How Long on the Bottle?

I just threw all the bottles away and introduced a sippy cup. At first they get really frustrated but eventually they give in so just hang in there. Don't forget to give lots of love and praise!

I think this is just about as personal as breastfeeding. I let my daughter have a bottle at night until she was 3 because it was the only time I could hold her! I think maybe if you can cut down to 2-3 a day, it will teach the baby independence also but still have mommy time which is maybe what is happening now.

I went through the same thing with my son and I did it when he was ready. Of course, you do what you feel comfortable with. The worst thing that could happen, is him regressing, that was my fear. So I slowly got him away from the bottle and yes he used a bottle past 14 months...I think it was when he was 18 months. So yeah, even though I waited until he was ready, there's nothing wrong now. He's not using bottles and he's more than confident on using other things. I hope that this helps and best of luck to you.

At 14 months he should be eating at least stage one baby food even stage 2 not much difference.If he can use a sippy cup take the bottle away... It will be tough the first few days but he will get used to it and don't gice in even if he cries...Hope this helps...

Hi Kaylene,
I put a stop to the bottle with both kids at age 1, I have worked in a pediatric dental office for more then 6 years and I have seen first hand the damages that a bottle can do to a babies developing mouth. Not to mention expensive recontruction, appliances, braces, etc! (Of course, having minimal use of the bottle will not cause severe damage, and every child is different.)I agree with the straw idea, what a great thought. You may have already tried this, but put the "fun stuff" milk and juice in the cup or sippy. Put only water in the bottle. Good luck and don't give in!!

Hi there K., well I took my daughter off the bottle at 10 months old. She started drinking out of a cup or sippy cup as long as it had a straw. She saw her parents drinking out of cups with a straw and of course wanted to copy her parents. She never cried for a bottle again. To each its own though, but I wish you good luck.

S.

My son did the same thing. I just took the bottle away and did not give it back. He fussed about it for a while but then gave it up. i took him to the store to buy special cups for him and let him pick them out. So he thought that it was somthing special for him. Hope that helps. I had my son of the bottle at 12 months. I was told it was bad for thier teeth to leave them on the bottle very long.

K.,

I took my daughter off the bottle as soon as she turned 1. Cold turkey. It was very difficult at first because I was treating the sippy cup like a bottle thinking that she was going to sit or lay down and drink out of it. Obviously, that wasn't the case. I called the doctor and the doctor said that as long as she is getting three milk servings a day...she'll be fine. Milk servings being cheese, yogurt, milk. She eventually got used to drinking out of the sippy cup and was fine. She never drinks as much as she did from the bottle but she also eats a lot of other things now too.
Hope this helps.

Hi!! Weaning is a process whether from the bottle or the breast. It is also different for different kids. Taking a bottle or the breast fulfills a necessary security for children as well as nourishment from the milk itself. Kids reach that point of not needing that security at different times. With that said only you know your son and what he needs. If he is adament about taking his bottle he probably isn't quite ready for complete weaning and maybe further weaning at this point. I wouldn't worry at 14 months. He is still quite young. Many people who breastfeed and wean at earlier ages (before a year or your son's age) move on to the bottle until 2 or more.

Some questions you might ask yourself. What signs is he giving you that he is not ready to wean yet? Is is he giving you signs that he is not ready but might be ready to cut out a bottle at a given time during the day? Maybe he takes that bottle out of boredom or when he is actually ready for a meal both or which could be substituted easily. Are you comfortable with him having a bottle at this age? If not, why not? When would you be comfortable with him taking a bottle? I include both of you in this because it is important that both reach a level of comfort.

Although my daughter doesn't take a bottle the principles are the same, I believe. At 14 months I got pregnant and nursing became very painful for me. I decided I needed to wean her and that I would do it gradually over a month. Well, 2 days of trying that made it very apparent that she was not ready for it and that I was pushing her too fast. With a few more days of observation and figuring things out, I realized that although she wasn't ready to be fully weaned there were times that she nursed out of boredom or hunger for a meal. So I began to substitute those times with fun activities and food. That cut her nursings in half. My pain went away and we continue to nurse at the times that are very crucial for her. Now she has gotten to the point of forgetting a crucial time during the day which indicates further weaning (18 months). All this time she drinks whole milk from a sippy cup and she asks for it more and more now.

Maybe during this process for your son you could continue to give him the milk in his bottle but give him flavored milk in a sippy cup. I like to flavor my daughter's milk with fruit, frozen strawberries, blueberries as a treat. Blend them together and strain to get the chunks of fruit out. Another treat that is chuck full of calcium that my daughter loves more than milk is vanilla yogurt (not a high sugar brand) that I freeze and serve to her as is or I blend with fruit (I don't strain this one).

