Getting 14 Month off the Bottle

I'd be interested in this too. My son is 12.5 mo and will not take milk (warm or cold) from his sippy cups. I had one successful try with a born-free training cup, but that was it. We are stuck with one bottle in the morning and one at night. I keep trying though. Good Luck!

hi B., I am a mother of three and my youngest is also 14 months. I just stopped nursing and you wouldn't believe how much they understand our words at this age. I would just tell her that the "baba went bye-bye". She might have a hard time at first but then she will just get over it. It is okay if they cry for it and sympathise with her over her loss but stay firm if this is really what you want. Remember that it is much harder to break this bottle bond the older they get, so you are at the right age for her to let it go. good luck-V

Hi B., We had a tough but fun time getting our now 13 year old daughter off the bottle, but she was 18 mos at the time. We had gone to Monterey on vacation. Prior to the vacation we told her about the baby sea lions who did not have Ba's (our word for bottles) and asked her if she wanted to give them her ba. She agreed. In Monterey, we went to the beach and she left her ba in the sand. While my husband took her away from her ba, I came around from behind and wrapped it up in a bag and disposed of it. My Mother was also removing all ba's from our house while we were gone.
Maybe using a similar situation could help you. Patti B

Hi B.,

I had the same problem and my peditrician recommended putting a small amount of Ovaltine in your milk and slowly reduce the amount your putting in. I started with the correct amount for the amount of liquid and slowly decreased it and now she will drink the milk plain and cold in her sippy cup. Ovaltin is full of vitamins too, very low sugar and great tasting. Good luck.

Have you tried flavoring the milk in the sippy cup with strawberry or chocolate? That is what I had to do to get my son to drink milk out of the cup. I put about 1-2tsp of strawberry syrup in it nad he loved it. Now he will drink plain milk out of the cup.

Oh my, please let me know now if anyone offers advice that works. You could have written your question about my daughter...verbatim. My daughter is 2.5 and has a bottle in the morning and after dinner. I tried the same thing...warm & cold in a cup. No go. I finally just quit worrying about it. It's not like a bottle is going to kill her and I'd like to believe that she won't take a bottle with her to high school. ;-) I'm wondering what she might do when I have my next baby...if she will finally associate that babies drink bottles and big girls drink from cups. We'll see. Good luck and let me know if you find something that works. Thanks!

I know what you are going through. I have 3 kids and that was always a problem. What I did was to make the decision that we were done (dad had to be on board also), and just put all the bottles and nipples, etc in a bag and got rid of them. Then when I gave the milk in a sippy cup and the child would look in the cabinets, etc. to find a bottle I would just say "they are gone, you will have to drink out of that". It would take a few days of tears and looking around and not drinking much, but after that bad few days, it was worth it.

I say dad needs to be on board, because I remember being gone for a weekend at work and my husband didn't want to deal with the tears and just gave a bottle, then I had to start over the next week.

Good Luck.

I was told to only put water in the bottle and only out milk in the sippy cup. Put the desirable liquid in the desired outcome. I didn't have to do this as my son chewed every nipple up and saw the "broken." Luckily he let it go with each bottle that we threw away and went to the cup. My 2nd went from breast to sippy cup because thats what brother had(lucky). But I thought that tip might work.

Try the "Nuby" sippy cups. They have the feel of a bottle nipple, but the function of a sippy cup. It's a great transition product. Try the Nuby No-Spill 10oz Gripper Cup with Soft Silicone Spout. It retails for $2.49.

Don't give her any juice or water for a few days--only milk in the sippy cup. She may not drink much at a time, but she will eventually.

Why do you want her off the bottle now? Is it worth the power struggle right now?

She could simply not be ready for this change. Wait till she's closer two years old. It's okay for her to still be drinking a bottle, and if you're worried about teeth there are other bottle nipples out there that are supposed to be more like the breast and thus better for the teeth.

my advice is to keep giving her the sippy cup, and not the bottle. If she goes a couple of days without milk it won't hurt her. Show her she will only get milk if it is from a cup. Eventually she will give in, she is just pushing to get what she wants. Good luck and take care.

This is very old school, but it works. Remember...out of site, out of mind. Get rid of all bottles in the house, throw them away. Eventually she will drink what is available and that's it. If you baby it, she is running the show. At that age bottles are bad for the teeth and shape of mouth.

J

Awwww just let her keep the bottle. What's the big deal? Everybody's always trying to over manage toddlers, can you blame her if it is in fact a power struggle? Lighten up people geez. If she's not ready she's not ready.

