Getting Rid of the Bottle!!? - Perry,MI

Don't worry-she won't be having a bottle when she enters college or anything...it will happen. I didn't have my son off his bottle until 18 months old and my 2nd is still getting a bedtime bottle and he is 15 months old. It all comes in due time. Just gradually try to replace one at a time with either a snack or a meal. It will take time but you will eventually succeed. There is no set rule that they have to be off that bottle by age 1. To each their own. Hope this helps...don't stress.
K.

For both of my kids, I simply took all the bottles, put them in a bag, and had them tell the bottles bye-bye. I let them go to the store and pick out their own sippy cups. They loved that!

No worries S.! She is still a baby and having the bottle is really OK. My thought on this is that she needs it for a little comfort to relax and it's better than sucking her thumb or dragging around a blankey! What's the harm?
When she is a little older, you could do it by gradually by putting less and less of whatever you put in the bottle. She will give it up eventually. Enjoy her babyhood!

Follow your heart. I didn't take my daughters bottle away until she was 20 months. One night I just gave her her cup with milk and she asked for her baba and I told her they were all gone...She took her sippy and went right to sleep.
Don't do what you think everyone else wants you to do. Do what your motherly instincts tell you.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
My daughter was the same way and I stressed myself over it also. Friends had made their kids quit cold turkey, was I being a bad mom, etc. My best advice came from my dad and MIL...don't stress it, let your daughter decide when she wants to give it up. Ours gave hers up right around 18 months, all on her own. At first we took away the morning bottle, giving her a sippy cup of milk instead. Did that for a week, then took away the nap bottle..by the time she was 15 months, she was taking a bottle only at bedtime and then like I said, she stopped that one all on her own. When she would just chew on the nipple and sip on it here and there, I knew she was over it. She is almost 22 months now and rarely asks for a "bubba". If she does ask about it, I just tell her she is a big girl now and doesn't drink from bottles, only cups. Don't beat yourself up, they are only babies for a little while, so enjoy the few "baby" things you have left. Before you know it she will be getting on a school bus for her first day of kindergarten and you will cry because your "baby" has grown up. Good luck! :)
W.

S., Don't stress out about taking the bottle away. 1 is very young to not have a bottle. If she only takes it for nap and nighttime then let her be for a few more months. Try not to listen to your friends, each child is different. Continue to offer her the sippy cup at bedtime and she will eventually give up on the bottle. Let her be a baby longer instead of pushing her to grow up so fast.

i took my daughter's away at 18 mo...didn't think it was too bad to wait a little bit - she was much better at the sippy cup by then!

Hi S.. Your friends are not her mom, you are. She is still just a baby. Dont let other tell you how to raise your child, because they did it this way or that. You dont hear anyone saying to the mother of a breastfed child at 3 that they should take the breast away. Do what is right for you and your child. My son was 18 months and my daughter was almost 3 before they didnt take a bottle anymore. I didnt tell them when to bottle break their children either. It could be worse. She could be one of those kids that are 4 or 5 and walking around a store with a pacifer in her mouth. Just my opinion for what its worth..Good Luck

Pediatricians usually have a fit if they have a bottle after a year old, so I'd suggest you get rid of it. My daughter did the exact same thing, used the sippy for water, but not milk.

My suggestion is: Cold turkey! If its in the house she will scream until she gets it. My daughter and I fought over this so much until I finally just tossed the nipples and all she had was a sippy cup (soft spout nuby) to drink from. She made a HUGE stink and I had her eat some banana so I knew it wasn't just a low blood sugar reaction, and then did the sippy again. She finally gave in and it was not an issue anymore.

Be brave, she'll get used to it! :) Best wishes!

I don't see the big deal...let her have it!
I noticed that some people suggested using a cup that has a soft spoutlike a bottle...Why? Are you afraid what everyone else will think? Just tell them!

