Son Won't Drink Milk in Any Other Container Except the Bottle.

I know you said you have tried different types of sippy cups but have you tried the nuby long sippy cups?? They look like a bottle thats what I give my son b/c hes the same way and only wants the bottle but he takes this cup well. I even can give it 2him right before bed and it kinda tricks him since its the shape of the bottle. I got it from target they come in a pack of two they cost 7 buxs but well worth it. Good luck

Try chocolate in the milk in sippy cup as xavier would not touch the reg. white milk either but will now if you put chocolate in it. We use the syrup kind an doesn't have to be the hershey brand as that is more expensive. Hope it helps.

My son is the same way. He drinks juice and every other thing out of a cup except he wants his milk in a botle. It personally doesn't bother me. I think waaaayyy too many people are so hung up on this thing of taking bottles away at age one. I have never gone with the flow of what everyone else does, and our son is a very happy healthy boy who still drinks from his bottle. One day he will stop using the bottle and drink everything from a cup, so I'm not concerned about him still wanting his bottle. I've never seen a kindergartner with a bottle still have you? Just let him drink his milk from a bottle and he will eventually one day tell you he wants it from a cup. Don't worry about what everyone else is pressuring you to do. The only one you should be listening to is your son. If he's already let go of the nighttime bottle on his own, then he's pretty close to letting his daytime bottles go too. Just relax and don't worry about it.
Congrats on making the decision to stay home w/ your son!!

Some of the nutritional value coming from the milk can be derived from yogurt, cheese and eggs. I know several children who are allergic to milk and are doing just fine getting nutrition from soy products and other diet supplements. My daughter didn't give up on her bottle until she was 27 months old, when I forced it. She was reluctant to drink milk in her cup, but finally came around. She was only getting about 10-12 oz at two years and on 2% milk, but is healthy and fine.

A., i agree with some of the moms that whatever route you take it will probably take a few days. don't get discouraged. i have a couple of hints too, one being that in my opinion, your son is old enough for a multivitamin, two is the recommended age, and he's close enough. that would take some of the stress off you about nutrition. S., and this is just my opinion, i would go ahead and cut the bottle out. he simply doesn't need it, and it will make your life so much easier once he accepts that he needs to drink out of a cup now. i would never give my child chocolate milk to try to get him to drink out of a cup, that would just open a whole other can of worms. my son doesn't drink soda or any kind of flavored milk. i want to teach him that those are special treats, not a staple. i have a niece that has been given soda and sweet drinks from about the age of 1, and i actually saw her turn down water and milk because she saw a cup of soda yesterday. anyway, that sounds to me like it would just cause more problems down the line. whatever you chose to do, don't underestimate your son. keep it positive and deal with it with love, and i'm sure in no time he'll be drinking out of a cup just fine. good luck and happy holidays!

join the club. and my son is 30 months.in his case he will not give up the nighttime OR the naptime bottles.
he refuses to drink milk in anything but that bottle.
he drinks everything out of a sippy or a regular cup.
he will drink the milk out of a regular cup IF Daddy
is drinking it or if he gives it to him. he will not do
it for me. he also uses his bottle as a binky. he gave
the binky up at 6 mos! little did I know he replaced it
with that bottle.
initially the pediatrician wasn't concerned, but that was
last summer at his 24 month checkup. now it is 6 months
later and he is no closer to giving it up and I have NO
idea how to approach it. he's been having some weird
separation anxiety lately, too-part of his age I guess
and has been more emotional and clingy, so I am really
reluctant to even try at this point. he will pee in the
potty, but still carries his blankie and sucks that
bottle in place of his thumb. he reminds me of Linus.
go figure. unlike your little boy, I think the issue
with my son IS security and the only thing that has
changed in his life is that my neighbor, who is also my
sitter and runs a daycare moved a few miles away about
3 months ago. he's always been brave and friendly and
outgoing, and I am home with him full-time. my marriage
is good and stable and we don't fight. much. but there
is nothing I can think of that would be causing him to
cling so tightly to that crazy thing. I know he misses
his sitter and his little friends at the daycare, who were
all the same age, but when I tried to leave him there a
few times after the move he FREAKED and has been clingier
than I have ever seen. I mean, he was never a clingy
child-always VERY independent. I'm clueless.
your boy does sound ready, and I'd tell you to go with
your gut. I wish I knew what my own gut was telling me
at this point! if you feel comfortable with it, eliminate
the nap bottle like you did the night bottle and see if
that works. maybe when he realizes that there are no
bottles anymore he will transition himself. I hope that
he isn't as stubborn as mine is!
good luck!

