Taking Away a Bottle! Help!

I took away my daughters bottle on her 1st birthday. Up to that point, if I have her a cup she would throw it across the room as far as she could get it. On the morning of her birthday, no bottle. There was so much going on that day, I really don't think she missed it. She didn't drink anything for about a day and a half and then she gave up. Since it was no longer a choice, she gave in and took the cup. That's what worked for me. Good Luck!
Also - my daughter was never very attached to her bottle so that too made the transition a little easier. Now whe gets her babydoll bottles and acts like she is drinking them to be funny!

Hi H.!

I gave this same piece of advice to another mother, but her kid was just 1 year old baby!! I totally disagree with Brenda, sorry Brenda, no offense. H., girl, listen to your mother this time!! LOL...stop stressing it!! He knows that it sets you off (babies are very smart)and so he is going to do everything he can to "not do what you want him to do". PLEASE, what book or Doctor or whomever says that you should take away a bottle or anything from a baby at a certain age?? Let him do it in his own time!! He will eventually. My son is now 4 years old and I let him transistion into all of the stepping stones that most kids have. That is the way he learns and he gave me his pacifier, he gave me his bottle, he let me know when it was time for me to stop rocking him and put him straight in his crib, he let me know when it was time to transition into the toddler bed and now he is finally in his big bed and he wanted bunk beds and I have not had one bit of trouble with it.

Let them go at their own pace. Now if he is wanting it still at 2, then you might have to be a bit firmer, but if he knows it is bothering you, that is a control issue as well. Stop stressing over it. When he sees other kids drinking out of sippy cups, tell him, they are big boys and he will eventually get it. Have a sippy cup on hand while you are out and introduce it to him, but don't force it on him. Let him do it in his own time. You will have bigger battles than a silly old bottle to worry about.

He will only be a baby once, girl....I know now...my baby is now 4 year old!!

Take care and good luck!! Don't sweat it...let it go...

G. B.

Unfortunately, your son is at the age where he wants something to hold on to. A lovey, a blankey, a toy or A BOTTLE. You can try introducing something else for him to have but breaking him might be very hard. My son is 14 months and he has one bottle to go to sleep with at night. Its become the only way he will go to sleep. Slowly take one bottle away. For a few days take a morning bottle away and only allow him to have a sippy. Try a soft top like the Nuby's first. Then proceed to taking another bottle away and replacing with the sippy. Give him lots of cuddle time and try giving him something to love on like a teddy bear or anything else soft. This will help ease the pain of having his precious baba taken away. Eventually it should get better. One of the only reasons I haven't taken mine off bottles at night mainly because he doesn't attempt to go to sleep until he has one and because its the only baby part of him I seem to have left. I'll admit that I'm letting go though. ;) Good luck!

I have 3 kids, 6 4 and 19 months. For all three kids I took away the bottle at 15 months. I gradually gave them the cup and only gave the bottle for the morning milk for about a week and then I told them what a big kid he/she was and had them help me out it in a box or with the last a trash can. They are too young to really understand that the box meant it was gone forever but it gave me some peace of mind. After that I had no choice because the bottles were gone. It kept me from caving in and doing what was easier. They will drink when they are thirsty. My now 19 month old was the longest hold out, but when I gave him his last chance to have some water before bed time he took it and drand more then he ever had aout of a cup. If it doesn't work, your mom has a point. Just remember that he won't be going off to college with a bottle :)

He's found out you'll get worried and give in; so now it's a war of wills.

You need to stop now. It will be the same battle in three months.

Make sure he has access to a sippy cup all day long...where he can get it on his own...water will be fine. You can even set out more than one with different liquids if it makes you feel better, as long as you watch their freshness.

He won't die of thirst with access to liquids, anymore than he'd starve if food is available.

Don't talk to him about it at all. He knows it's a big deal because you are *nagging* him out of worry, LOL!!

By this time next week it will be behind you.

He'll increase his fluid intake as he gains experience with the cup.

If you find he will not suck from the sippy after a few days, use one with a lid that pours. It's just messier.

I've run into several children who just don't like the hard plastic spouts, too.

Good luck. You'll get through this.

Obviously the pediatrician hasn't had to break a 15-18 month old baby from a bottle. The longer you wait, the harder it is. In fact, between 10 and 12 months is the very best time.

