When to Wean the Bottle

A., I think as soon as they can sucessfully handle a sip-cup. About 18 months or so. Start the process early so that it won't be h*** o* you both.

I have a BA in Child Development & an MA in Marriage & Family Therapy & in MY opinion you don't need to worry about AGE as much as WHEN THE CHILD IS READY.
If you're wanting to get this over with, I'd suggest that you put some water, milk or juice in one of those "Sippy Cups" & see if he/she is interested.
My object was always to do what was easiest on everyone, why worry about weaning from the bottle, eating with a fork, etc., when we all KNOW they won't be drinking from a bottle when they're 21.
I say leave it up to the child & avoid the contension!

My doctor said to start a baby on a sippy cup by 14 months...

A. ~ assuming your child is at a healthy weight I would say at about a year old. My family was getting ready to take a 2 week vacation with my son was weeks away from his 1st birthday & I honestly didn't want to do bottles & diapers again. So we started weaning him off about 2 weeks before vacation (about 3 weeks before his 1st birthday). We had a bottle throwing away party ~ where he participated in & was soooo excited about getting ready to be a big 1 year old!! We then took him to the local market & he picked out his favorite big boy cups & wala! It was a fun 2 weeks ~ plus added bonus no bottles on vacation!!

I'm a mother of four children. I breastfed and went directly to a sippy cup when I was done breast feeding. I still used the bottle once in a while, but I found this to be so much easier for us. Do what's best for the two of you. You'll find your own routine and don't worry about what others are doing or saying! Your child has his/her whole life to drink from a cup, let him/her figure it out. Just don't bring the bottle to kindergarten... that's a whole nuther ball game!!! lol

I was a nursing mommy but by the time my kids were 8 months old, they were using a starter sippy cup like the Nubby cup, and by 9 months they were on a playtex soft tip cup (2 handled for easy holding). If I had to bottle feed I'd probably follow the same schedule. It made for a nice transition before they got too opinionated!

A dentist will tell you that a child should be weaned at age 1 from the bottle and pacifier. By age 2, the child should be weaned off a sippy cup and drinking from a child sized cup.

Although this is easier said than done. It is important to follow. My step daughter was not weaned from the bottle early (she lived with her mother at the time). As a horrible result when her teeth were coming it it caused her mouth to be mishapen and she talked funny. We had to take her to speech therapists and countless dental visits. This is the extreme end of what could happen.

My other two children were weaned by 18 months and they were fine.

Hi A.;

I wean my four children in bottle after one year. My daughter has an 18 mths daughter and she wean her at one year old. She started drinking with sip cups already. She is only 18 mths old. She teach her how to be an independent little by little. She throw her dirty diaper after her parents change her. You will be surprise how smart the little one are. Just be patient with them and you can teach them how to do things for you and for her. Good luck.

A.

Our pediatrician wanted our son weaned by 15 months because she said it just gets more difficult after that. At around 14 months we introduced a straw cup from Nuby and he really took to it. At the point where 1/2 his milk was coming from the straw cup and 1/2 from the bottle (14 1/2 months), we just ended the bottle cold turkey. He didn't care at all. For about 2 days he drank less than normal, but then he picked right back up again. We never used a bottle again.

I wouldn't stress about any specific "timetable" for weaning. My kids were both ready to give them up at about 2 1/2 and I started getting some really cool sippy cups (letting them choose) to replace them. We had the sippy cups around for water and juice prior to that, also. It was a pretty easy transition when they were ready and with all of the sippy cup alternatives out there, some of them feel really close to a nipple, but look like a sippy cup. There is so much to stress out about, I would not worry too much about the bottle thing.

Hello A.,
At 12 months I stopped giving my daughter her milk in a bottle and switched to a sippy cup. I didn't give her the option of the bottle and she happily switched. Good luck!
S.

Sooner the better! Around 6 months try to introduce sippy cups and hopefully be done with bottles by their first birthday. The longer they have the bottle the harder it gets for them to give it up.

I say let them have that bottle as long as they want. I didn't listen to any doctors advice on this one. Both my children loved their bottles. If you really think about it, what is the big deal? In my opinion it doesn't matter all that much when they stop. This is not something you'll be thinking about when they teenagers. My daughter is 3 and a half and she stopped less than a year ago. Both my children are healthy and have beautiful teeth by the way. Don't sweat the small stuff.

The sooner the better. Best if you can get them off the bottle before their first birthday. Any longer it just makes it all that much harder.

Both my kids were off bottles by there first birthdays. We introduced them to those straw cups a few weeks before there birthdays and they never looked back. In the long run it's better for there teeth to get them off. If they are on pacifiers you may want to eliminate that as well. Just my personal opinion. Good luck and hope this helps.

I think 2 is the age when pediatricians suggest weaning off of the bottle. It's so tough though. With my first son I tried doing this and he really struggled. He transitioned to a sippy cup for juice but didn't like milk from a sippy cup. This was tough because he just wouldn't drink milk anymore. I learned so that my 2nd son wouldn't have to go through bottle withdrawal. I've only given him juice in a sippy cup and when I started introducing milk, I gave that in a sippy cup also. I think it's cute to see a baby drink from a bottle but it's not cute to see them so sad because you're trying to wean them from it. I learned that it's just better to never really let them have it after a year because that's when they just get more set in their ways.

Hi A.,
I have a four year old that I nursed for five months and then she went on the bottle for about a year. I also have a one year old that I nursed for one year and took the pediatricians advice....took her straight from nursing to a sippy cup. She did not like it and did not know what to do with the sippy cup however that lasted only two days. After the initial shock she actually became an expert. She now hapilly gabs her sippy cup and drinks all by herself...it is great. I say go straight from nursing to sippy cup. It will be a little trying at first but your child will adjust...TRUST me! Best Wishes.

Eli

PS ...a little about me, I am a 42 year (young) mother. I say that because it's all in how your attitude is. I have a super charged personality and very young spirit. I think it is what helps me to stay active after these little ones.

It is ultimately up to the parent. I nursed and supplemented with soy formula at 11 months. I didn't use bottles very much, so I weaned my son at 1 year. I gave him four feedings or four bottles a day by then. I took one bottle away a week and had him use a sippy cup instead. By the months end he had no bottles and only sippy cups and he was fine with that. I just told him he didn't need them anymore and it was bad for his teeth. It worked. Good Luck.
L. G.

I can not tell you the right age. I can only tell you my kids were about 2. My little girl was a snap. I just hid her bottles in a high cupboard where she would never see them again. My son was a little harder . I tried something else. I told him there was a little baby that had no bottles and the bottle fairy was going to take his bottles to the little baby. The baby needed them so he could drink his milk and become a healthy and strong little boy like him.. I told him we would put all the bottles in a basket and put it on the front porch. Then when he woke up in the morning he would find the bottles gone and in return the bottle fairy would leave him a surprise. I filled the basket with sipper cups and little toys. It worked out perfectly! I also took pictures to put in a scrapbook. Good Luck A.

At 12 months you move from formula to whole milk. Soon after that start to transition to a sippy cup. They should be done with the bottle around 16 months.

Hi A.,
I've read at about 12 months. I simply stopped giving it to my daughter and she may have complained once.
Good Luck.
E.