Weaning of Warm Milk from Bottle to Sippy Cup

My pedriatic dentist knew J was still on the bottle at 2 and said it was good to try and get him weaned but how many people eat all day long and don't brush their teeth until bedtime each day. Saliva rinses the mouth and cleans stuff off.

Drinking milk from a bottle is no different than drinking milk from a cup. The milk is the same drink. It's the holding the bottle/nipple in their mouth all night with milk draining/dripping into the mouth/onto the teeth that causes milk rot. The mouth has natural cleansing ability. The dripping milk all night never gives the mouth a time to overcome the milk and rinse it off the teeth.

Also heredity plays a huge part in cavities happening. If she has weak enamel there isn't anything you can do to keep her from getting cavities but if her enamel is strong it won't matter if she even ever brushes her teeth. That's a quote from a dentist I used for my daughter.

J kept taking a bottle until he was about 30 months, we gave him tippy cups all the time and told him he was a big boy. One day he just put the bottle down and forgot about it, no battles, no all night crying for it, we were lucky that it didn't come to that.

Most importantly(!) you need to wean her off the 4am milk! Milk has sugar and it will damage her teeth. It's called milk rot, ask her dentist or pediatrician. Once each of my boys grew teeth, I switched them to water at night. No food or drinks after they've brushed teeth at night. This will spare your wallet and painful dentist visits later. As far as the bottle goes, I know this sounds funny, buts it's when you are ready. You have to pick a day, switch to sippy cup (I always leave a full sippy cup of water in their bed) and grit your teeth. It takes 2 nights. The first is the worst! Having the water there helps because they do get thirsty. I highly recommend waiting until the weekend when you or hubby doesn't need to get up for work. I wish there was an easier way, but doing gently prolongs the crying/whining making everyone miserable longer than necessary. It's only 2 nights of broken sleep and then you're done. :-) And with water there, you get to sleep through the night- no more warming milk at 4. You will LOVE that!!! I survived this same deal with two kids, you absolutely can too. Just keep telling yourself "it's only 2 nights, only 2 nights" :-) btw, I still give my picky toddler "hot chocolate" (warm milk with a scoop of no sugar added Nesquik) There's nothing wrong with warm milk so long as you don't mind the extra work ;-)

MY daughter just turned 2 in Dec. She's been off the bottle since she was one, but it was really easy with her. I just gave her the bottle for her morning drink and her drink right before bed, because she would barely drink from a sippy and I wanted her to get some fluids. That seemed to help. I didn't just take her bottle away right away. As far as the warm milk... I give my daughter warm milk every morning in her sippy. I just warm the first cup as soon as she gets up, and I have no intention to change that. I like having my warm coffee or tea in the morning and I don't see that any different for her. Like others were saying, I would try to stray away from the 4am bottle. If she's waking up try just rocking with her and calming her down and put her right back to bed. I'm sure her bottle is a very comforting thing. Try putting her warm milk in a sippy and she might love it just as much!

Hi L.,
I have a 17 month old daughter, we have always given her warm milk. She went from breast milk to formula and since my breast milk was always warm I felt it would be a smoother transition. My thought is you aren't going to warm milk for the rest of their life so a couple years of extra effort is nothing:) I am in the same boat, I've tried every sippy cup out there, I literally went to Target and purchased one of every brand and found the most success with the Nuby Sports Bottle sippy cup (it is like a bottle). I have weaned her off the bottle during the day with warm milk in her sippy cup. At night and at about 4 am she has a warm bottle. I've searched other posts on Mamasource to find help with this situation and I agree with Gina it will happen soon, but for now my only advice to make a gradual transition from sippy cup in the day little by little. My ped said he wanted her off the bottle at 12 months but I know every child/parent is different. Good Luck!

Maybe try a warm sippy cup of water?
Or replace warm water in her bottle instead of milk?

Is she wanting her bottle of milk because she is hungry or just for comfort? Does she drink milk before bed? Maybe doing so will fill her up.

A bottle has a "nipple" on it, just like a Mom... and that is where milk comes from. Its the comfort of it, an instinctual thing in a child. Nipple=milk. That is why children/babies do not like milk from any other type of spout. So weaning from it/a bottle is like weaning from a breast.

Since she likes her bottle, don't wean her cold turkey. I would only use the bottle for night time and use a sippy cup or regular cup with a straw during the day. My son uses a straw in his hot chocolate so you don't have to use a straw just for cold drinks. (My son is 7 and he likes warm milk when he can't sleep so I understand...). Once she's used to using cups most of the time, gradually replace the bottle at night with a sippy cup. However, your daughter shouldn't really be getting up in the middle of the night for milk. The next thing you should try to do is give her milk right before bed, brush her teeth then only allow water if she gets up in the middle of the night. The milk at night can cause cavities and yellow teeth.

Hope this helps.