Need Help Getting Toddler off Bottle

Hi H.,
I know exactly where you are coming from. I am a Pedi RN and a mom of 4.
I am the really mean mom---- personally, I recommend just throwing the bottle away. Period. It takes approx. 3 days to break any habit, so be prepared to hear about it for that long. When it is time to drink offer her a cup and say, here this is whay you use now". End of discussion. We have a "Fit rug" where my kids can go and scream all they want. When they throw a fit they are sent (or placed) there. All it is is a small carpet sample square from the dollar store, but it works great.
Don't forget, you are the mom and you get to call the shots :-)

All the best,
D.

H.,
The Nuby sippy cups are great. My son stopped using a bottle around 11 months because these cups were so soft and easy for him to use. The flow of fluid can be overwhelming at first especially if your daughter is not used to more than what comes out of a bottle. Nuby also has another type of sippy cup that has a sport bottle spout. I wasn't sure about it, but my son had an even easier time with that. Both of these should easily replace the bottle, and I agree with the other post - you have to get rid of the bottle once the transition is made, out of sight, out of mind. If she makes the transition before the new baby comes home, once she sees the baby with a bottle she may want the bottle all over again. Make sure you give her lots of praise for being a "big girl" and try your best to ignore her requests for the bottle. What about trying to get her to sip from a plastic cup like Mom does? My son gets the biggest kick drinking from a cup like Mom and Dad. He started that on his own at 4 months! He watched us and wanted to do the same thing. Yes he is still messy with a regular cup & we only do it once in awhile with water, usually when he's on my lap or in his booster seat. We give him lots of praise for trying & he's gotten quite good with it.
I hope this helps!

You could try to ease her off. They have those Nuby sippy cupp bottle looking things. They helped me out when I needed them. They look pretty much like a bottle. And maybe then try the other Nuby cups that look more like a sippy cup but the sippy part is all silicone. Hope this helps. It helped in my case but all kids are different.

You could do what "they" say to do with a pacifier--cut the end off of it and tell her it's broken. Sometimes when my son (2 years old) wants something I just tell him it's broken. I hate to lie to him, but sometimes it's the only thing he will accept. It might work with her. Or you could start putting something that doesn't taste good in it like wheat grass juice or something (and doesn't hurt them, of course). Then when she doesn't like the taste say, "Do you want your milk/juice?" (in the cup). Maybe she's start associating the bad taste with the bottle, and it will deter her from it. Hope something works for you!!

Hi H.,
I totally agree with Debby! I'm also a mean mom (3 boys). Soon my youngest will turn one, and around that time it's bye bye bottle and hello sippy cup.
But good luck, there were some other advices. Take the one you like the best.

I.

I saw on Surviving Motherhood (a show on Discovery health, I think) a mother who had twins who were 3 or 4 years old and still had bottles. Someone they knew out of town was expecting a baby, so she had the kids mail all of the bottles to her for the new baby. It worked great, the kids were excited about helping the new baby. Whenever the kids would be sad about missing the bottles, she would tell them that the other baby needed the bottles more. It seemed to work!

Hi H.,
We used the Nuby cups too, but that was still not enough at night. We started putting her milk (or juice) in the sippy cup and water in the bottle. We did not really have to pressure her or anything; just gave her the choice of water or the other. She quickly would turn to the sippy.

Hi! I can relate! I had this problem with my son too. I actually started replacing two ounces of his formula with water (that would make the formula more watered down). Once he got used to that (after about a week), I replaced another two ounces with water. Do that for another week and so on, until the bottle is eventually all water. Also, giving sippy cups in between bottles for other drinks, juice, water, whole milk, etc. He was never a big water drinker and eventually just didn't want it. So I just TOTALLY got ALL the bottles out of the house one day so he didn't see them anymore, and that was it. I don't agree with putting the whole milk in the bottle to replace formula, I think it just confuses them. Hope this helps some and don't worry (I know it's hard not to when you're in the thick of it), she will get it.

HUGS!

Hi H.:

You must have a lot going on with a toddler and new baby on the way. I am one of 8 kids (3rd) and my grandma had a daycare, which I worked at growing up so I have a lot of experience with kids. I have a 12 year old daughter and was in my mid 30's when I had her, so I savored every moment and did not rush anything. Of course I only had 1 child.

My suggestion is to encourage the sippy cup during waking hours and point out that she is such a big girl. I took small steps with my daughter and let her have the bottle at naps and bedtime, gradually dropping those times too (bedtime was the last to go away). In the course of about 3 months she was off the bottle completely, and was around 2 1/2. With a new baby having a bottle and so much attention, this may be a little daunting for your daughter and she may want the bottle even more, but stressing how proud you are of having a big girl may help ease the transition. Each child is different and adjust to potty training and getting off the bottle in their own way. The best suggestion I can give, DO NOT STRESS OVER IT! If you are upset, she too will get upset and it may grow into a lengthy ordeal. She will adapt and get off the bottle. Maybe she can help pick out her "Big Girl Cup".

Good luck and wish you the best on your new arrival.

T.

Hi H.,
This way may seem a little mean, but I was able to get both of my daughters off the bottle in 1 day. I filled the bottle with unsweetened lemonaid basically weak lemon juice. I gave it to my child who promptly let me know it tasted terrible. I would offer milk or beverage you choose in a sippy cup. I had really cute fun cups. She came back a few times for the bottle but decided the cups tasted better and stopped asking for the bottle by the second day. I have been told that's a mean way. But this allowed the child to choose to stop the bottle so it was easier than Mommy just taking it away. Hope this helps. By the way my oldest is 13 now and there were no lasting tramas over this:)

I agree with H.. I started with the Nuby cups that look like a bottle.(.98 cents @walmart) Then a few weeks later I introduced the Nuby sippy cups.(.98 cents @walmart) Then a again a few weeks later I went into the regular small "finding nemo" sippy cups. (5-pk @walmart $6. For me the transition was easy, I hope it the same for you!!! Just remember when he starts drinking from the sippy cups throw your bottles away, ASAP so he doesn't try to go back to them.