Removing Bottle from 14 Month Old

I had the same battle when my daughter was in the transition stage and after about a week of putting milk in a sippy with a little chocolate syrup she was hooked and I was able to get rid of the bottle and start a sippy cup no problem. Hope this helps.

Nuby makes a really great sippy cup. You can get it at Walmart next to all of the other sippy cups. It is in a package and contains the cup and 3 different tops. One top looks like a bottle nipple. We used this first with our son (he too refused the sippy). He was perfectly content to use this sippy cup. Initially, he wouldn't use the other two tops, only the one that resemble the bottle. Eventually we started to switch to the other tops. He will now drink out of anything (he is now 19 months old). Hope that helps!

As far as milk goes, my son drinks some form all day long. We give him 2% milk, rice milk and almond milk as well. He drinks throughout the whole day, not just at meal times. He brings us his cup whenever it is empty to be refilled.

Oh, by the way, lots of people have the hardest time ditching the pacifier so you should pat yourself on the back for getting rid of that. We're all learning and we need to remind each other of our accomplishments too!

First, let me say this you are teaching your little one not training her. I know the word Train is used so often for things, but it just makes it sound like work and not a joy to experience.

Now the bottle thing...in my book, no big deal. My son went to a bottle when I had to go back to work and needed to get him fed. He self-weaned from the bottle at 18 months and we never looked back, one night he just stopped needing it. I made an effort to offer the bottle only after meal time and only the cup during mealtime after he was 15 months old.

One suggestion that Susan made that I have passed on and seen work, is putting the cups every where and making them available all day. Like on the coffee table, the nightstand, the play area...wherever they will be seen and this will teach you little one that the cup is the option for drinking. I have two friends who did this with their 14-18 month olds and it worked.

Weaning is tricky. Start slow. Don't have any expectations. Start with daytime bottles and then nighttime bottles, if she's still taking them but if she's not then it will be so much easier. Milk is fortunately not the only source of calcium or fat, so substitute with other things that are healthy fats like yogurt, avocados and cheese while you're doing it. Try the NUBY cups that mimic the bottle top, my son loved those and these helped the process.

Like anything this change will effect other aspects of life...sleep, mood and daily routine...so take it easy and don't pressure each other to make a move she might not be ready to make.

Kids are funny creatures and are able to cue us to what their needs are and we just have to watch and teach.

Good Luck.

I'm curious about this: What difference does it make to you what kind of vessel your daughter drinks out of? What is the difference, in your mind, whether she drinks out of a child-oriented bottle or a child-oriented sippy cup? Just wondering...

Just a note about percentiles: someone has to be in the 1-3 percentile, because the scale is nothing more than a collection of live people compared to each other. Someone has to be the shortest and the lightest, even if by the bottom end the differences between the 25th percentile and the 1st is less than 1/2 a pound. In any group of 100 people, someone will be the tallest and someone will be the shortest, and those are the scale ends. They have nothing at all to do with health --they're statistics, and unless there is more than 1000 people involved, not very informative statistics.

It is surprising to me to watch people give their children comfort objects to comfort themselves with and then, regardless of the comfort of the child, remove them because it is 'time'. I have seen no agreement about what 'time' is correct --for giving comfort objects or for taking them away.

It never made sense to me to wean from the breast to a bottle --it just sounded like two opportunities to do the same task, and I'm way too lazy for that. I just waiting until my kids weaned themselves, accidentally eliminating any need for pacifiers in the process.

I'm in the same boat so I appreciate you asking the question. I feel you got a little heat from some mom's as to why. I've heard that it's not good for their teeth - leads to cavities, etc. so you are doing the right thing in trying to move to a sippy cup. The next step after that is the straw then a cup. I just bought a Playtex straw sippy cup yesterday from Target that we are going to try today. I think you got some good advice here and I'm going to try some ideas. Keep trying though but don't beat yourself up if it takes a few months!!!

What's your hurry??????? She'll switch to a cup when she's ready. Pick your "battles"! Switching to a sippy at 14 months shouldn't be one.

Hello R.. I have no idea what works best, but I was wondering if maybe getting some cool and crazy straws might help. Maybe as an incentive to drink from a glass/cup (not a sippy). I think that would be cool if I was a kid, but it's just a thought, not a tried and true thing. LOL Also, I've heard of cutting a huge whole in the top of the nipple works wonders, I think it's kind of mean (but not THAT mean), so maybe whatever works. The idea is that when the child tips the bottle up to drink, it spills all over them and they don't like it. Again, I've never tried it, just heard of it and MAYBE it might work. If the child is doused in milk/water/juice, then a sippy might look more and more appealing. BEST of luck to you :)

Hi R.,

Maybe use a sippy cup for something other than milk for now - water or a little juice (watered down if you like). It doesn't have to be much liquid, just something different to associate with the cup. Start with it once a day at a snack or meal time. And try different cups. My daughter was enthusiastic about trying the sippy cup, but even she has favorites. Re: milk routine - my daughter is also 14 months. At our doctor's recommendation we try to give her 18-24 ounces a day. She has a big bottle (8 oz) when she wakes up. 3 milk sippy cups during the day - 9:30, lunch, 3:30 ish (she'll take 3-4 oz each time) and then a bottle or cup with dinner. Amount varies. If she's had a lot of milk in a given day (or if it's hot, she's been especially active, etc) I might give her water or a 50/50 water-juice mix at one of those times.