Be sure all bottles are out of sight or just make sure you do it by throwing them away now.

Hang in there mom and be strong. Good luck and God bless...

http://www.missbrenda.com

I know it seems hard at first, but you have to hold out longer than he does :-). Kids eat and drink a LOT less after their first birthday, so you shouldn't worry if he only finishes half a sippy cup. I'd say go the cold turkey route again, but this time realy get rid of the bottles. Maybe give him his last bottle when he wakes up in the morning, then pack them all away and only give him sippy cups (or regular cups with no lid) the rest of the day. Don't try to force it, and don't act like you care if he drinks it. Simply set the cup in front of him. If he throws it, take it away and offer it at the next meal or snack time, or if he asks for a drink. You may have to go through this cycle of giving it and taking it away several times.
You don't have to worry about dehydration. As long as he's eating, he's getting some water from his food. Maybe offer "watery" foods like applesauce and fruit if it makes you feel better.
And, just a note, but my kids were frustrated by the sippy cups with spill-proof valves. Some of them are actually very hard to drink from -- more difficult than a bottle. We used the "take-n-toss" sippys for a long time (some have sippy spouts and some have straws). We also got a pack of traditional looking plastic cups with lids (like the old tupperware kind) that they really like. I think those were a 6-pack and the brand is either First Years or Especially for Baby. They're wonderful for when friends come over and they're the perfect size cup now that my older child doesn't use the lids any more.

Good luck! It may be hard for a couple days, but really this will all be behind you in a week or less.

Hi H.,

I think what you do is dependant on your personality. I just tossed the bottles when my son turned 1, so there wasn't an option. My son didn't drink near as much as normal for the first few days, but when he realized it was the cup or nothing, he drank up. It wasn't a painful transition.

If you are comfortable going slowly and not set on him giving it up at a certain time, that's okay too. I think the older he gets, the harder it gets, but lots of moms use other methods than cold turkey.

Good luck. Let us know how it works out. C.

I recall an episode of Super Nanny where she helped parents of a 2 yo get rid of her binkies. It worked beautifully. She told the little girl that the binkie fairy would come to take her binkies and give them to babies who need them, and exchange them for "big girl" things, since obviously she's not a baby anymore (and toddlers do NOT like to be thought of as a "baby" though WE know they are ;) ) She had the little girl help tie all her binkies with string to a tree in the front yard, then the next morning, there were all kinds of "big girl" prizes tied to the tree. Obviously you'd have to use a different method w/ the bottles, like put them in a box then have all kinds of cool "big boy" toys, etc replace them in the same box. Use your imagination--stuff he's "into" and even a cool sports bottle or two, to encourage drinking. Add one of those Crystal Light singles to a .500 liter bottle, and he'll love it. And if he begins to fuss, just remind him in an upbeat way, "oh, remember? those bottles are gone--the fairy took them to babies who needed them, and gave you this cool ________________. " And make sure the bottles disappear where he will not see them. EVER. Kids that age are really into "magical" thinking and using a lot of logic and reason with something so emotional for the child is VEERRRRY difficult, as you have found. So, use the "magical" thinking to your advantage while you can. You can fess up when he's 16. LOL Best of luck!

Sorry but I have to disagree with some of the moms by letting the children "decide" when to make the decision to let go of the bottle.
My mom let me decide and I was on the bottle until I was four years old! Trust me, it wasn't any easier for me to give it up because I was VERY attached to it by then. I remember there was just a small amount of nipple left on it because I chewed most of it off!
I threw it in the trash can and sadly watched it leave with the garbage man. I still remember wanting it so badly but I felt just as bad because I knew it would make me look like a baby if I still had it!
Funny since joining mamasourse I realized a lot about my own childhood and how the decisions my parents made way back then affected me as an adult.
If you let him continue this unnecessary "habit" will you be doing it for him or you? As Brenda on Jay Jay's jet plane says, think about it. :)
Be strong mommy!
C.

We offered both for a while to my oldest, her favorite warm milk in a sippy and ice cold water in the bottle. It took three days, but she finally decided she liked her milk more than the cold water.

