Switching to Sippy Cup - San Diego,CA

You may want to try going straight to a straw cup instead of a sippy. I did this with both of my kids and the transition was very easy. And by the way, you don't have to do this any faster than YOU feel comfortable with. While they don't recommend it, I know LOTS of moms who's dirty little secret is that their 2 or 2 1/2 year old still like to have a bottle in the evening or at bedtime.

Don't feel bullied, just work towards getting her off the bottle. You can do it at a pace that feel comforable to you.

Ditto what Susan wrote...

I think it's a class that Pediatrician's take that teaches them that mantra!!

As for what you should do, it's so up to your little one. For me and my son, I went home from that visit at 13 months and felt deflated. But, as soon as I talked to my Mom she said that I didn't get off of a bottle until 18 months and my sister was 2.5 when she finally let it go completely. So, I felt better.

My son didn't ditch his bottle until about 18-19 months, and this was ALL on his own. I had introduced NUBY sippy cups and he like those A LOT better than conventional ones. But, we still to this day do a cup of milk before bed...so it's whatever works.

At the next visit, I told my son's doctor that it just wasn't my plan to force timelines on my son and he totally respected that.

Best wishes and have fun.

ALL Pediatricians say this... it is their mantra.

As a Parent, it is not so cut and dry.
Just do what YOU and your child feel is best.
It's no big deal.
Really.

Don't feel pressured. MANY kids even at 2 years old, still have their bottle before bed or nap. So what.
In other cultures, it is this way as well.

Sure, introduce her to a sippy cup, or a straw cup. Each child is different. Bear in mind that, some children just aren't ready yet, and even if you take away ALL bottles... they will will not drink from a sippy or cup even if they are hungry/thirsty...and then at that point you HAVE to be sure that they don't get dehydrated and are still getting needed nutrition.

You have to go according to your child. Bottom line.

*to prevent bottle rot teeth, just don't leave the bottle IN the crib with them. Leave a bottle of water. Also, make sure and brush their teeth after their night-time bottle or after their nap-time bottle. You just give them their bottle before bed, or before nap. It's a "habit" and then what htey will be used to. That's what I did.

All the best,
Susan

Your doctor is most likely suggesting the switch to prevent bottle rot in her teeth. This occurs more frequently as children get older and still use bottles. I work in preschool and can't tell you how many kids I've seen with this at 4 and 5 years old.
Cold turkey is harsh and unlikely to be successful. Here's what I did with both of my kids. It was shortly after they turned one and off of forumula. We started to dilute the milk bottles, 2 oz at a time with water. We always offered full milk in a cup. Over a couple weeks they were off of bottles. We found the Avent sippy cups to work best for this transition. Good luck and jsut be patient.

Our pediatrician suggested 15 months, that it was no rush at 1 yr to switch.
Cold turkey does sound harsh, and it would probably be a tough few days or week, but probably works... Most parents don't want a cranky baby though! It's up to you-- you and hubby/daddy can decide a timeline and ease off bottles on your own schedule. I'm sure anywhere from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months is reasonable.

We slowly took one bottle away at a time, and now my 15 month old just had her last (night-time) bottle last week. To ease off the last one, we reduced the amount every week or two from 6oz, to 4oz, to 2oz and it took us a month to do it.

I always give/offer her a cup of milk or water with every meal. Usually it's in a sippy cup, but I'm also trying to teach her how to use a regular cup (which I think is tougher on mommy to do!). I also let her wander around with one (but my mom disagrees with me on this one).

Try several different types of sippy cups, as you may find one is better or easier to use. I found the Playtex one was difficult at first for her to suck on (we started using it a 10mo old) and I removed 1/2 the valve, but now I like it w/valve b/c it doesn't spill much. Target sells a Munchkin cup w/silicone top, kinda like Nuby has and I loved that one until my daughter discovered sticking her finger in the top and the "no spill" feature is broken now. I also tried the Avent tops that you can use on a regular bottle, but those were a flop--hard to suck on, difficult to clean, and confused my baby b/c it still is on a bottle. I actually like the cheap, "take n toss" cups too.

Good luck, and don't stress over it!

P.S. no cups/bottles in bed. And only water after brushing teeth at night--a sippy cup of milk has the same effect as a bottle as far as the sucking action and sticking to back of teeth.

Just another option of sippy cups to try "Born Free" they are a bit more expensive but hey my daughter wouldn't drink from bottles (breastfed) and refused all sippy cups (including straw ones) until I tried this one. I was worried about lack of water :/ she would only drink from a cup and at 6 months (now almost 10) I decided that the "big-girl cups" were just WAY too hard to do to get enough water in her.

The cup leaks a little bit but not bad at all!! the part she sucks on is soft and she can do it easily so this may be a great transition to the firmer sippy cups from the bottles.

Good luck :)

Cold turkey does sound harsh. However, as with any habit, probably the earlier you switch the easier it would be, which is why your doctor might have recommended 14 months.

I have two sets of friends who have kids age 2 1/2 who are still drinking from the bottle. I personally find that ridiculous, but I do keep that opinion to myself (except here LOL).

Hi A.,
I read somewhere that it's always harder to do something later than earlier, whether it's giving up the pacifier or the bottle. It makes sense. However, my daughter is 14 months old and she still will only drink milk out of a bottle and water out of a sippy cup. I haven't forced it on her, although I'd like to "encourage" her to use the cups more, so what I did is put all of her sippy cups in the bottom drawer of my kitchen cabinet. She loves to go in there, root around, pick one or two out, and leave the rest all over the kitchen floor!

I'm a little disappointed because I bought these expensive, Thermos insulated sippy cups that are not plastic and were about $15 each, and any time I've given her milk in them she grimaces and throws the cup!

My sitter said she usually makes the switch at around 15 months old. Since I'm going to be home with her over Christmas I've decided to start offering her the sippy cups with milk more often then. She doesn't go to sleep with a bottle, so I'm not as concerned about taking it away from her because of that. I don't know that you need to force the issue, but maybe try offering the sippy cups with just a few ounces first, and if she insists on the bottle then give her one.

Good luck!