Taking Away the Bottle - Seal Beach,CA

Hi M., the bottle is just something you take at a year old, no questions asked, you mentioned he won't give it up, you are giving him a lot of power that he is not supposed to have. so take the bottle, and only give him his cup, he may thriw a fit or 2 if so put him in his room and tell him when he is done and ready for his cup he may come out, it will take a couple times but if you are firm and consistant, he will learn, hang tough mom. J. L.

First, just know that he will lose the bottle, he won't be going to school with it. I think we stress too much over it and then we stress out the kids. My son was so addicted to the bottle I thought I would never get him off of it, but I decided that I was going to cold turkey it and it worked! However, I was not concerned about his milk intake because he eats a lot of fruit and veggie's and he takes Juice Plus so I did not have to worry about the nutrition factor. It took about three days of him asking for the bottle and I told him he is a big boy now and we don't drink bottles anymore just like his big sister's. it was sad at first, but he got it and I am so thankful to be past it. As long as your child is eating a well rounded diet and getting enough water and juice to help with constipation, a few weeks without milk will not hurt him. Not one of my kids, I have 4, took milk from a sippy cup, they would take juice and water all day long from a sippy, but not milk. All four of my children stopped drinking milk after the bottle and did not start again until they would eat cereal. You can try those little juice box styled milks too and see if he likes that! If he likes fruit smoothies, you can make them with milk. I only use Rice milk, but it works with any type of milk. I freeze chunks of banana's, strawberries and blueberries and then pour milk in the blender, blend it with the frozen fruit and the kids love it! They think it is desert!!

Good luck!!

I wanted to update what I orginally wrote to you..i was having the same problem with my 16 month old and truethfully and honestly go cold turkey..i dreaded doing this but out of sight out of mind actually does work..i think its more of us parents not wanting our babies to grow up..sad but true..i now know i was one of those parents..my son has now gone a whole week with no bottle and no pacifier..i cried the first couple of times myself but he was soo fine with it..of course he would cry a lil bit at nap and bedtime but not to the point where it was harmful to him..he honestly seems much happier now that i prase him on being a big boy..good luck and keep us posted

Hi M.:
It would appear,that your in a hurry to rid your son of the bottle. I certainly hope,you haven't fallen prey, to snide comments from another mother,Don't make the mistake of neglecting your sons needs,to please someone,that possibly ridiculed or made you feel your son was behind in developement. Your always going to get those mothers,that boast about how (ADVANCED) their child is. How he was walking at 8 months old,and speaking fluent english at 3. Please don't fall for that nonscense.If your a nurturing mother,you will watch for the signs,and when he appears ready,you will know,and then guide, and help him.Let me tell you M....even Doctors and Nurses aren't perfect.They don't know all. There will plenty of instances,where a professional will suggest a treatment for your child, and you will have to use your common sense,and motherly instincts,to protect your child,from unessasary treatment,and say "NO" "absolutely not"Your son needs the milk, and he gives you all the signs that he continues to need the soothing of his bottle. Your his mother. He depends on you, to make all the right choices for him. Say to heck with everyone else,and do what you feel is (BEST ) for him right now. I agree with both the other mothers here,however, I don't believe it a must for a toddler to drink whole milk. Your son will get all the nourishment he needs from 1% or 2% milk. All the fat,from whole milk does is add fat. You want a lean mean dancing machine.: ) I wish you and your darlin son the very best. J. M

Oh gosh!
don't listen to that nurse again!

Your son is dehydrated... how can he go 1 week without drinking milk... much less no liquids for a whole day! WHY?

WHY must you take away his bottle NOW!
Is there a reason? This is a kind of "weaning"...whether by bottle or boob. It has to do with their nutrition and intake too....and their health, as you saw.

MANY babies/toddlers will NOT immediately take milk from a cup...it is a process. So what. MANY kids in ALL the different countries in the world use different "rules." In some cultures, a child uses a bottle even though they are older. To me, the main thing is that they are getting their proper intake, their nutrition, NOT being put in harms' way with their health.... and the emotional/developmental level of the child.

Please, you can't just starve him of his nutritional requirements or put him in danger of dehydration.... JUST for the sake of getting rid of his milk bottle. Dehydration is very serious... also, they need "whole" milk as the milk fats in it is an important nutrient for proper brain growth.

MANY MANY toddlers, STILL drink MILK from a bottle... in your case, I wouldn't force it.

Take care,
Susan

Okay, I'm just confused about why any nurse would tell you that!!! I agree with Susan, never talk to that nurse again!!

My son did not give up his bottle until 19 months old! And, you know what??? It's not a big deal...he wasn't ready. A toddlers growth depends on his intake of calories, and the majority of that comes from the milk he drinks. Depriving your son of that is just not a good idea, as you know from him being dehydrated. This is not stubbornness, it's isn't him trying to stick it to you or make your life difficult.

