When to Take Away the Bottle?

Only thing I would say about this...the longer you let them go with the bottle the harder it is too get them off. Most docs say should be off by 16 months. Start by taking away one of those bottles for a couple of weeks and then try another one. Start using a sippy cup if not already doing so too.

I did it just before my daughter turned 1. I used the nuby trasition cup (it has a softer spout for easier flow) for a few days then she only got a sippy. I just took it cold turkey and she never had a problem.

I was always told you start weaning to a sippy cup around 9 or 10 months old so they can be broke free by their first birthday. That is what I was told with all three of my kids so that is what I did.

We transitioned at 12 months.

I prepared myself, thinking it would be a monumental battle and struggle. Silly, silly me. Our boy didn't skip a beat!

One thing we did to make the night transition easier was to put on his pajamas and get him all ready for bed about 30 minutes before we put him down for the night. We figured a 'change in routine' would make him more open to something different. Also, the routine was similar to that of his naptime routine, where he never got a bottle.

You might be surprised - she might take to it like a champ and not even notice it!

We transitioned my oldest daughter to a sippy cup at about 10 months old. By 11 months she was no longer getting a bottle or formula, and if she was still taking a bottle at 12 months I would have taken it away from her then. Sometimes the bottle is a comfort thing, like a pacifier or a blanket. It isn't always easy to get them to transition to a sippy cup. I'd maybe try offering her the sippy cup more often. Would she be ok with not having those bottles, or are they a comfort thing to her?

There is no specific age. It's all about your child. Does she still need it, or even want it? My daughter is 20 months and still takes a bottle for bed. I have no intention of taking that away from her just because "they" tell me she shouldn't have it. People give pacifiers, loveys, and all sorts of other things. I know there's this whole thing about rotting their teeth. But, it's water and it helps her. And, I tend to respect my daughter, not any naysayers.

Ask 10 people and you're likely to get 10 different answers!

With our daughters, we started offering sippy cups at about 6-8-10 months. However, both of them still wanted the bottle just before nap-time or going to bed. With our oldest, we have a fridge in our laundry room that we keep 8 oz. bottles of water in too - we opened it one night and said, "Do yo want the good stuff or water?" She chose water, and that was the end of it.

Our 18 month still wants that last bottle at night though, but drinks from sippy cups the rest of the time. We will still keep offering her sippy cups with milk or water until she decides she's ready, just like our other one did.

I took my sons away at 1 year birthday. We only put formula/breastmilk in a bottle and that was it. At one we changed to vitimin D and sippy cups. We had been practicing with sippy cups for 4 months before that with water and juice.

Well, since "normal" is defined by individuals, I don't think there is a normal age to do anything :-) One daughter was 10 months and went cold turkey, one was 15 months when I quitt letting her nurse. The big question is...does she drink out of a sippy yet and does she eat table food? Her bottle might be how she is getting her nutrition, or it could just be a safety thing. One way that I used to stop the during the night feedings was giving my oldest one a bottle of water. You might want to try that to get her off of the bottle. Good Luck!

My Pediatrician told me 15 months. My son was off at 14 and my daughter about the same I think. The thing I remember most about her was trying to get her to take a bottle instead of breast. That took 9 months. Taking the bottle away from both of them was no big deal. My son went cold turkey and didn't seem to care and my daughter took about a week. Good luck.

Our pediatricians and dietician and WIC said kids should be weaned off the bottle by 16 months. The nipple can cause lots of problems with their teeth and the sugar in the milk or formula (if left on overnight) can cause the teeth to rot. I had a total bottle addict until she was about 16 mos old. She HAD to have a bottle at night to fall asleep. I just let her run until she was totally exhausted a few days in a rown and we haven't needed the bottle since. Take one bottle away and replace it with a sippy, it make take her some time to get used the sippy if she doesn't know how to use it yet. Or, if you're brave enough you can just go totally cold turkey. It was really easy for us, hopefully it will be for you too!

I agree with the last response...what is normal? My first son gave up the bottle at 12 months, my 2nd son a little earlier and my 3rd around 14 months, then it was onto sippy cups. Just gradually wean her away, say sippy cups during the day and maybe a bottle at nap or bed times, then gradually drop that down to just bedtime, and then none at all. A friend of mine didnt wean her daughter of the bottle until she was almost 3 and the crying and whining before bed was terrible! The younger they are the easier it seems to be.