We're still working on the pacifier... good job on tackling that one!

Hi R.....first off, good job on removing the binkie!That was hard one for us to get the nerve up to do....as for the bottle....does she hold her own bottle? If so, does she walk around while drinking it? If she does, you could first try having her sit with you, or sit down in a chair or high chair only when she has her bottles....then move on to just giving her a bottle with her meals, while sitting down. That way, it's not such a great thing and becomes more of a standard thing to just have with meals. Then, litle by little, you could give her a milk bottle AND a sippy cup of water with her meals....then slowly phase out the bottle of milk to just breakfast and luch...then take one more away, etc. After taking each one away...replace it with milk in the sippy cup instead of water, etc.... I think if you do it slowly, she won't notice it so much. It will take a bit longer, but will eliminate the tantrums. Just a thought. Good luck!!

H.

My sons class at daycare (all 1-year-olds) didn't allow bottles, so 1st day, they offered sippy cups only. Cold Turkey. I thought they were nuts, but it didn't take more than about 3 hours for him to figure out that milk was, in fact, in the sippy cup, and still delicious. They even use the non-frills, cheap Take-n-toss sippy cups... nothing expensive or special.

Now, my son looks at a bottle and doesn't know what to do with it. Transition complete.

My experience with my son was he didn't like sippy cup at all. We tried but he hated it. Then, we used straw cup. He is okay with it. My suggestion is to do it step by step. We changed to straw cup for his water, then, morning milk, then the last is the one before bed. If she didn't get enough milk from the cup, try to give her some cheese products and yogurt to compensate. Good luck in keep trying.

OK, not any new advice here. At 14 months, she's still fine to use a bottle. The trouble with teeth comes if you let her go to bed with a bottle, and she can drink all night. I never got this anyway -doesn't the leftover milk get yucky? Anyway, we did have success - eventually - with the Nuby sippy cup. Basically, just keep trying. One day, my daughter decided she was thirsty/hungry enough to drink milk from a sippy, and we went from there. My sister got her son to do the same by mixing in an ounce of Pediasure, then called it a "shake." The extra calories might not hurt! On the plus side, if you have to toss some milk, it's not as big a deal as if you were tossing expressed breastmilk or expensive formula!

Good luck, and keep trying!

Hi R.,
I was able to switch to sippy cups easy by using first the Nuby Gripper Sippy Cup (you can find it at Target or on line, try goodforthekids.com), it has the look and feel of the bottle, but it is in fact a sippy cup. It makes the transition a lot easier. Hope that helps.

every wkk cut a hole in the nipple bigger and bigger....then after a few weeks get a nuby sippy cup that looks like a bottle..then a sippy cup

Hi R.,
Why is it so important to take the bottle from her? She is still a baby. If it is soothing for her to have a bottle then I say let her have it. It is probably more comfortable to have a soft nipple in her mouth, rather than a hard piece of plastic.:)

Try transitioning one meal at a time. If you hold her to give her a bottle, hold her and give her the sippy cup. Check with doc if you want, but you could probably give her a little bit of ovaltine or Carnation instant breakfast in her milk to make it more paletable. She may like the flavoring and drink it if you get the taste in her mouth. You may have to try it in a normal cup to get her to take a sip first and then transfer it. That is what we did to transition my dd. We still have to loose the nightime bottle, but during the day she is off the bottle so to speak. LOL I tried a touch of Nesquick at first, but my friend said to try the Carnation because it is not empty calories. My dd eats mostly fruits veggies and all organic so I did not see the harm in a few empty calories I guess. I would put a half a teaspoon in 8 ounces of milk so it was not alot. It worked better for me because my dd does not need all the extra calories and nutrition from the Ovaltine because she is HUGE already. She is super tall, in the 95th percentile. Hopefully it will work for you, I know it is a struggle, it is a process and it does take time. Try different sippy cups as well. Good luck. : )

Oh, I forgot to add, my doc seems to think as long as we are rid of the bottle by age two, it is fine. I would start the transition in a few months if weight is a concern.

Our daycare gave sippy cups only from Day 1 in the toddler room, so my 20 mo drinks fine from them. BUT he still wants a bottle before bed and when he wakes up in the morning. We had him off the bottle for 2 weeks but it was during the fires/evacuations and he was extremely fussy from the smoky air, family's stress, schedule upsets, etc so we he kept asking we brought it back for comfort - worked like a charm. Once I'm over this cold, we will make another go at this! I'm planning to buy more of these straw cups to help -- he's tried them and loves them. http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodontheGo/be...
Definitely more expensive than the other variety suggested here but I like the fact he cannot take the straw out and make a mess! We got several when my now 5yo son was a toddler and they're great. Caution: as liquids warm up in the container, they creep up the straw and can pool in the lid area which gets messy when you pick it up, so just be sure to close the fold-down spout when he's done.
Like others said, don't worry about this too much -- off the bottle by 2yo is fine! Esp with low weight to consider. Good luck!