Hi S.,
I often don't understand why a mom can breastfeed until two or three years of age (which I did) but the pediatricians will sway you to stop the bottle around the age of one. Don't bottle fed babies need the comfort too. I breast fed my son until three and from age 1 to 3 it was purely for comfort at naptime and bedtime and cranky times. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had bottle fed but really one year old is still so very young.
My son took a sippy cup just fine but breastfeeding was his comfort. He is 7 years old now and doing just great.
I think as long as your brush their teeth/gums well and don't let them fall asleep with the bottle in their mouth
there should be nothing wrong with it.
I try really hard to go with my own mommy instincts then what society or Dr.s say to do. Sometimes it's hard to go against
the grain so I had to stopped worrying about what everyone else thinks
Good Luck.
~M.

My advice is get rid of the bottle when you think it is time. Don't take it away just because your friends took their kids away early on. If you think your baby needs it then she probably does. My sister is a nurse and a momX2. She said both my kids should not have a bottle past age 1 and after they've mastered the sippy cup. I said I think my kids need it until I decide they don't need it. I took my son's away at 1 1/2. My daughter is 14 months and she is still drinking one only at nap-time and night-time. As a side note my doctor told me that if your child is eating solid table foods then they no longer need a bottle. At this point it is all about what the parent wants. I took all these bits of advice and decided that when my child was more into the bottle due to emotional reasons rather than nurishing reasons then I would take it away. And I did... Now to answer your question as to how to take it away...I put my son to bed one night and when he woke up in the morning there was not a bottle in the house and I told him no more bottles and the next day he was over it. My daughter could take the bottle or leave it. I don't think she will even care it is just easier for me to get her to go to bed with it.

S. ~
I agree..it's not horrible that she enjoys her bottle; however, it is much easier to take the bottle away at this age than it is when she's older. When they're 2, they have more of an emotional bond with the bottle than they do at 1. Keep giving her the sippy cup, she'll adjust to it. It's also way better for her ears, if she's prone to ear infections, and for her teeth.
good luck!
D.

Hi S.,
I have 2 boys and my first son had his bottle until almost 2. It was incredibly difficult. He was so attached to it and would ask for it all the time. Plus he wasn't eating as well because of all the milk. With my second son I decided to take it away at 1 because of the problems with my first son. Oh my gosh, it was SOOOO much easier. The first night we didn't give it to him we did the same bedtime routine but instead of the bottle we gave him extra reading. He looked around for a minute and it was kind of like something was missing but he couldn't figure out what. I think because he was younger he got over the loss so much faster. At 2 or 3 they know what is missing and it will be harder for them. If you do decide to take it away I would do it cold turkey. I don't necessarily think a bottle at an older age is bad as long as it's in moderation. Make sure she isn't getting all her calories from the milk. Anyway, good luck at what you decide to do.
Chris

S. O.,

I don't have suggestions on "how" to accomplish taking away the bottle, but I wanted to plead with you to do it ASAP at this age. I was told by the WIC people to take Brita's bottle away at one year old and the court had just given my husband and I legal guardianship of our two young granddaughters four months earlier but they had been living with us on many weekends already. I felt she had had a very difficult life and did not feel right about taking away some of her security (her bottle) so I delayed it for six months. That poor little girl had such a rough time giving it up that I felt I really screwed up by waiting another six months. This is why I ask you to do it NOW, rather than later. It is even harder on the child and yourself if you wait until later.

L. C.

I'm another mom who doesn't think it's a big deal to let her have the bottle! She just turned one. She's a BABY! Why does everyone make such a big deal about this? So what if she's two or three and still wants it? Like another mom said, she's not going to go to prom with it! She's probably not going to go to kindergarten with it either! Don't rip it from her! I wouldn't even take it from her at two or three or four if she still wants it. Once she gets to school, she'll stop when she realizes that the other kids don't have bottles. I'm sure it won't come to this. She'll likely give it up all on her own in the next year or so. If it's embarrassing for you, only let her have it at home. Kids grow up so fast. Enjoy this time...don't rush it! Good luck!

I don't think it's a big deal to still have a bottle... she'll wean herself from the bottle in time.. my son loves a regular glass/cup at 23 months and has for some time.

