Weaning from Bottle - Livonia,MI

Each baby is different to some degree. You don't have to rush anything regarless of the ped. says. It's completely natural and normal for a little one to need sucking for 2 yrs or more. They need it for the formulation of the teeth, palette, tongue, the jaw, - the whole mouth which is still forming. (Just to mention one aspect.)
Women have always nursed their babies for 2 to 3 yrs for thousands of years. I know lots of people gasp at this, but it is normal. (Personally I couldn't go there; after nursing gave a bottle) But I have known lots of women who do or have.

When I saw that my little one was needing the bottle less and less and pretty much loss interest in it, I would say to them, "we're going to throw the bottle away in the garbage soon, then it'll be gone and we'll say bye-bye to bottle." I'd say it for two or three days so they'd start getting the idea. By this age they knew where the garbage pail was and that once we put it out it was gone. I'd have them throw things in the garbage, so they knew. Then when the child was ready, I'd have them throw the bottle in the garbage and say good-bye bottle we don't need you anymore, bye-bye. - something to that affect. - So they threw it away and said goodbye to it.

I did this with all four and there was never a problem. One of them continued to check throughout the day as to whether it was still in there or not, but not once took it out, she'd just look and then walk away. Of course, each one was ready to do this. Each one of them was over 18 mos. It was around 2 years- some a little younger, some a little older usually by just a couple mos. or so.

Hope this helps.

I let my grandkids stay on the bottle until they were ready to give them up. They had no fights or issues. Milk is milk is milk. It does NOT matter if it comes from a cup or a bottle.

If this little one wants a bottle it does not matter if you let him still get that bottle. Our pediatric dentist said it's the holding the bottle all night in their mouths that destroys the enamel on their teeth. If they are not keeping the bottle in bed with them with milk in it then the milk is not damaging their teeth.

I say this because if your little guy needs to suck he may find a substitute if you take the bottle away and he's not ready. He may start sucking his fingers or thumb, he might find a corner of a blanket, and might just start a worse habit than drinking his milk in a bottle instead of a cup.

Our DS self weaned, and caught us by surprise. We had introduced the sippy at around 10 months. A few weeks shy of his 1st birthday, he was refusing bottles. Seemed he wanted the sippy cup instead. He wanted the faster flow/ volume of the sippy cup. Bagged up all the bottles and got rid of them in a week's time.

With that in mind, could you maybe disincentivize the bottle by switching back to newborn nipples? Maybe the slower flow would make him decide that they are not worth his while.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

My lactation consultant recommended the Nuby. My 12 mth old is breast feeding but i like her to learn to drink from a sippy cup too. She drinks from it easily and it is not the Nuby with the straw. I bought mine at Kmart on sale for $1.99

You could try a trainer cup. My 16 month old has been using one for about a month by Born Free company. It has handles like a sippy cup, soft nipple, but different shape than the bottle. It may not make a difference since the nipple is still soft, but I was just glad he would accept something else. The bottle went bye bye and he has been using this. I tried his morning milk in a traditional sippy cup this week and he took it. Balked at it in the evening. But like you, we brush our teeth before bed and he doesn't sleep with the milk, so I don't believe it is really that big of an issue.