Hi B.,
My sister-in-law threw all the bottles away one night after my niece went to sleep. When she woke up the next morning asking for her bottle, my SIL told her they were gone. My niece went through all the drawers looking for them and then had a fit! My SIL gave her a sippy cup of milk and left the room. My niece was a little older though. I agree with one of the other moms, it is a power struggle and one of many to come. With my daughter I found a special sippy cup from Playtex that you can customize a picture insert and when she was in bed I decorated it with frogs (a fav of hers) and when bottle time came I showed her the new cup and told her this was her "special" cup. It took a few days, but it worked. Your daughter may not be ready though so you might wait a few months and try again. It isn't a bedtime bottle so it's not AS bad but it is nice not having bottles around! Good luck!
L.

Hi B.! Drinking juice and water from a sippy cup is a good start. Try subsituting one bottle of milk during the day for a sippy cup. If that works, substitute the next bottle and so on til you get her to drink from a sippy cup altogether. Milk before bedtime is the most difficult so be extra patient. If your daughter doesn't want to drink it, just lay the cup around where she can easily grab it when she's thirsty. It's ok to miss a milk feeding. Be patient because these toddlers can really test you! Sometimes, putting the milk in a cup with fun and colorful straws will do the trick. My son was around that age when he started to drink milk from the sippy cup. There is hope! Good luck!

day after 1st bday, upon recommendation of md, we took away all bottles. our girls did the same thing prior to that time w/using sippy cups for water just fine (had no juice). for three days almost they drank NOTHING at all, but i held fast and on day 3 they (twins) finally decided, "fine, i guess mom isn't gonna give in!" they've done great w/out bottles since then (now just turned 2yo) and can drink great out of regular cups w/out lids. hang in there!

Do keep trying but don't give in or give up. If she wrinkles up her face and hands it back to you - don't take it back. Don't give it to her in a bottle - she will survive. If you are worried about her not getting enough calcium, give her other dairy products until she decides to take her milk in a sippy cup.

As long as you give in every time she hands it back to you, she'll keep doing it. Make sense? Just be consistent and she'll finally learn.

Remember you are the Momma and it is your job to teach her, not the other way around.

Good luck -

+B+

I just went through the same thing with my son about a month ago (around the same age as you daughter). Anyway, we tried a bunch of different cups and found one that has a soft silicon spout, so its more like a nipple. He loves that one, after a couple weeks with that one, we've been able to switch in other sippy cups without a problem. I've also found that he'll drink milk out of a paper cup with a straw at Starbucks, but not out of a straw in a real cup at home.

Good luck!

Just be vigilant and keep giving her the milk in her sippy cup. Don't give up and go back to the bottle. You could also try putting an ice cube in the sippy cup so she can "make noise" and have fun with it while she drinks it. Let her know she couldn't do that with a bottle. It may take a few weeks but eventually she will get used to it and forget about the bottle. But throw all the bottles away so you don't have that temptation to grab one just because she won't take the sippy cup.

Hi B.,

I had the same problem with my daughter and the pediatrician gave me the best advice..."stay strong and keep trying". I kept trying and eventually it did happen. If she will take orange juice in a cup, you can get the calcium in with that and don't worry if she's not getting enough milk. Also, my daughter was very interested in straws so I would only put milk in straw cups for a little while and she loved that. You could also try teaching her how to drink from a real cup and only put milk in it. If none of that works, you could try what my friend did by putting a tiny amount of chocolate or strawberry milk with the regular milk just at the beginning to get her drinking it. Stay strong and don't let her see you frustrated. Hope this helps and good luck.

First of all, I can totally relate to the struggle you are having. My son LOVED his bottle. The only thing that worked for us was slowly watering down the milk in the bottle. Starting with 3/4 milk and 1/4 water for a few days than half and half until it is mostly water and just a pinch of milk. My son realized the stuff in the bottle did not taste good and eventually gave up on it. I hope this helps-good luck!

Keep trying at all times to offer milk in a sippy cup. My daughter was in the exact same situation and it took her 3 months to finally drink milk from a sippy cup (we tried from when she was 13 months). After that, she never wanted a bottle again. At times I was about to give up, but I took advice from another mom that told me to keep on trying. It worked! Oh, one more thing, I would recommend that you transition her directly to a tupperware kind sippy cup. This way, you don't have to worry about transitioning her again from a bottle-like cup to a regular plastic spout sippy cup. Good Luck.

Hi B.!

I'm not sure if this will help, but I just purchased a new sippy cup for my son. Its called the safe sippy and has a rounded spout in the center of the lid. It kind of looks like a bottle, but its a sippy. It might help since the cup resembles a bottle. Here's a link to the website: http://www.thesafesippy.com/. Good luck!

-H.

Don't know if this will work with a 14 month old due to her level of understanding - but what happened when our son was about 2 1/2 is one of his many bottles broke, i.e., it started leaking around the area where the nipple part attaches to the bottle and when it did, we just explained to him that he'd have to use a cup because the bottle didn't work anymore. He didn't understand there were several more bottles in the cupboard (which we subsequently hid) so he just seemed to accept it. He, like your daughter, had to have his warm milk in the bottle but everything else he could drink from a cup. If nothing else works - maybe try "breaking" the bottle so it doesn't work anymore and see if she'll accept it. Luckily it worked for us. Best of luck!