I think you answered your own question. She is only 1. She needs the bottle and that is fine. Don't rush things, she will give it up at some point down the road - who cares what other kids are doing. Do what is best for your daughter and your family.

I just went through this with my 22 month old right before Thanksgiving. I worried about it for WEEKS. And, for about a week ahead of time, I told her that next Wednesday there would be no more bottles, but that we would have a special "big girl night night cup." I put two stickers on a plastic cup and off to bed we went. After two sips from the cup and one extra story she was off to dream land. And in the following weeks, she's only asked for the bottle once and instead of answering her, I just handed her the cup. She took it with no fuss. I am happy with the way things turned out, and I think you will be too if you just do what is comfortable for you and your child. I figured that since we brushed her teeth everyday, and she didn't fall asleep with the bottle it wasn't a big deal. No way could I have taken away the bottle at a year. You know your baby best.

my 1st daughter was almost two when she was done with her bottle and most of my friends kids were done way before that, 1 year olds are still babies don't feel rushed to take it away. they all let go of these things eventually.

I know a lot of other moms think it's okay to have a bottle when their child is two or three...but really, by that time, your child is old enough to hold a cup and drink from one and in letting them have a bottle that long, you are delaying their development. Plus, if you put your child in daycare or preschool, they are not allowed to use bottles! Just get rid of the bottles!!!! When my daughter was one, she sat in her high chair and waved bye bye to her bottles and I put them in a bag. She was already using sippys like your daughter as well. Use the Nuby brand sippys, the mouth piece is really soft like a bottle, ones with straws don't work until they are older. Give her something else to calm down like a song or book or blanket. Don't cave in, you are telling her that whenever she fusses she will get what she wants. Good luck!

To be honest I don't think it's horrible for her to stil have a bottle. However I have been told that is it harder on the children the longer you let them have it. My daughter wasn't given a bottle at the age of 1 however she still got her pacifier till she was 16 months but only at bed time. It is easier to take it away now then when they are totally defendant on it. I think it's horrible when you see 3-4 year old walking around with a bottle or pacifier so I chose to take it away before it was even harder to take it away. As the parent you need to decide what is best and just do that and not care what other say. Remember if you decide to take it away it will be a roug week or so then it will be fine. I would do it when there isn't anything else different going on. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Try the Nuby ones - one ones with handles - not the ones that look like bottles. They are nice and soft - they were the only ones my daughter would use when we started on the bottle.

J.

I let my daughter enjoy her bottle until she was 4!!! when she would come home from pre-school I filled it with 1/2 water and 1/2 juice and she calmed right down. I knew she wouldn't take it to the prom with her. She's 24 yrs old now and turned out better than all right. I still have the bottle in my cupboard.

Hi S.,

I agree with most of the other people--it's not a big deal if she still has the bottle. Honestly, I think all kids (or at least most kids) at this age still need something, whether it's a bottle or a pacifier. Both of my kids were completely off the bottle at 12 months...BUT, they both had pacifiers. It just seems that all of my friends' kids had one or the other (sometimes even both!)until at least age 2. I really wouldn't worry about this until your daughter is closer to two. (And by the way, that Nuby cup people are mentioning is also what works for my friend's little girl right now!)

I don't think it too big an issue as ling as she is not walking around with it. I have 14 month old who still gets one upon waking and going to bed (but not to fall asleep).
I don't like to get rid of the bottle all the way until teething is overwith. It seems to be a consistant comfort they can depend on.

Our culture pushes our little ones to grow up fast and most times it is for no reason.
Like I said though as long as the bottle is not being used all the time.

My daughter is the same way and she is 20 months old. Just take the bottle away and give her a sippy cup (Tupperware has a good deal) the only problem with the Tupperware cups is they don't have an anti-spill valve in the lid, but at the same time, that's a good thing because milk and stuff gets stuck in the valve and its nearly impossible to clean the valve out. Good luck! Eventually your little one will get the hang of a sippy cup ... especially if she's thirsty enough.