Another thing to remember is that these cutbacks are on average not set every given day. When she teeths, is sick, has visitors from out of town, etc. she either nurses more or less depending on the situation. The same would be true with the bottle because of that sense of security and comfort. So, it tends to be easier to look at the whole picture over a week or two say to get a feel for where she is at versus the last day or two.

Sorry this is so long, but one last thing. If you Google "Dr. William Sears", you will get to a web page that will talk about breastfeeding but might give you insight into the child's view of breastfeeding/bottle, again the principles are the same, and how you might go about weaning. He is a pediatrician with a wealth of knowledge from the past 20 years professionally and 8 children personally.

Good luck! J.

Hi,

You've gotten some really great responses so far, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents! LOL! Since your little one likes cups have you tried a sippy with a straw? My 12 mo old just figured it out the other day in a restaurant and now it's a big fasination. This is the only way I've gotten him to try milk, as for juice he'll take it from anything. Go figure!

Hi K.,
I work for the Women, Infant and childrens program. I have alot of experience with this matter. Some things to ask yourself?
1. Does it really matter if he drinks milk? The answer to that question is NO!!!!!! What matters is that he gets an average of 3 servings of dairy in a day. Those items can be milk(4 oz), cheese (1 oz, or slice, or the size of a small book of matches) yogurt(1/4 cup), icecream (1/2 cup)or make pudding from scratch and buy a box of powdered milk and add an extra scoop. THe powdered mik can be added to soups, cookies, pancakes, french toast, shake ect....
2. Why do I need to wean from the bottle? The bottle itself does not cause any problems other than increased ear infections. This is true but only if there is water only in the bottle. Why not give him a choice... A cup of milk or a bottle of water, a cup of juice or a bottle of water. If anything other than water goes in the bottle than you run the risk of "Bottle Rot", "nursing bottle syndrome". Alot of people believe its only the baby teeth that get effected. Well if enough damage i s done to the baby teeth, then the adult teeth can become rotten before the even pop thru the skin.
3. At what age should I wean from the bottle? THe recommended age is 12-15 months. From birth till about 12 months the bottle is a feeding tool. After that age it seems to become a security blanket of sorts. If you can not handle weaning right now another thing you can try is only offer the bottle after meal times and only offer 4 oz. I would try to limit this to 2-3 times a day. Do not let your child carry the bottle and walk with it. Let the child have it but must sit in high chair or table and as soon as he shows that he is done with it ( even if he does not drink it all) put it away. Out of sight out of mind. I would also remind him daily that when he turns (any time, or age) that we will be getting rid of the bottles and purchase sippy cups. This usually only works if they are older (18 to 24 months). Last but not least.... Save yourself the aggrevassion of giving in. When you decide its time to get rid of them.....throw them away. If you don't have it in the house, you can't give in to the crying.
4. Why is my child still drinking any formula? Unless the child has issues with allergies or is severly underweight, or was born prematurely, then most babies come off of formula at 12 months old. Does your child fall into any of these catagories? If not save yourself the money and stop buying formula. He doesn't need it. If it was breastmilk, that would be different. THe vitamins, nutrients, and immunities continue well past a year, and a real lucky baby gets bmilk until 2. Lots of reasons to continue and you do not have to worry about nursing bottle syndrome or teeth rotting.
5. Does my child eat enough? I would encourage offering (this means putting the food in front of the child, not asking them if they want it.)3 meals a day and 2-3 snacks a day. Keep in mind that serving sizes are really small for this age group.
1 tablespoon of friuts and veggies (if not baby food) is a serving, 4 oz. of juice is a serving and I would encourage no more than 10-12 oz. a day. We like to see 5 servings a day.
protien/meat... needs 2-3 servings a day. 1 oz. of meat (about the size of a small box of wooden matches)1T. peanut butter (if no concerns of allergies)beans(1 tablespoon), eggs(1/2 to a whole egg, and tofu would be the same as meat. Breads should be 7 servings a day. 4 crackers, 1/4 cup of dry cereal, 1/2 slice of toast, 2 graham crackers, 1 tablespoon of rice or potatoes and 1/4 cup of pasta.
THat pretty much covers the foods pyramid. Do not base his diet on every day perfect food pyramid. Look at his intake over a week. If he will drink milk, than it should be whole milk only. If he won't... Keep offering but do not make a big deal out of it. The more they know something bothers us, the more they can manipulate the situation.
Some recipe idea's for dairy...

lasagna roll ups... 16 oz. box of lasagna pasta, 1 carton of ricotta cheese, 16 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 jar of spagetti sauce. Boil lasagna noodles according to the package. While they are boiling, mix together ricotta cheese and 1/2 of the mozzarella. In a large shallow baking pan put half of the sauce on the bottem of baking dish. When noodles are cooked, drain and take one noodle at a time and add 1 large spoonful of cheese mixture, near the end of the noodle and roll it up to the other end(like a jelly roll) continue with all noodle and cheese mixture until bottem of pan is full. Perferably close to each other. Pour remaining sauce and cheese over noodles and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. If you make them ahead, add sauce and cheese topping, when time to bake and add on 15-20 minutes baking time if right out of the frig.