For my stubborn second, she did dehydrate herself. We started the same way, but she just took the water, finally after four days I took it away cold turkey. A day later my grandmother passed away and life got crazy. She would take a full sippy from one grown up and then a little while later hand the same full sippy to another grownup. We would dump it and refill it with something different, all the while she wasnt getting any liquids. We went two hours away, no bottle, because we were going cold turkey, and two days later at 4 am she woke up blood curtling screams dehydated and hurting. My sister went and got a bottle from Wal Mart while my mother and I syringe feed her water. About three ounces later she was back asleep. She stayed on the bottle until about two months ago (2 1/2 +) Yes, I got funny stares, but I would rather have an older baby on a bottle than a dead one because I wouldnt give it to her. She gave it up on her own, with a little encouragement from grandma, and we have not looked back.

So, trust your instinct, try some tricks, but if they dont work, they dont work. Trust your baby, and dont stress over it!

My son had a hard time with this, too. We had to first transition to a water bottle with one of those pop lids because he thought it was cool. Then it was much easier to get him to take his sippy cup, and now he loves it! I know it is so stressful when your baby isn't drinking, but mine always gave in and drank and never got dehydrated. I disagree that you should let babies decide when to give it up. Babies don't know what's best for them, you as the mother do. So whether you decide it's best for him to keep the bottle longer or give it up now, just know that you're doing what you feel is best for him. Good luck!

I don't tend to follow the prescribed "magic ages" when things *should* be given up. I've allowed my children to decide when they're ready for things and it's made our lives soooo much easier. My eldest daughter was about 16-18 months when she went to sippy cups only during the day but still had her night night bottle for several more months. At about 2 she gave up the bottle on her own...she just wasn't interested in it anymore.

I have 3 kids and have always taken the bottle by 12 months becasue of this exact reason...the older they are, the smarter they get, and the more attached to things they become. I always find it strange to see kids that can walk around, and eat pretty much anything, still taking a bottle. But I also understand the battle as they get older. So, my advice is to just go ahead and get rid of them...period! It isnt to make your son grow up too fast, or to be a mean mom, it is really to help him transition into the appropriate stage in his life, and learn to feel comfortable with change. Will he drink out of a straw?? That might help...but so will having sippy cups available to him whenever he wants it. I would suggest giving him things like watermelon which has lots of water in it...or even popsicles if you are concerned. It may be a rough few days, but my sister let her kids have bottles for way too long, even until one was 2.5, and it was the same fight either way! He really will drink out of the sippy cup I promise..and if he is a good eater, there is not a lot of need for tons of milk, so even if he will only drink a little at first, he will eventually. Give him yogurt or other dairy for a bit, and he will be just fine. You can do it, my son is 14 months old and getting more stubborn by the minute, so I cant imagine having to fight this battle now, just 2 months after we took the bottle! Good luck! ~A.~

I am a firm believer in the cold turkey method...have a ceremony with him where he throws his bottles in the trash can because he is a big boy or have him put them in a box and tell him that there is another baby being born that needs his bottles because he is a big boy now. I did this with bottles and pacifiers and even potty training and it worked. He will adjust more quickly if you just do it cold turkey. They aren't going to drink an 8 oz sippy like he did a bottle, because quite honestly they don't need as much - their calories should come from healthy meals and snacks now. It really takes a lot for a child to get dehydrated. Good luck!

Short and sweet. Doing the same, but having a little more luck. Dr. said they will drink when thirsty, and not to worry about dehydration. Just make sure to have available to him all day. Milk at each meal, then other during day. I have gotten rid of all bottle except bedtime, but working on that one now. Tonight will be 1/2 milk, and 1/2 water, tomorrow all water. My daughter just turned 12 mths. last week. Good luck, and hope this helps. Just an FYI, she will not drink more than 4 oz. a day either, and doesn't like her milk. Other daughter that is 2 1/2 did the same. She didn't drink milk for one month.

Have you tried a Nuby? Walmart sells them. They have a soft spout made out of the same silcone material that some bottle nipples are made out of. If you haven't, try one (they are only 97-98 cents) since the spout is so close to a nipple, it might make a good transitional cup. When he gets use to it, you can start intoducing the reg. sippy cups back to him. With my son this helped and he was more receptive to the hard spout sippys, which he couldn't quite figure out before the Nuby.

Good Luck, and don't sweat it. Do whats best for him in the end.