You should check your numbers a bit, because I'm pretty sure that kids his age only need 12-16 oz of milk a day. Any more and they will refuse other food. Milk can be constipating and isn't terribly healthy. It would be a good idea to eliminate the bottle at this point. Did you try soy milk or flavored milk in a cup? How long have you really let him go without the milk? He might go a week, but that's not too long. Some kids can't have dairy at all, and they are perfectly healthy.

Good Morning A., and Merry Christmas!
A. let him decide when he gives up his bottle. Our first son threw his away at 19 months. Our second son kept his until he was like 2 1/2.

I can't see a thing wrong with a little one having a bottle. They do have the bottles that are more like sippy cups with the curved bottle, and nubby flow nipples.

Is there a Baby handbook that says by 12-18 months they should be acting and doing things bigger people do. If he drinks water or juice from a sippy or bottle so be it.

The only handbook I know of is the ones the Dr.'s Say should be happening. Yes it was a tongue in cheek joke as I know there are guides and books all over the place for parent instructions or helps. Our DIL was a big follower of Everything Her online Baby guide Said. No exceptions until the second baby came along.
I used the Mama's handbook! You know your son better then anyone in the world, follow his lead.
Now if he is wanting to take his bottle to pre-school for show and tell or snack time, you might need to set him down for a little one on one chat...lol

Merry CHRISTmas A., please don't sweat the small stuff, Bigger thing are a comin'!
God Bless you and your Little Prince, He is definitely a Miracle come to earth.
K. Nana of 5

I think the concern with letting them stay on the bottle has to do with the development of their teeth, it's not just a "social" thing. My niece and nephew were both on the bottle way too long and their teeth are all messed up now. If he gave up the night time bottle within five days he should react similarly to water in the daytime bottles. It won't hurt him to do without milk for a few days if he keeps refusing to drink it from a cup, eventually he will take to it. In the meantime, he can get his dairy needs from other sources. He could be drinking milk from a cup by the new year. :) Good luck!

I've heard of giving him the bottle but with no nipple. So he has to drink out of it like a cup. Or give him a straw. I think he will give in as long as you don't. He won't starve himself.

You just have to take it away. Remove all bottles from site completely. With not a chance to be found. And then just say it's gone. He will cry off and on but eventually give up. It will be harder because he's older. But he needs YOU to be strong and take it away.

A., my daughter is the same, still drinking from the bottle at 29 months. I know she loves it - it's a real comfort thing for her. I just make sure she always brushes her teeth afterward. Don't worry, it will happen in their own time!! good luck

Hi A., I had the same problem with my youngest who is 6 now. He would only drink milk out of a bottle and/or a sippy type cup from Walmart(the kind with a soft spout).He drank A LOT of milk and loved it that way. I think it was soothing for him, and would usually want it when it was naptime or bedtime and in between meals when he was thirsty. I just put it away one day around the age of 3 and he really stopped drinking as much milk then. He could drink out of a cup at age one and would drink anything but milk that way. Who knows why? But he's a big strong, tall healthy looking kid with tons of energy so I don't think he's suffering in any way. Just don't put your child to bed with a bottle because it will cause tooth decay. I'm mom to six kids (ages 20-6 you name it I feel like I've been through it :) ).I think milk is good for growing babies and if they will drink it, great! So you just do what makes you and your child feel good and be healthy. Hang in there!!
PS. I think it's cool you are a Vet. nurse, my oldest would be awesome at that, he is great with animals
M. B.

Have you tried chocolate or strawberry milk in a cup? Boy, that stuff is good!!! It could be a good transition tool. Have him help you make it so he knows it's milk that's in the cup. I know my kids gulp down flavored milk. Good Luck!
Merry Christmas! H.