When I started weaning my son, I gave him his bottle during mealtime with diluted juice. And, at the same meal gave him a NUBI sippy cup (they have squishy lids like bottles) and put milk in the sippy cup. I would still let him have milk in his bottle for afternoon snack, but after a few months he figured out he could have it in both. And, it didn't make a difference to him. I also, starting explaining to him that the bottle was for younger kids who couldn't do things easily for themselves, and that now that he was getting bigger he 'got' to use a cup. One day I just stopped offering the bottle, and he didn't even notice...I think once he made is his way to the bottle cabinet and I told him that we were done with them and it was fine.

I think even at this age, it pays to give your kids information. It is underestimated how much they really do understand.

Hope that helps...

I think it sounds like your son is telling you he's not ready to give up the bottle. Western society really pushes parents to make their toddlers "grow up" as soon as they hit their first birthday, but this year is going to bring lots of changes for him - learning to walk, run, jump, learning to talk, feeling the pull of wanting some independence but still needing to be your baby - don't make him give up something as simple as the comfort of a bottle. It's not going to ruin him, as long as he isn't laying in bed with it and sleeping with milk on his teeth then his teeth should be fine. Let your boy grow up on his own time, a year from now the bottle will almost certainly be gone and you'll look back and realize how little he really is right now.

HI M.,

I would say wait a few more months, I think 2 is a good age to try and wean them ,if he hasnt already done it on his own. Usually they just need one at night by then. My oldest was 4 and she was stealing her baby sisters bottle, just as she was falling asleep, we laughed about it then and now....You know when your baby is ready...15 months is still so young...good luck

M.

M.,
First of all, congratutlations on your little guy and please remember he's still little. I have 3 boys. 8, 3 and 5 months. My three year old still drinks his milk form a bottle.... and you know what - I'm ok with it. If he were taking all his drinks from a bottle I would be worried, but the fact is I know he can drink from a regular cup because he does this with all other liquids so I'm not worried.
I worried with every little "milestone" when my first son was getting older and I drove myself batty. Now I see how fast those years have passed and I get very sad. My 8 year old is - well - he's 8! I can't believe it! 8 years have just flown by! So take a step back and realize that these "baby" years will be over in a flash and try and just cherish them. Your son will not be going to kindergarten with a bottle in his mouth - I promise. Try and look at things like the bottle and ask yourself "does it really matter"? He's getting all the fluid he needs - if he drinks everything else out of a cup then who cares if he'll only take milk out of a bottle. My son gets two bottles of milk a day. One before nap and the other before we brush his teeth at night. Trust me, soon he'll be telling you he's embarrassed when you kiss him in front of his friends and you'll be wishing he would take a bottle and sit on your lap.
Do your best to live in the moment. Wishing you all the best memories - because pretty soon that's all this will be.

You know, it occurs to me as I read this not to worry right now. He's still very young, and you're talking about his health. I wouldn't even try it again for a good month or two, and then I would come up with a really great strategy with incentive, reward, etc - a real supportive plan. The more pressure he feels, the more he will resist. You're gonna have to make it very attractive to him! My son was very enamoured of the "recycling truck" so we made a big deal out of giving his bottles to the driver so that he could "recycle them". My daughter ceremoniously gave her bottles to Chuck E. Cheese himself in exchange for a "prize". The management was happy to help.
M.

M.,

In the big scheme of things it should be OK for him to go without milk. Only humans continue to drink milk throughout their entire life (and it's milk from another animal). What other mammal does this? Every other species weans their baby from milk and never drinks it again. Give him water and juice so he gets fluids and trust me, if he wants the milk badly enough he'll figure out how to drink it from a cup.

Good luck!

Hi M.!

I am having the same problem with my 14 mo old. I have gotten him off all bottles but the nighttime one. Every few weeks I have taken one bottle from him and replaced with a sippy cup. It has taken a few weeks for him to get over it each time but it seems to be working. I guess you could say we are slowly getting him off it. He still cries if he sees when we are out but, each day he is doing better. Good Luck!

instead of just giving him no bottle and only milk in the cup maybe this will work. only give him water in the bottle no juice no milk. and only milk in the cup till he starts to not desire the bottle anymore because it doesnt have what he wants and the cup does. let him see you pour the milk into the cup and say look heres your milk its in here. most drs say to have them off the bottle and paci by 14 months. i was lucky i had my daughter off both by 7. but i know every baby is different and some will take longer then others. good luck i hope it helps you!

I completely agree with many of the previous posters, let him have his bottle. Why is it OK for people to breastfeed until a kid is in kindergarten, but everyone has a cow when a baby wants his bottle for comfort at 15 months? I think as long as he doesn't have it constantly all day and night what's the difference? My daughter is the same way. She doesn't suck a paci or her thumb, never has - but she does like a bottle when she wants to relax and go to sleep, whether it's naptime or bedtime. She drinks from a straw most of the time. I'm sure when he's ready, he'll give it up. I gave mine to the mama cat when I was around 2 ☺ Don't stress, it'll all work out in the end