Switching from Bottle to Sippy Cup - Milford,MI

I agree with one of the other moms, NUBY brand cups are some of the best for transitioning! AND they are the cheapest ones around. YOU can get them at Meijer, Target, all around. I had a big struggle with the bottle transition too, and the NUBY cups made all the difference. We also really liked the Avent training cups. If you use avent bottles, the lids fit right onto the bottles, and so do the handles. Plus, they are one of the only cups that has a lid, which is Super important with the soft spout cups, as they tend to leak pretty bad sometimes. They don't typically have the anti-leak valves that the cups for bigger kids do.

I think that weening slowly is the best way to do it. My son't doctor told us to take his bottle away when he was 1 but we gave it to him less and less and he was almost 15 months old when he didn't get his bottle anymore.

I would not worry about taking her off the bottle as long as she is using a sippy cup. They grow up so fast as it is. Enjoy the snuggle time and bottle routine they end so quickly.

well, when my little girl turned one I put away all the bottles and started giving her sippy cups. She hasn't had a bottle since she turned one. I don't think you're going to be able to do it gradually. If you takeall the bottles out of the kitchen and only give her sippy cups, eventually she'll get used to the idea that the bottles are gone. Have you tried giving her a sippy cup but still cuddling with her like you did with the bottle time? Also, you could try reading her a book or playing a favorite cartoon or video while she has cuddle time with her sippy cup. She also might not like to sippy cups you're using. They ones with soft tops that are a little like a bottle. That might help her transition. We got my daughter those insulator sippy cups, she likes the cartoons and stuff on them. Hope this is helpful.

well I think that you should just give her the sippy cup and sound excited make it seem fun, kids like new things she'll eventually get used to it after a couple of days, when your husband and you do try to have another child the easiest way to go about it is to introduce a sippy cup on occasion at 6 months, that is what I did with my daughter and she lost her bottles the day she turned 1 year, some people don't believe in that and think it's harsh but the reason it's so important for the kids to get off the bottle and pacifiers at 1 year is because all their major teeth are growing in now and the bottles and pacifiers can interfere with the way their teeth grow in and cause problems down the road for them, so it may be hard now when she cries but just look at it like your thinking ahead for her little teeth, good luck to ya, she'll pick it up :)

Hi K.,

Don't rush it if she is not ready. Despite what the doctor says every child grows at their own pace. If she is drinking out of a sippy cup during the day than thats great.. Why push our kids to grow up so fast when they grow up so fast already? I'm sure she'll give it up when she's ready! My daughter still likes a bottle of warm milk before bed and she's 2 1/2... Follow your heart. Best Wishes ~Marcia

Hi K.,
As hard as it is now I would get rid of all your bottles so that you won't be tempted to give her one. I have two boys and my three and a half year old was on his bottle until about 20 months. I felt bad taking it away from him. It was really hard because he was older. He understood his bottle was taken from him. I also have a 15 month old who hasn't had a bottle since he turned one. He didn't seem to mind to much when we didn't give it to him for bed. It was much easier than my first son. Every child is different but I really think the age was the biggest thing between my two boys. I think the older the kids are the harder it will be. Thats just my opinion and advice. Good luck.
Chris

if your daughter still needs and wants a bottle give it to her.

the dr. told me toget my daughtr off the bottle too.. I reduced the bottles from 5 to 3 a day. adn will soon eliminate the mid day bottle and then the morning bottle... the evening bottle can stay for a while longer.

My daughter is 16 months old and we are in no hurry to give up the bottles. it is not that big of thing...just try to reduce the number of bottles per day- get down to just one a day and then eliminate that one too.

i know this is going to sound wierd, but in the morning it seems to me that she is wanting something soft in her mouth. So if you want to get her used to the sippy in the morning try taking the nipple from the bottle off the bottle and put it on the sippy then slowly but surely take the nipple off the sippy until she is used to the sippy in the morning. Try the same technique for the night time too. Now I don't know if it will work but it is worth a shot. Good luck!

When we transitioned from the bottle to sippy cup, our pediatrician gave us an easy trick! He recommended filling the bottle with water, and the sippy cup with milk. Offer the baby the sippy cup first - if they refuse it, then offer them the bottle with water. Chances are, your baby will want the milk more than the bottle and will switch herself! When we offered our son the bottle with water he drank a little, then looked at the sippy cup - tried that and got the flavor he liked. Then, he took a couple more pulls from the bottle for the sucking action. He repeated this back and forth a few times, and then was content with the sippy cup. Remember NOT to put anything but water in the bottle from now on! Good luck.