At this point, I'd say you need to choose your battle. Since she is on the low side of the weight spectrum and her health/nutrition is of good concern to you, I'd keep the bottle around for another 4-6 months. It doesn't hurt her at all, it doesn't increase the potential for cavities or long term orthodontic issues. The big concern would be her health at this point. Not getting the nutrients and fluids that she needs each day will cause more harm than the bottle.

My now 4.5 yo son was a paci sucker until he turned 4. We tried to take it away around age 16 months when EVERYONE else said it was time for it to go. Then I got preggo with DD and was put on bedrest. We were also potty training my son at the time because that's what everyone else said to do. We put both the paci removal and potty training on hold until after my DD was born and our schedule returned to normal. Then we decided to keep the paci and do the potty training when he turned 2.5 years old. It took my son about a year to be fully potty trained. That was a few months shy of his 4th birthday. So we told him that on his 4th birthday, the paci's would be given to the paci fairy to give to other little baby boys who needed them. He only asked for his paci for two days, then that was it. He also took a bottle until he was about 2 years old. He's got perfectly straight and very well spaced out teeth.

My 2.5 yo DD got off the bottle around 1.5 years because she wanted to drink like a Big Girl just like her brother. She was never a paci sucker, but is a FT thumb sucker from age 3 months. Her thumb and her blankies are her comfort items. She still gets a sippy cup of milk at bedtime. So far no cavity problems. But for sure she will need some ortho work as she gets older. She's got an overbite. Not sure if that's because of the thumbsucking or just genetics. Both my Mom and I were thumb suckers and didn't have to get braces. I do have braces on now, but my ortho said it wasn't because I sucked my thumb as a kid, it's because over time your bite changes. My SIL however needed braces as a kid because of a severe over bite, so we figure my DD gets it from hubby's side of the family since she generally takes after my hubby's side.

I also second the straw idea. Some kids just don't like the feel of the sippy cups...some spouts flow too slow/fast, some spouts are too hard or soft, and some just taste funny. My son loved the Platex hard spouts because he was an early teether and loved to gnaw his gums on it. My daughter hated them. The only sippy cups she liked were the soft spout Nuby ones. At about age 2 they both figured out how to use a straw so whenever possible I let them use a straw. I think with my daughter I must have bought every type of sippy cup out there before we found the Nuby ones. And they are the cheapest ones there are at only $1 or $2 a piece at Walmart :). Now she uses either a Thermos Sipster (LOVE these! They are expensive at $15 each, but they are practically indestructable! And hardly any leaks!)with straw when we are out and about or a Toss and Go sippy cup (again the cheapo ones from Walmart at about $3 for 4) at home.

What I have learned in my short life as a Mom is to always go with MY gut instinct with regards to raising my children. Just because 99% of the other Moms do things one way and it works for their kid, that doesn't mean it will work for me and my kids. Often times that meant I went against even what my ped recommended. You know your daughter best, so you are her best advocate and defender and instinctively know what is best for her. Trust your gut. If taking away the bottle right now is what you feel is right, then go for it. If you feel it's better for her to keep the bottle for a little or even a lot longer, do that.

Our son had a slight problem forming words (grew out of it) and the doc said to skip the sippy cup and go straight to straws (because they build different mouth muscles -- yep, the mouth has muscles. Who knew?)

Anyway, we used these: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2799857 (You can get them EVERYWHERE and they're cheap). THE REALLY COOL THING about these is they don't leak like regular straw cups.

Your daughter might like going to the straw instead, especially if you get some straws yourself. Since these are cheap, it's worth a try.

Good luck!

My son was the same way. The sippy cup was absolutly out of the question! I bought every kind out there trying to get something he'd use. He was NOT having it! Two things we tried did work. First of all we drink bottled water a lot so we started with just giving him a regular bottle of water. He spilled some but caught on pretty quickly. The next move was to an adult cup. I'd give him a plastic cup of milk or juice. He liked to drink that way but he didn't like the mess. That's when we brought back the sippy cup. Since then no problems. This worked for our family really well.

So far looks like great advice has been given. My son is now 20 months and has multiple food allergies. So I often worry about his nutrition and getting enough of what he needs. So I have also kept with a bottle only twice a day before nap and before bed. Outside of that he drinks from sippy cup or regular cup. He acquired the regular cup recently.. he likes to play mostly, but I just give him a little at a time. I am sure I could try to teach him to drink from only a sippy or only a cup, but I find nutrition to be a much more important issue.

In choosing to keep the bottle, I have taken my son to the dentist and have made it a point to brush his teeth at least once a day.. this is another battle, but finally after 5 months of wrestling he is on board and brushes his teeth without resistance. Of course, I don't let him sleep with his bottle, but I worry that it will ruin/harm his teeth.

Good luck. Keep your eye on your daughter and her signs will tell you when she is ready to move on.