Weaning from Bottle - Circle Pines,MN

When I started weening from the bottle, I had my toddler, throw out a bottle a day. And had him say I am a big boy now, i did half n half just to have him learn and get used to the sippy cup. when it came down to the last bottle he was ready for his sippy cup.

Heck, I'd give her a cup then, just with little fluids in it so that if she spills, it's not much of a mess. My daughter didn't really get into the sippy cups either, mostly at night, and that was only because we didn't want her to spill in her bed. I'd try maybe 1/2 and 1/2. Bottle and cup. Praise her for using a cup like a big girl and maybe she will accept that the bottle isn't for her anymore. Gradually reduce the bottle until she is only drinking from a cup. But, if you go to a cup, make sure it's a small cup that fits in her hand well, and I found that if it's clear, they can see the liquids in it better, that way they don't drown themselves in it when taking a sip...because they can see the level of the liquid. Teach her to look at the liquid when she drinks from a cup. That's important or it'll all go in their nose.

Don't worry about it much. Kids wean off the bottle at different rates. My son wasn't completely off bottles (he had trouble letting go of one before bed) until he was over two. I started him on the cup when he was around 6-7 months old by giving him a cup of water with meals. That really seemed to get him comfortable with the cup in a nonthreatening way; he was just very attached to the bottle.

If you're worried about getting her using the cup, I would start with milk or water--whichever one she seems to prefer--with meals so she gets used to having it around and she can practice. I like the Gerber Soft Starter Spill Proof Cup (I found them at Target); they're really durable and soft for little ones just learning.

Separately, you can work on getting her off the bottle. Depending on what your routines are, you might try putting less in the bottle or watering it down. I've also heard of putting something like water in the bottle and milk or a preferred drink in the cup and offering both so that the cup starts to look more appealing. But I'd get her comfortable with the cup before I really started to worry about getting her off the bottle.

Good luck, and remember all kids wean at different rates. And remind yourself she won't be taking a bottle to college!

My daughter had the same problem for a little bit. Try the transition Nuby I think it's called. I bought it at Walmart. It is the Nuby brand sippy cup that you've probably seen, but it comes with three tops, the first two look much like the nipple of a bottle and the third just like the regular sippy cup. It took my daughter a week after I mixed them around.

My daughter had a tough time with sippy cups too. I tried all the most expensive and supposidly "best" ones but the ones she figured out how to use are the ones that have straws. They can kind of be a pain but the straw is softer than all the other soft sippy cups except the Nubys. I actually think they may be made by nuby. They don't have them everywhere but I think walmart and Babies'r'us usually have them.

Good luck! She will get it!
~A.

Don't worry too much about it. Like with anything else, it just takes time. She may not be ready for weaning and if you just start to cut back, it will eventually work it self out. Our 14 mos old is still drinking from the bottle before she goes to bed and when she wakes up, but during the day she uses the sippy. Don't worry, by the time she is in kindergarten, I'm sure she'll be off the bottle. :)

Hi L.! In this case, it seems like your daughter isn't ready for a sippy cup. If she won't drink anything at all, stick with the bottle! It is OK to ease her onto her cup. Try keeping her with the bottle a couple of times a day, and leave a cup with water near by. She'll get curious and eventually get the hang of it. I'm sure your Dr. would agree that drinking from a bottle is better than not drinking at all. :) Hang in there!

There are sippy cups made by Nuby that have a rubber spout. I found them at Walgreens but I believe they also sell them at WalMart and Target. That was a lot easier for my son to use instead of the cups with the hard plastic spouts. It took a little getting used to for him but he got the hang of it after a week or so. Good luck!

My son was 14 months old before he was completely off the bottle. We tried many different brand of sippy cups before finding one he prefered. He'd been using a sippy cup since about 7-8 months old. The brand he prefers is the old school sippy cups with no stopper. You can find them at Burlington Coat Factory and I believe Walmart also sells them now. He didn't do well with a stopper. Now he does okay with the take and toss sippy cups, but still prefers the other ones.

When we stopped the bottle he went on a milk strike. It was like we took away the love for milk with the bottle. The doctor said that it was fine if he didn't drink much milk - just to make sure he was getting milk from other things (yogurt, cottage cheese with the highest milkfat, mac n cheese - add extra milk, string cheese, etc.)

Now at almost 18 months he is back to being a good milk drinker.

Good luck!