Your baby will give up the bottle in their time. Pressuring her to do this is not good. Slowly introduce he to the sippy cup. Same way with potty training.

Have you tried the Nuby brand of cups? They have ones that have a soft spout as well. We did that (on a recommendation from a friend) and the transition went well. The soft spout mimicks a nipple so switching is a little easier. The nice thing about the Nubys is that they're pretty inexpensive. Once she's past that, she'll be good to go with the hard spout cups.

I still cuddled with my son during the whole sippy cup thing.

I don't know why doctors are so insistent on ditching formula. Formula has a lot more key vitamins and nutrients, that milk doesn't have. We did 1/2 stage 2 formula and 1/2 milk with my son until he was 15 months old. And the pedi that I seen when I was a baby said there is no need to be taken off formula until after 18 months, but before 24 months. And of course, only whole milk (unless soy was recommended by pedi)

On to the sippy, have you used the soft spout? They do cost more, but are worth it. My son did sooo much better with those then the hard plastic ones. Now he doesn't really care. I have to admit, there were a few nights in the very beginning that I just gave him his bottle for 1 feeding. But we also waited until almost 14 months old to switch to the sippy, because he was sick.

All in all, just take things sloooow. She will decide for you when it's time to take away or add things. That the best way to do it, less problems.
~B. ____@____.com

I have twin boys, and when they turned a year old we got rid of all the bottles. It took 1 day for the one and 2 days for the other to get over it. They had been used to using a sippy cup all day and only had the bottle in the morning and at night. So when I got rid of the bottles, I knew they were familiar with a sippy and had no problems with it. They just WANTED the bottle. If they refused the sippy cup, no problem, they just didn't get their milk at those times. They caught on really quick and never had another issue. I also removed the sippy cups at 2 years old and transitioned to a regular cup in the same way. Same pattern, they were mad for a day and then decided that getting milk from a big boy cup was better than not getting any milk at all.

Hi K.,

Trying different kinds of sippy cups might work. My son didn't do well with the hard top sippy cups at first so we started out with a couple of different soft top sippy cups. Wal-Mart sells them for under $2. Who knows....it might help her with the transition. Good luck!

T.

K.,

It's my opinion (as unprofessional as it is) that you go ahead and give her the bottle still for those one or 2 feedings. In many countries they don't wean their children until 2 or 3 years old. I'd even give her formula once a day for at least another few months as it has SOOO much more in it for her than the cow milk. When she is ready she'll give up the bottle. And if she has one til she's 4 1st thing in the morning and it's just between you and her, who cares? It's no one's business. Let your kid be a kid!

My .02

C.

I would just throw out all the bottles in the house. She might cry for a few nights, but she'll get over it. I took my daughter off the bottle at 11 months, and it only took 3 days for her to accept it. Regardless of when you take it away, shes gonna cry, so the sooner the better. Get it all over with. With all the babas in the trash, you cant give in. I know its hard to hear them cry, but she will get over it quicker than you think. Good luck

My son was very resistant to the change as well, but we used the Nuby (It's like a cross between a cup and bottle) cups, and within a month he was on to using the playtex silicone (it's a harder silicone than the nuby) spout cups, and from there he'll drink from anything. You may also want to see if she'll drink from a straw. A friend of mine had a lot of success with her morning feedings becoming from a straw as a way to get rid of bottles.

More importantly than rushing your daughter off the bottle, is to do it in a way that doesn't totally uproot her routine. I personally feel you're doing the right thing, tackling one feeding at a time.

Best advice is to THROW out the bottles and get it over with, buy a bunch of different types of sippy's there are soo many, she'll find one that she likes best~ The longer you let her use the bottle the more attatched she'll get to it and demand it. Once I put my foot down and stopped offering the bottle it took 3 days for my daughter to adjust. You're the parent and you need to be firm, giving in will only let her control you in the future and just an FYI my husband's aunt didn't set the rules early on and her 8 year old still takes his sippy cup to bed with him...YIKES! Be strong, she'll adjust~~~ BY THE WAY--- the reason doctors tell you to cut out the bottle is because it will ruin/rot their teeth or cause permanent deformation later on~ why risk it??? You want your daughter to have every chance at a perfect life~ bad teeth aren't a great start?!?!