I know this will sound silly, but it's how we got rid of my little bro's paci. We told him that since he was a big boy (almost 2 at the time) he needed to give them to Santa so Santa could give them to babies, since only babies needed them. We found all of his paci's, put them in a gift bag under the tree, and when he got up in the morning, they were gone and Santa had left a thank you note. I'm not sure if this will work for your little one, but good luck!!!

No one is going to quiz your child in kindergarten about when he gave up his bottle. My first bottle baby wouldn't give hers up either, and because she had been failure to thrive, we didn't want to push the issue either, just like your doctor. I would say give it a couple more months. Show him babies that take bottles. And, then you can work your way up to it, just like I am with my almost 3yo about potty training. You say, "when you are a big boy on your birthday" (you can try half birthday at 2.5 if you would rather), "then there will be no more bottles. You will have to give them to the bottle fairy for the babies who need bottles. And, you will drink out of a big boy cup." Having a favorite relative calmly talk to your child may help. My MIL totally convinced my daughter to give up her bottle on her third birthday. If he isn't taking it in bed, or having it in his mouth all day, his teeth will be fine and he shouldn't have protruding front teeth or anything like that.

We had this exact same problem with my 14 month old. At daycare he had to give up the bottle at one year, so I figured it would be easier to do it all at once. The little guy would just not drink anything at school and wait to come home to a bottle. They offered him milk and he refused. We did what you did, tried all kinds of sippy cups and realized that only one worked with my son. It turns out that he does not like to drink milk out of a sippy with handles. It was SO strange. I think without handles is more similar to a bottle. I have also heard that straight to a cup sometimes is easier. Don't know if you tried that route, but at least it is a try. Persistance is KEY! It takes a lot of strength to keep it on track. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! As long as your son is healthy, cold turkey does eventually work, although it is painful. Extremely painful! :(

Hi A.,
Whichever way you choose to do this, it will take a couple of days for him to get used to using a cup. Even if he goes two or three days without milk, it isn't going to hurt him in the long run. I think it's a matter of making a change, which we all are resistent to at times! You just have to be more stubborn than he is...Good luck!

I wish I had some advice for you...I will be watching the responses for my son who is the exact same way. I know that we let our daughter hang onto her bottle until she was 2 and 1/2 because she would not drink milk in anything else...she is 8 now and still has not drunk white milk since we took away the bottle, we recently got her to drink chocolate milk which we considered a very small win, but all those days of agonizing over her not drinking milk I did give her a multi vitamin supplement. Good luck!
B.

Happy Holidays! Your son probably should be off bottles by now. My kids were off at about one year old. How long this goes on though is an interesting question. I'm not sure there is any harm in letting him take a bottle at nap time, but on the other hand, is he going to fight other kinds of "growing up" things?

On the nutrition angle, I'm curious as to why your son needs 24 oz of milk? I understand that he needs liquids and that he needs calcium, but those can be gotten in other ways. If you think putting OJ with calcium in his bottle might make him give it up, I'd try it. Or, just water and have him get his calcium through calcium rich foods. Even if it's only until the bottle issue is resolved.

Another suggestion is to quite calmly but firmly (before there is any "fighting) that the dr said he can NOT have a bottle anymore and hand him an adequate zippy cup. If he has an issue with that, tell him he can ask the dr next time he sees him, but his orders were - no more bottles - period. If he argues, tell him he is arguing with the wrong person, it's the dr. rule and you have to follow it.

Good luck!

He is old enough that you can start working with him to get rid of it.... Find someone who has a baby that still has a true need for the bottle and tell them what you are doing with your son. Now start telling your son that when he turns two he will no longer be a baby that needs bottles and that the baby needs the bottles instead. Remind him often (we even did daily the last two weeks before the birthday). Then on your son's birthday get out a bag and bag up the bottles and take them to the baby who needs them and get your son a new birthday cup as a treat for him.

Not sure if this was mentioned yet, but while you're going through the few rough days of weaning him, you can make sure he gets enough nutrition by giving him yogurt and cheese. He'll be ok! Hang in there!