My 18 month old would only drink milk from her bottle. Water always from a sippy cup or my glass. She can also drink from a straw. Yesterday we decided to wean. We offered a variety of sippy cup choices with and without milk she basically refused. She seemed unable to drink from a straw which she could do since she was 10 -12 months old. Today we had a ceremony to say good bye. She was even more upset tantruming almost like withdrawal symptoms. She has been extremely resistant to having her milk in a sippy cup since she is 12 months. She drinks from my glass with water. Today I added a few drops of milk she seemed fine I will add more and more milk until she is not craving the bottle any longer. BUT... 1. How long can she go without her daily 16-24 oz. of milk? 2. Does anyone have any other suggestions to help us make this huge transition go more smoothly and quickly? This is truly upsetting my husband and I as much, if not more than my daughter.
Call the milk something else. We called it "moo" and put a drop or two of strawberry in there. He never flinched. Worth a try?
Does she have a well balanced diet? Is she eating 3 meals a day and snacking? If so, she doesn't need milk for nutrition. She is getting nutrition, from food. Think about it this way. My son can't have milk. He has never had a drop. He is 19 months and fine. He gets his nutrition, from the food he eats. Your child doesn't NEED milk. She should not be drinking her nutrients, she should be getting them from food. If she is drinking her nutrients, her diet isn't balanced or correct. Milk should and can't take the place of food. Just take the bottle away and have her drink water.
Hi,
My son...15 months, weaned from breastfeeding at 13 months, NEVER drinks a full cup of milk or really anything else! Spoke to the pediatrician and she advised as long as there are at least 3 wet diapers and he is doing #2 as well with no problem not to worry.
I give oatmeal with milk in it, yogurt, pasta, soups, baby food, lots of fruit...this is how he gets his fluid intake...dr said short of holding him down and forcing milk into him this is all I can do. He will drink water from my cup and sometimes if I really feel the need will give a juicebox but only the kind made with real fruits and veggies and counts as a serving of both. Trust me, I know how fruatrating and worriesome this can be but was reassured by the dr that he is fine and he is growing so no worries there! My oldest son we weaned the bottle at 20 months, we wnt to target and he picked out his own big boy cup and that was it...no problems. I couldn't handle worrying about bottle decay anymore do we just did it and stuck with it! Stay positive as she will feed into your anxiety, as hard as it is to not stress and fuss over it!
Good luck!
My son had a very hard time letting loose of the bottle. We used the "big boys cup vs. baby bottle" His desire to be a big boy is what did it. I let him throw his bottle away quite a few times to get the point it was gone, and kept one hidden for emergencies. Good Luck
If she has a good diet, milk isn't necessary for nutrition. Other dairy products also provide calcium, and there is a lot of calcium in some veggies like broccoli as well. Kids that are allergic to dairy proteins do just fine without any milk ever!
I have a friend whose child always made a battle out of eating and drinking. Finally they just realized that, if she was hungry or thirsty enough, she would eat or drink. They stopped fighting it and let her pitch her fits without giving in. No child has ever starved themselves over a sippy cup.
Medically speaking, as long as she's hydrated (which she is if she's drinking water), there's nothing to worry about. I would just stop making a big deal out of it and ignore her fits. The more you react to her behavior, the more you reinforce it. Whatever you do, don't give the bottle back! She will take the sippy cup with time.
IMHO the more you react the more she reacts. If she goes a day or 2 or even a Month w/o milk until she takes the milk in a sippy cup, it's not going to hurt her any! Like Bug B said, nutrition from food plus yummy multi vitamins don't hurt as my kids will tell ya :)
We go cold turkey in our house with Mr bottle. I have 6 kids plus daycare kids, so just no time or energy for playing games with them. We give "baba" to them for the last time at bedtime, then wake up in the morning, give them sippy cup of milk, no mentioning of the word baba even. No special ceremonies, or say bye bye to baba, no to do's over it, & if they don't want it they usually put it down & walk away from it or get mad & throw it on the ground but either way we pay no attention to it, just give the sippy cup, turn around & walk away immediately & ignore any hissy fits or "with drawls" LoL They always get over it within the first day or 2 at most. We also don't put milk in our sippy cups, after 12 months, we take the goats milk away (we don't give formula, too many reactions) give room temp water only throughout the day in a sippy cup, believe it or not they actually learn to like it. Sometimes for a bit of a treat I'll blend up goats milk with fresh strawberrys in the blender & make strawberry milk & they get that with dinner, maby 2 or 3 times a month. Otherwise water.
Anyways.. If you're not ready to give up the milk, some things my friend did were wiped the bottle nipple in Dijon mustard, let it dry then gave it to her son. He learned that's nasty I don't want to drink outta that thing anymore, LoL. For her other child they gave him the bottle still but just water in the bottle & put milk in the sippy cup, they gave them both to him & after taisting both he figured out which one he wanted more.
One method I suggested to daycare parent was to fill up the bottle half way with milk, then a quarter more with vinegar. Her daughter took a big gulp of it & spit it out in the kitchen floor. LoL The mom told me that later that night she kept looking at her bottle as if she wasn't sure what was going to happen, then took a sip & spit it out too, she never asked for her bottle again LoL Oh & after each time she taisted the gross milk she offered her a drink of "the good milk" she called it, in her own kids platic cup & twirly straw, then her daughter learned where the good stuff was coming from. The mom after suggested that to her sister & it worked for her sisters daughter too, they just made sure to give it to them in a place where any mess could be easily cleaned LoL
No matter what method you choose, there's always going to be some fuss, you just have to pay it no attention, don't coddle her, don't bribe her, don't try to get her attention elsewhere, just plain ignore her whines or temper throwing like she's not even doing it! Like I said before, the more you react the more she reacts IMO... Wish the best!
Hi E.,
I haven't read your other answers yet, but it seems to me that maybe you're weaning from the bottle too soon. If all of you are so unhappy with the process, why not give in and let her have her milk from her bottle until she's more ready to give it up? I don't understand why moms don't let their babies lead them instead of forcing their wishes on their child.
No one is happy. Why not ease up, calm down and let her have her bottle? 18 months is young yet. Some kids keep their bottles for several years. Isn't happiness the point after all?
Good luck to you!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA
She will get over it, it will just take a little time. Once she realizes there are no more bottles for good, she will drink everything from a sippy cup fine. She may drink less for a while, but she WILL drink if she is thirsty enough. Also, by that age, a child only needs 16 oz. of milk per day, and if they eat cheese and yogurt, it can be even less... so don't worry, she'll be fine, and so will you! Give her choices of what cup she wants to use (sippy or straw) and don't even mention the bottle any more and soon she will forget.
