatever she is drinking. We are also starting to use an open cup when she is sitting in her highchair. Technically, you don't have to use a sippy cup, you could just start practicing with the open cup, if she would prefer that.

As far as leaking, I think they will all leak a little (when they get thrown off the highchair, banged on the table, rolled across the floor). Just be ready with a wet towel to clean up the drips. :)
If you have gotten her down to just a nighttime bottle, that's good progress. Keep trying to have her use the sippy cup and eventually she will learn that the bottle is GONE!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

my younger daughter especially gave me a hard time too! My older one switched to the NUBY sippy cups pretty easily... they have a silicone spout like a bottle, but shaped like a sippy. My youger one didn't go for that, but she did go for a "juice spout", which is the same thing as a NUBY sippy cup, but it fit into my daughters bottle instead of a traditional nipple. They sell them at Babies-R-us for pretty cheap.
it sounds silly, but just knowing that they were on their way to going to a sippy and moving away from the nipple took the stress off of me, even though she still had a "bottle". after a few months of that, i was able to switch her to a NUK sippy... which is also a silicone spout. We got past those pretty quickly, thank goodness because I didn't like them, but it got her off her attachment to her bottle. She was probably 20 months at this time.

You could also try a soft straw cup. It's expensive trying to buy all the different brands, but something will stick if you keep trying.

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

Hi B., She does not need the sippy cup to go to sleep, that;s not a good habit to allow her to get into. If you only give her a cup she will drink out of it, but if you give in and give her a bottle, she will hold out for the bottle, because it is more about security than being thirsty. At one year I just quir giving the bottle. but I started training them on the cup between 5 and 6 months so at a year, they would already be used to the cup. I never put my children to bed at night with a bottle or cup, I rocked and sand them to sleep, for bed time and nap time, (some of my sweetest memories). Healthy teeth is always an issue to think about when putting them down with cups or bottle. I know it's easier, but not what is best. Julia

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from Las Vegas on

well, seeing as my 3 yr old still has one bottle every night, I am not one to give advice on the weaning. However, the Playtex twist and click sippy's and straw cups are THE BEST. They do not leak. Plus, the lids are all interchangeable so all three of my kids can use what they need. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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