In reading these many responses, it appears that many of these children (babies) were not yet ready to go only w/a sippy cup. What's the rush. We all drank out of bottles and there's nothing wrong w/our teeth. Let the babies be babies for a little while. They are all different and will be ready to give up the bottle, potty train, etc. at many different ages and stages. Are you in a hurry for their benefit or for your convenience. Bottles/nursing aren't just about nourishment, they are about nurturing. Nothing wrong with that.

Good luck with whatever you do. I know in our case, it took several tries, several months (almost a year the first time) apart for her to move onto just the sippy cup. The other risk you run with eliminating the bottle, is that they stop drinking the needed amount of milk and receiving the nutrients they need.

Of course, there is always a time where it's time, but 14 months!

Besides, there is nothing worse than a child who always has a sippy cup hanging out of his/her mouth. That's a modern invention. They used to use a bottle until it was time to use a regular cup/glass. Sippy cups and lids make it easier for all, but they are however, just a convenience. There is no real benefit for the child to use them.

Good luck!

N.
Alameda

We used the Nuby sippy cups cups (to wean our twin girls), they have a silicone top like bottles. They are pretty cheap, about $1.50 a cup at Wal Mart. It took a little getting used to but worked great. We used those for a while and then went to hard top sippy cups. I weaned them from bottles cold turkey at 12 months, they are 2 now. They had only had bottles for a few months anyway as I nursed them most of the time. They do still drink one cup of warm milk when they get up, but take it from the sippy cup. I can't say enough great things about the Nuby cups. Plus, they are easy to wash.

I am in the EXACT same boat. My 14 month old son is down to the morning bottle. He takes sippy cups all day long but that first bottle is a no go!!! My pediatrician says it's a power struggle and I just need to go cold turkey. Tried that......he screamed non stop for over an hour all three days I tried!!! I decided that at this point, it wasn't worth it (and my daughter agreed)
I will try again this summer because I know he is capable of drinking just fine from a cup. I think he likes our morning routine and I think the bottle is less work when he's just waking up. Who knows!
I'll be curious what other moms say......I'll be reading too!!
Good Luck!
N.

I'll tell you what my mom told me...don't force her to stop, she's still little. My daughter does the same thing, won't take the milk in anything but the bottle and she's two. I have finally got her to drink the milk in a special cup with a straw (it has her favorite disney character on it), but bedtime is still a bottle. I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Just introduce milk in other forms slowly every so often, and she'll eventually stop using the bottle :).

I TOTALLY agree with Jessica O and some of the other moms who said to go cold turkey. Take all bottles/nipples out of the house and keep using the sippy cup. Eventually, she'll see that she has no choice. Be strong!

My daughter is 17 months and does the same thing. Drinks milk out of a bottle only (except at daycare where she won't use a bottle at all) and water out of a sippy cup. We have not been successful in getting her off the milk bottle but figure that it's only twice a day that she has one so we have gone with it so far. Just thought I'd share.
T.

Hi B.,
Kleen Kanteen has a sippy cup available that takes an avent bottle nipple. Possibly try giving her milk in the new sippy with the bottle nipple until she's use to this new cup then switch to the sippy top. Good luck. -K.

Hi I have a 18 month old boy and the last thing i do in the evening is have a nice long cuddle as he drinks his warm milk from a bottle, his eyes get heavy and off to bed he goes. This is a special time for him and I as he is one of 4 and on the move all day long, never still.

They are only little once and we should enjoy them to the full, so if they want to drink their milk from a bottle then why not. What is the rush ?. My other 3 stopped at different times, when they were ready and they all have beautiful strong teeth. (was at dentist this week.)

Its not about who has the power over who but what makes her feel happy and safe. You tell her is ok to drink out of a bottle for 14 months then bang out of the blue she must not. I think I would cry. Go by her needs, do not worry about it. she will one day but not today.

I wish you good luck and before you know it it will happen.

HI B.,
One of my girls didn't want milk after I stopped nursing. Two things I would recommend. First help her throw the bottle away. (You can slways secretly save it for the next baby.) Praise her for being a big girl. Then add Ovalteen to the milk. It worked for my daughter. She might not drink milk for a few days, but she won't suffer in that short time. If she eats cheese or yogurt, she is getting her calcium. Good luck.
Stac

With my son we just went cold turkey, he only protested for a couple of days, then started drinking his milk from a cup. With my daughter, she refused to drink milk at all (I had been breastfeeding exclusively) and the doctor said that as long as she was eating other dairy and drinking other beverages, not to sweat it. She would eventually start drinking milk. She stayed stubborn after weaning for over a month, then one day just started drinking it. If you haven't already tried, try getting a straw cup or one of those animal shape cups that the handle is a straw, the novelty of it may be all she needs to get her to drink it.