I would first try filling the sippy cup with water and putting it in with her toys so she can learn how to use it. Thats how I got my little guy used to the sippy cup, its amazing how quickly they catch on to what your supposed to do with it. My son was breastfed so I am not sure about the whole bottle thing because he really never had a bottle so I am not sure how to break it but I can say that if your little girl hasnt every used a sippy cup she will most likely refuse it because she doesnt understand it. Then once she knows how to use the sippy cup I would then give her her milk ONLY in the sippy cup. Trust me if you dont give in she will get thristy enough to drink it. You see I am now 4 months pregnant and my body is not allowing me to breastfeed anymore. So with my son only being 11 months old and he is not supposed to have milk for another month I tried giving him formula and he absolutely refused it. He already knew how to drink out of a sippy cup and has been drinking his o.j. in the morning and water throughout the day and eating solids and breastfeeding for the past couple of months. So when I asked the doctor she said take away the water and he WILL eventually be thirsty enough to drink the formula. So I did just that I allowed him his o.j. in the morning but and I cut back the amount of water he drank throughout the day and but the time night fall came he sucked down the formula. I know it sounds awful but it worked and he is now at least drinking the formula in the morning and at night. Every kid is different though so good luck let us know what happens.

Hi K.!
sounds like you are on the right track!
Giving up the bottle can be a bit challenging.
How about putting slightly warm water in her morning bottle and milk in the sippy cup and let her choose which one she would like. I bet overall, she will choose the nice cold refreshing milk. Dont be afraid of alittle fussing. Change in a routine can put a rain cloud on even the brightest sunshines. Your daughter will get the hang of it in a week or so. Best of luck to you. Heidi

I don't know what all the fuss is about concerning bottles vs. sippy cups. A sippy cup is nothing more than a modified bottle anyway. In the long run, will it truly make a difference if your child gave up the bottle at age 1 or age 3? Not likely. The advent of the sippy cup has given parents and babies an intermediate choice between the bottle and the open cup and in the long run, it really makes absolutely no difference when the child moves to the cup, as long as it happens before they start school. It is up to you to make the decisions for yourself, your child and your family. If you truly believe that now is the time for your child to move on to a sippy cup, then there is some excellent advice here. Try different sippy cups. A soft top one may be much easier for her. Maybe keep her regular bottle routine for a bit, but put something yummy, like juice, in a sippy cup for her throughout the day so that she gets used to the cup.
Ultimately, it is your choice (not your doctor's or anyone else's) when to make the move to the cup. There is no good medical reason to have the child drink only from cups. Children grow up way too fast and this whole stage of development will be over before you know it. So, don't sweat the small stuff. Just provide lots of love, patience, and guidance and bottle or sippy, it really makes no difference.

K. - don't worry about her not taking the sippy cup yet. My son did not get off the bottle until he was 2 years old. He had one in the morning and one at night. During the day he took a sippy cup. Sometimes it's a security for them. Now my son is three years old and drinks from cups and sippy cups. Hope this helps.

Bottles @ 1, i am surprised your pediatrician did not tell you to try weaning her sooner. I guess i am spoiled. My 4yo daughter stop drinking from a ____@____.com wanted nothing to do with a bottle or pacifier. Do not just take the botttle from her, wean her off the bottle and offer her more cups! You do not want her getting upset.
K. gl..
C. S.

I agree with that last person on the last response, but I did not want to be so blunt about..
Throw them out.. Cuddle with her with the cup she will be fine!

It is a hard transition from the bottle to the sippy cup because it is a different motion the use with their tongue. The bottle of course is a lot easier. You can still have your cuddle time with the sippy cup and I would recommend not stopping, the same routine will make the switch easier, but it will still take a few weeks (I say a few weeks so you can plan for the worst, that always makes it easier if you don't have too high of expectations). When I started the sippy cup with all of my children it took some time, but you have to be firm she will have an easier time if you do not revert back to the bottle at all and she will drink from the cup if she is thirsty. Also if you do not have one already try to get a sippy cup with handles and a soft spout. All of my children did better to start with a soft spout -- playtex has some nice ones and the stoppers do not fall out as easy as some of the other cups. Good luck, it is always hard to see your little one cry, but remember they are very smart and they know that if you give in one time that you will again, so pack up those bottles and cuddle with the the sippy cup and give her lots of praise and act overly excited when she uses the sippy cup.

Again - good luck!!!