How to Ween from a Bottle

When i weaned my daughter off the bottle i had to warm up the milk for her. she wouldnt drink it cold. I did that and mixed in a little choc syrup too. it made the transition to sippy cup a whole lot easier

Hi E.,
First, let me say that you are not a bad mom like I know some moms are going to incinuate (sp?) ~ it has happened to me too. My youngest was 16 months old when she was weened. She was taking it just at night, but then got a cold & didn't want it & we were done! Maybe giving her a little less in the bottle each night will help ween her. I don't believe in just taking it away ~ it just makes everyone miserable! Good luck!

THey make these sippies that have a completely silicon top, like a bottle nipple. We started to substitute these for bottles and it went over very well. They sell them at Target and are about $5 for 2. It has been a few weeks and we are bottle free.

I think that one thing all mothers need to remember is that if you take a pacifier/bottle/crib away from a child at the right age, there is NO transition or "weening" I understand, it's too late for that here, but just in the future try to keep it in mind. It makes you and your child's lives much much easier. Here's what worked for me in my two kids' early years...I took pacifier away at 6 months....I took the bottle away the day after their first birthday.....I put them both in a twin sized bed with protective railings on the side at 15 months....these times worked best for me. As for now, I would probably take her to the store and let her pick out a few sippy cups. Then when you got home, you could explain to her that you can now get rid of the bottles since you have brand new sippy cups. Take them out of the house so you're not tempted to give her one. She's 18 months, but my daughter understood things like that at 12 months, so you shouldn't have a problem. When she asks for a bottle, just say "okay" and give her her sippy. If she doesn't want it, don't push it, just say "okay, I will put it in the refrigerator for when you're thirsty." Then, when she asks again, do the same thing. Never push her, and don't worry about her not drinking enough. She WILL drink when she's thirsty. It's all about a power struggle at the beginning, but once she realizes that she isn't going to get her bottle anymore, she'll accept the sippy cup. It isn't a very hard transition if you do it correctly. I've told friends to do it this way and it only was a day or two before it was totally done. There wasn't much fighting or crying about it with the child because once they told their child they'd put it in the fridge, if their child cried or threw a fit, they would walk out of the room and the child would quit quickly. Keep in mind for your one on the way. It's always great with the second one because you can see what would work better and really have great timing with them. Also, as far as the formula goes, you have got to stop this bad habit with her. Formula has tons of calories and things that she needed as a baby before she started eating table food. Now that she is eating table food, you are giving her too many calories in my opinion. Like I said earlier, she will drink when she's thirsty, so even if she refuses just milk all day one day, she's not going to get dehydrated. YOu have to stop giving into her though. Formula is given until 12 months, that's not up to her, that's up to you and your doctor. Don't let the power switch over to her now, because with girls, there's enough drama once they reach 4-6 years old without you having no control over the final say of things.

One thing that you could try, (it worked with my son) is that I hid all the bottles. Then when he asked for one, I took him to the cabinet where I kept the bottles and we looked inside. I would say, "Ah-oh, the bottles are all gone! I can not give you a bottle because I do not have any!" He would then drink from the sippy cup and go n his merry way. We did this for about 3 days and then he never asked for it again.
Remember, it usually takes a toddler about 3 days to break a habit. Same thing with pacifiers.
Then only difficulty that I can see happening in your instance is if you bottle feed the new baby. Maybe telling her, over and over again that bottles are for the baby and the sippy cup is for big girls.

Hey E.,

We tried to follow the one year rule and just went cold turkey with our kids, but we had one child who would just not give it up.

What we did was to offer milk she wanted in the cup, an offer only water in the bottle. She decided to take the water, which was not what I expected. I decided not to battle her about it. Sometimes, you have to adjust for your kids personality.

It kind of sounds like she might give it up herself if you don't give her the mix she wants, and if she does not pitch a fit, you might have more sucess than we did at offering only water. One of the things that doctors are worried about with bottles is the sugar in milk and formula rotting thier teeth, so getting that out of the bottle is important.

Have you wondered why she still wants the formula? Do you she really likes the taste or could she having trouble with change? Could that be why she still wants the bottle too? That may help you decided what to do.

M.

give her a plastic cup as a toy.let her play like you and praise her when it looks right.praise goes a long long way.

Our doctor told us to only give them their cup. So, that's what we did with all 4 kids. Our youngest our twin boys and they're 19months old. They've been drinking out of a straw for quite some time. We only use sipper cups in the car and at home it's TW cups with straw seals.

Remember that every child is different. But the suggestion about emphasizing the big girl vs. baby is a good idea. Our son was 2 when the twins arrived and reminding him that he was a big boy helped a lot in our household. Now at almost 4 he tells everyone all the big boy stuff he gets to do that his babies aren't big enough to do yet.

We found it also helps to keep the other kids involved as much as you're comfortable with the new baby coming. Congratulations on the new addition to your family.

I had one bottle baby and two breastfed babies and I weaned them all the same way and it was very easy on all of us. When they had gotten to the point that they were down to three or four times a day (wake up, naps and night time)I eliminated one bottle or breastfeeding session every two weeks. I started with the one that I felt that they would miss the least, which for my kids was the nap one. I would rock or snuggle with them until they fell asleep for the first week and until they were almost asleep the second week. By the end of the second week, they didn't even miss it. Then I got rid of the morning feeding, but I made sure breakfast was ready when they got up to have something else for them to focus on. The night feeding was the most difficult for me because it was such a bonding time for us, but it still worked out ok.