KIDS FUN PITA PIZZA
1 pita bread, bagel or pizza dow
pizza sauce (spagetti sauce), pepperoni, ham, mozzarella cheese. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, place pita or bagel on a plate and cover suface of bread or bagel with sauce, meats and cheese. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes until heated.

Icecream shake (can even be used for breakfast)

Favorite flavor of icecream, a piece of favorite friut, 1/2 cup milk, (even add extra powdered milk for a double punch)1/2 cup of plain yogurt and ice, then blend together until smooth consistancy.
You could also use vanilla icecream and substitute carnation instint breakfast for fruit, still add ice and powdered milk, 1/2 cup of regular milk and blend.

make pudding according to the directions, add extra powdered milk and give it a double dose of dairy. Freeze the pudding into popsicles for an extra fun treat. Also feels good while teething.

I hope this info helps. If you have any other specific questions or concerns, feel free to email me a personal message.

Good luck, try not to worry, this is only the beginning of wondering "is my child getting enough" Whether it be food, time with the parents, friends, ect. Welcome to motherhood, the neverending questions.

H. B.

Well I"m not sure what sord of schedule you have for your son,but I started giving my childeren sippy cups during the day and a bottle at night. After awhile of that I just got rid of all the bottles and they fussed and was upset with me,but we all survived! Good luck

I have 25 month old twin boys, and I took them completely off of formula and the bottle when they turned one. I started weaning them from formula and bottle gradually and then they were just whole milk and sippy cups from a week or two before thier first birthday. I just refused to give them the bottle after that...but they didn't really ask for it either. Maybe I just have odd children because I didnt have any problems. I don't know if that helps, but I would say any time now would be fine to wean him from the bottle. He will eventually get the idea that the bottle no longer exists for him.
~S.

Hey my little girl is 19 months old she hasnt had a bottle sence she was 6 months all you have to do at this age is take it away tell them that he is a big boy let him know its ok to drink his and juice & milk from a sippy.

Hello K.,
I'm sure everyone is giving you great advice about this. I also may be repeating someone else also...anyway! Does your son drink out of a "real" cup or a sippy cup? The reason I'm asking is you might find it a little bit easier w/ those soft top sippy cups. My son took those like crazy. I took him off formula and bottle at one. That's when the doctor told me about this "transition" sippy cup. They have expensive brands at the store...but they also have cheap ones. See which one helps.
Also, don't let anyone tell you your baby has to be off the bottle/sippy cup/binkie...ect. You and your child need to make that decision. If it bothers you...take action how you see fit. My son took himself off the bottle and the sippy cups. He just happened to do it right on time. He's three now w/o a bottle or a sippy cup. He will let you know. Trust me. His little brain is working harder than you think. :) He won't go to his high school graduation w/ a bottle in his hand. :)
Let me know how things work out...

With my son we let him only have water in the bottle and milk out of big boy cups. If he wanted milk bad enough if would take it in the cup.

Totally agree with the last response! But go with the cheap brands first, then if those don't work try the more expensive (my son only liked the cheap ones-go figure!). Also in agreeance with the don't let anyone tell you you have to take him off the bottle. The only reason I'd say hurry it up is if another baby is on the way, cause once that one comes it will be near impossible to wean your son till the next is ready!

Every child is diffrent. Trust me I have four of them. I just took the bottle away and would not let them have it. They get mad but eventually they get over it. It dosen't take them long. My thing was letting them know there not a baby no more and they need to be a big boy or girl.

Hi there. This is soooo funny! We are on day 4 of no bottle. My sons b-day is July 11, 2006. Our sons are very close in age. We were on the 2nd day of no bottle, but also, no milk. He would not drink milk out of a sippy cup. Period. We would throw it right on the ground in defiance. But he would drink juice. Then yesterday (day 3) he had a mini meltdown. We offered him milk in his sippy, and he took it. He has been sucking it down now for almost 24 hours! We broke him like a horse. teehee Hope that helps, you are not alone!