My son just turned a year old a couple of weeks ago. We have already transitioned him from forumla to milk, and that was very easy; however, weaning from the bottle is a different story. He uses a sippe cup, but only want it if there is water in it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about this weaning process?
Thanks a bunch!
C.
I remember taking away one bottle at a time. I would wait a bit in between, then take away the next one, leaving the bedtime bottle for last.
My son is now 6 and I remember trying a million different sippy cups until I found one that he liked. With my daughter (who was 18 months old when I finally got serious about getting rid of the bottle), I just went cold turkey and threw away the bottles. I bought 3 different types of sippy cups (which was honestly a small number compared to what I bought with my son) and discovered that she really likes the straw kind. So, that is what we use now.
Good luck!
L.
C., My daughter also just turned One in Novemeber. Unlike my oldest DD, she is having a difficult time giving up her bottles all together. Like your son, she only takes water from a sippy cup. If milk is offered to her in a cup, she will push it away and go for the water. So frustrating! My oldest was soooo easy to wean from the bottle. It was so easy transitioning from formula to milk, I just wish weaning from a bottle was as simple :/ I am very curious to see the responses you get. Good luck to you:)
B.
I have two kids with two special weaning stories.
My oldest is 8, at about 15 month I received wonderful advice that worked like a charm. We began limiting bottle to nap time bed time feedings. Then when we were ready, we changed the bottle to ice water and gave a sippy cup of warm milk. It took three days, first day the bottle was empty and the cup was full. Second day 1/2 and 1/2 and by the third day, the bottle was full cup was empty and we were done with bottles.
My little one is 5, being that it worked so well, I thought I would try the same approach. Boy did it backfire :) We went through the same process and after day three, the bottle was still empty and the cup was still full. So we decided to go cold turkey. Strike two. She would take a cup from one adult, hold on to it for an hour or so and then hand it to another adult who would empty it and refill it for her. We were away from home, I didnt even take bottles with us. After about three days, she woke up at 4 am screaming in pain, she was so dehydrated she had not peeded in 8-10 hours, had no tears and I cant even explain the cry it was different than anything I have ever heard. We gave her liquids through a syringe while my sister went to WalMart to buy a bottle. We were able to get enough liquids in her without a trip to the hospital, but it was very scary for a few hours. From that point on I never took the bottle away. When others would comment on her size with a bottle, I would tell them story and say I would rather have a kid on the bottle than one in the grave. No one ever argued the point with me. She finally gave it up around age three on her time and place. I was willing to let her go to kindergarten and have the kids peer pressure into giving it up :)
So, what I learned from both of my children is that kids are different and need different things. If one thing does not work try something else, and in the end if a kid wants to be on the bottle for six years, it is only a fraction of time they will eventually be off the bottle.
This was difficult for us as well. The dr. said it can take as many as 15 tries for a baby to get used to something. We went cold turkey with bottles and did a sippy cup of milk at meals. It took at least 15 tries, but eventually she took to it. We got a cup with a straw, and that helped, too. While we were waiting we made sure she got dairy through other sources.