I went through this with my son around the same age, only he was getting all milk. I started watering it down when he got his bubba, right before nap, and before bed. I got the before bed to all water first. Only offered him milk in a cup. If he wanted a bottle, he got water. He was mad for the first few times, gradually he accepted water. I then worked on night time no bottle. Later, nap time with no bottle. Sippy cups are my friend. It has been almost 2 months with no bottles (he is now 2yrs & 2 months).

When he's really tired, or really upset, he will ask for a milk bubba. I just remind him that the bubbas are all yucky. That was what we had said to him when we were getting rid of them. He gets upset, but he is usually over it in a couple minutes.

Good luck!

Hi there. I'd just cut the bottle off cold turkey and start using a sippy cup. My little guy is 17 months old and hasn't had bottle since he turned a year. One thing I did notice in your post was your comment that at nap time they aren't giving a bottle, but you are...if they aren't doing it, then I wouldn't do it either. It's just easier for everyone to be on the same page and work toward the same goal. I wish you the best of luck!

Hi E.! I am in the SAME position you are! My daughter is going on 16 months and was taking 1 in the morning, 1 at nap, and 1 at bedtime. We saw her pediatrician last week and she is on us big time about getting rid of them as the milk can cause decay in her future teeth. I really think she uses it more as a security thing than anything. I broke down last night and gave her one at bedtime but with water in it only. She took about 3 drinks from it and was asleep. This morning, I just gave her milk in a sippy cup and she was perfectly fine with it. I'm anxious to see all of your responses for some better ideas, but for now, I'm just going to try pushing the sippy cup. The dr. did suggest us have a cake & ice cream party and make a big ordeal about throwing the bottles away, which I might do next. Sounded good to me. I think the most important thing is consistency. Good luck to you!

Jaxon just turned 1 this month.. I am trying to get him off the bottle now.. and off of formula too!

he has lactose sensitivity, so he had to have Nutramigen formula, and now has to have Lactaid milk...

anyway, he didnt like the taste of Lactaid, so I mixed it.. 6 ounces of formula with 2 ounces of Lactaid, then I mixed half and half, then 6 lactaid and 2 formula... now he drinks straight lactaid... I do have to warm it up a little...

I also mix a little vanilla soy milk with the lactaid.. I want to get him to where he can drink the soy instead of lactaid cause its expensive!!

as for getting my son off the bottle... in the mornings, I make his bottle and then pour it from the bottle into the sippy cup, but I do it in front of him. He refuses to drink it if I pour it staight into the sippy. He only gets the bottle at nap and bedtime.
I think its more of a comfort thing... they have been so used to getting their nutrition from the bottle and are used to getting the bottle to go to sleep with.

just try to give her a sippy instead of the bottle.. they make the ones that look like bottles but have the sippy lids and then try giving her the bottle about 30-45 minutes before she normally gets it for bedtime.

good luck!

Try switching her to a sippy cup that has a soft mouth. When I first bought sippy cups for my daughter, it never occurred to me that they had ones with soft mouths for transitioning right after the bottle. After she gets the hang of that you can transition her to the harder mouthed ones. It made a world of difference when I switched to the soft ones.

If you want the slow process, you could start with cutting back on the formula at maybe only an ounce at a time every other day or so until she is on straight milk. If the process is gradual enough, she shouldn't notice the difference. Then, start taking out one bottle a day at a time. Does she use a sippy all other times of the day? Then it shouldn't be too big of a deal to maybe start with the 1st morning bottle and make that a sippy. If she's not taking one a daycare, try switching the nap bottle to a sippy. It could take a couple of months, but if she uses the bottle as a security, you probably won't want to cut them out cold turkey. Especially with a new baby around. You could also try cutting the milk with water slowly until all that's in there is water and it won't matter if she needs/wants one for bed. Then, let her decide when she doesn't want them anymore.
Good luck and congrats on the new babe!

IF she'll take 1/2 milk and 1/2 formula start with that for a week, then, let's say the bottle is 6 ounces, use 4 ounces milk 2 ounces formula for a week, then go down to only one ounce formula for another week. That worked like a charm for my boy. Good luck!!

Start by putting her milk/formula in a sippy cup. If she doesn't drink it, put it in the fridge for later. Continue to offer her liquids, but only in a sippy cup, or even a regular cup! Then gradually increase the milk and decrease the formula. It doesn't sound like she's using the bottle to fall asleep, so that's good! When she gets thirsty, she'll drink. It's really not good to have her on the bottle anymore. And there's really no reason for it. You're the mom, if you want her off the bottle, just take it away. I would say throw them all away, but with a baby on the way, you may need them soon! Can you just throw out all the nipples? That way you won't be tempted to give her one.

Hi E.,

It is concerning that she is 18 months with a bottle because she is having it with milk and or formaula. Her teeth will suffer. I think if I were you , i would get the sippy cup that has a soft mouth piece, and tell her the milk(and water sometimes) will only go into it and that water will only go into the bottle. Then she will make her selection based on what is inside. She may cry a couple of times, so you give her the water filled bottle. It won't be long, and she won't want the bottle at all.

Make sure she doesn't have anything sit on her teeth at night time or nap time (other than water). Also, make sure she is brushing her teeth at least 2ce a day, and you do it once a day for her (totalling 3 times a day).(Don't let her rely on you doing it all the time FOR her.)

Good luck and God Bless.