We have been trying to wean my 13 month old son from his bottle. He has been drinking from a sippy cup since he was 8 months, but only water or juice. He refuses to drink formula or milk from the cup. He seems to like milk (i.e. if he has it in a bottle, he will drink it) but just won't drink it from the cup. I know there is another request currently on the site for weaning, but those responses involve getting him used to a sippy, which he is, or explain how to wean by going cold turkey. I am not willing to go cold turkey, especially since he is already throwing major tantrums. I am being treated for PPD and just don't think I could go through a few weeks to month long ordeal of tantrum throwing. Does anybody have any "gentler" suggestions of weaning him from a bottle to a sippy cup? I would really appreciate it.
I didn't respond to this right away but I just wanted to say how I glad I was to hear that other people use milk flavorings also I have gotten some flack from my side of the family for it. I also use the sugar free kind it really does taste no different then the regular, most moms have good ideas, I just suck when it comes to weaning my children.
If he is willing to take water from the sippy cup, I wouldn't worry about giving him milk from it but instead try and get him his dairy through other sources and remain hydrated with the water...can you mix whole milk with cereal or other foods--will he take it that way? If he won't take whole milk, I was told to start with 1% and then move up as sometimes they like the taste better that way.
Hi J.,
I agree with Amanda, only put water in his bottle. Chances are he'll want the milk more and start drinking from the cup. If you are putting him to bed with a bottle with milk it's bad for his teeth. I also that I wanted to tell you about my ordeal with bottles. I have 2 boys and with my first son I was like you and wanted a gentler way to take the bottle away. I started making his bottles less during the day and then put less in the bottle. It took a couple of months and then when I did finally take it completely away (at about 19 months) he still cried. I then had another boy and when he turned 1 I decided to try it cold turkey. He never cried. It was like he knew something was missing but he couldn't remember what. I let him bring a sippy cup of water to bed with him and he was fine with it. I think it is easier to do the younger they are. So neither way is better than the other but you may want to consider a couple of days of crying or a longer solution that may or may not be easier. Good luck.
Chris
We currently have a 16 month old and went through the EXACT same thing as you. Don't worry you are not alone. I tried stopping the juice in the sippy cup and then at breakfast and lunch I put milk in the sippy instead. Throughout the day, I gave her water in her sippy since that is what she was used to. I used strawberry syrup with the milk. My daughter didn't drink as much as she would have in a bottle, but over time got used to the taste and sort of liked it. I still give her a bottle at night. Now that she is almost 17 months she is starting to not really care about the bottle. She takes a few drinks and then plays with it. I think in a month or so she will quit the one bottle a day on her own and I never had any stress with it. Good luck.
For my oldest, he had nothing but water in a bottle and gave up on the bottle. He was drinking from a sippy at 1 year. My other two kids were drinking from a sippy between 8 months and 11 months of age, so I didn't have a problem getting them off the bottle at all. However, have you tried flavored milk? He might like that. I know Wal Mart was selling milk mix that is full of vitamins and stuff, I believe it's called Magic Milk and comes in several flavors. I personally have bought the orange and cotton candy flavor, and my kids love it. Hope I've been of some help. :)
Get a pretty box (like a present box) put the bottles in and say that they are going to a baby who needs them. It is the giving season after all....
Have you tried Chocolate or strawberry flavored milk. Try getting him to drink choc milk in the cup for a week. Then start diluting it soin two weeks it is just milk.
Now the bottle. At the same time Start diluting the milk with water. Do this over 2 weeks. When he is only getting water in the bottle, start putting less and less so that it gets to just an ounce or so. Soon he will just push the bottle away. As you are reducing the milk besure to follow up with the sippy cup with the cho milk so he doesn't lose nutrition during the process.
Good Luck. mb
one way i have heard to do it is by only putting water in the bottle. don't deny him milk or juice but only offer it to him in the sippy or regular cup. this way he can still have the bottle if he wants it but only if he is willing to drink water. my mom used this method to wean all 6 of her children and she said it worked great. hope this helps
I was going through the same thing with my 13 month old daughter. I would offer milk only in a cup during the day and in a bottle at night and she fused some but got used to it so then I took out the night bottle. I have also found adding a little chocolate milk to it help entice her to drink it better. I only do that occasionally. Good Luck.
This might sound cruel, but I used vinegar. My son was over 2 years old and still breast feeding. My body was falling apart under the strain and I had to stop. There is medication that I am mean to take that I put off for over a year to continue breastfeeding and I HAD to start taking it again. Following a suggestion from a doctor friend, I put vinegary water on my nipple. He only tasted it twice and that was enough. The first time he made a face and looked really surprised, so I did too, and I asked him what was wrong. He said 'Booah is ucky'. and I replied, 'Awww... is it? That happens sometimes when you get big'. and I could be very sympathetic with him and tell him what a big boy he was getting to be and it was sad that Booah tasted icky now.... I had to dab a bit on for a while so he could smell it when he lifted my shirt and that's all it took. He came up to me a few times and lifted my shirt and pointed and said 'Booah Ucky!' Maybe you could 'flavour' his bottle nipple? He'll find it icky, and then you can offer him the sippy cup right at that moment to wash away the icky taste. It's a pretty gentle form of aversion training. Just try to be as surprised as he is and very sympathetic. Lots of hugs and tell him how big he's getting and how proud you are of him. DON'T let him see you do the actual 'flavouring'. Kids are smart and put things together much more than we think.
Because I was so late in weaning him, I did let him have a bottle with water in it at night time for about 6-8 months later. He doesn't even ask for it anymore. Good luck. and a big hug for you!
Well I am going to be honest here. My 3 older kids were off bottle by 13 months. The hardest one to wean was my now 20 month old daughter. But what I did was brought her to Wal-mart and in the juice area there is those tummy tickler type cups with characters on them. They originally come with 3 bottles in a pack and 100% apple juice. I think they also have them at Target in packs of 2. Anyways they are similar to a bottle but a smaller spout and they are also spill proof. (even after months of use) This worked well for my daughter and since these were "big girl ba bas" she was more than willing to throw her own bottles in the garbage. We now have a 2 1/2 month old who gets bottles maybe once a week when I am in class and she doesn't even acknowledge the bottles anymore. She still calls these cups her ba ba though. But will now take any sippy we give her. for some reason it's alot like a bottle to them but perfect weaning to a sippy. Good Luck.
