Bottles....yes, I said bottles...

Ok....I hate to admit this but I still let my boys drink a bottle of milk in the morning and one before they go to bed. I know, I know...it's terrible I've let this go on this long but it just happened! For months now I have been saying to myself that I'm going to put an end to the bottles but I just keep dragging my feet. I think mainly I hate to stop because it is just so much a part of our routine each day. After they wake up in the morning, they each come over to my bed, drink their milk and watch a little TV while I change their diapers and get them dressed for the day. Then at night time, after their baths we again go to my bed for milk, a snack and a short show to unwind from the day. I've tried putting their milk in a sippy cup but they won't drink it.

The last few days, however, I have really started to think that the end is near for the bottles. My one son, Sam, I think could go without it because he only drinks his milk about half of the time. Nicholas, however, gobbles his down and often asks for more.

So......how do I do it? Cold turkey? How do I get them to drink milk from sippy cups? I did buy these cool sippy cups with straws (they love straws!) and they have trucks on them which is even better! I thought that I could say that now that they are two they are going to drink their milk out of these "special big boy cups"! I know Nicholas is going to cry for his "baba"! What do I do then?

Thanks for your help!

 

I saw cold turkey. If they are still thirsty before bed, offer them a sip from a cup (maybe with a straw) in the kitchen only. It will be tough because they will be upset and there will be melt downs, but if you bite the bullet eventually they will stop asking. :hug: BTW, it might not happen in the first week--- Nicholas may be still pleading a lot but you can't give in to him or he will win. :hug: You can do it!

 

This is not the same, I know... but it's a similar sort of attachment. Jackson was obsessed with his pacifier and would literally use it all day until he was about 23 months. One day, I decided it needed to stay in the bed during the daytime. I made him leave it in the bed and he cried hysterically for 45 minutes. It was AWFUL and I felt terrible. However, by the next day, he was only whining. Day 3 was great, and he enthusiastically left it in the bed. No, we weren't completely taking it away from him like you will be with the bottles, but for him it was basically the same sort of thing - the loss of a comfortable part of his daily life.

I guess my point is that they rebound pretty quickly at this young age, so when you decide to do it, just do it and don't look back. If you waver, they will know that "baba" is still an option and it can't be if you want to get rid of it. I hope the transition goes smoothly for you!! :youcandoit:

 

I vote cold turkey too. They might significantly decrease their intake for a few days but once they realize that's all they are getting they will start drinking again. Stand firm momma, you can do this!! :hug:


PS - Time to update your ticker.

 

Another cold turkey vote here. Tell them that because they are two milk now has to come from a cup, no more bottles. Then let them watch you throw them away. Like out to the curb away. That way you can't give in either. Just remind them if they ask that you threw them away and give them the cup instead. Like Michelle said, it's very likely they will not drink much for a few days but once they realize it's that or nothing they'll come around.

 

Don't be too hard on yourself. We were at a party when the hosts' 3YO came to the kitchen in his pajamas at bedtime and his mother gave him a bottle of milk to take to his room. I couldn't believe my eyes -- his dad is a dentist! So, I'm sure you aren't the only one but people tend to keep quiet about it.

I agree that cold turkey is your best bet but I'd try to soften the blow by changing the routine altogether. If you avoid the cues that the bottle is coming and do something else "big boy" in its place, that might help (this is one of the breastfeeding weaning tips but I'm betting it works for bottles too...)

 

I also vote cold turkey, and like pp's said don't show any signs of wavering and expect the amount they drink to go down for a while.

Don't feel bad though-as long as you are brushing their teeth after the night time bottle it's not really any worse than a sippy cup. Also if it makes you feel better I can tell you that Alyssa and Bryony kept their bedtime bottle until they were past 3 and are just now switching to having their bedtime milk from an open cup not a sippy.

 

I can only add to what's already been said that the sooner you do it the better! They get MUCH more attached and can really work you over when their language skills pick up! Good luck!! I would throw them away so that I couldn't give in either! !!!

Let us know how it goes!

 

Well, to be honest, we still had a bedtime bottle up until 2.5 years (before tooth brushing, but still.) So.... BTDT!!!

We went on a beach vacation and "left" the bottles there. They asked for a bit (and seemed annoyed with us for "forgetting" the bottles), but it was not a big deal, even though I had dreaded it for month. They did get a sippy of milk instead, again pre-bedtime and before tooth brushing (and still do!)

Good luck with this -- and I'd suggest that you pick a non-stressful time (ha!) without other life or schedules changes to do this.

All best,

Meg -- mom to 3.5 year old boy/girl twins

 

Another vote for cold turkey. I just bagged up all the bottles one day and put them outside. They will resist for a little bit but once they realize it's the cup or nothing, the battle is won. Good luck!

 

I say cold turkey, too.

Just an idea..... Do you know of any babies? Maybe you could bag up the bottles and allow the boys to give the bottles to the baby. Tell them since they are big boys now we need to give our bottles to the baby. This way they are an active participant in getting rid of them and not just having them disappear on them.

 

Cold turkey!

We're still doing bedtime bottles here but I justify it because I need to make sure my little peanut gets all her calories for the day. We did drop the am bottle cold turkey recently, I just gave them their milk in a sippy instead. Give it to them in their "cool new milk sippies" and really talk it up and make a big deal about it. You'll probably get some resistance for a few days but it will be ok.

 

:good: I agree with Michelle. It's going to be hard but :youcandoit:

 

I totally agree. You can do it! Our boys were kind of annoyed with us for a few days when we quit the bottles - and I had a hard time because I knew it was the last time we'd have bottles in our house, and I was having some bummed feelings about getting rid of the last bottles in the house. But, we quit bottles at a year, so our boys didn't realize what was going on as much.

Talk up the sippies, talk about being big boys, etc - and I know you can do it. Good luck!!

 

Another cold turkey vote here. Mine were doing bottles until way past 2...maybe closer to 2.5. They adjusted b/c they were able to understand that they were big kids now and needed their milk out of a sippy. One thing I did was give it to them in a sippy with no valve. I found that mine didn't like to work so hard to get the milk so they gave up. So I tried taking out the valves of the cups and giving it to them and they drank with no issues. :good: Do what works for you, and don't feel bad about it.

 

Thanks everyone! All the advice was wonderful and I feel encouraged to start working on getting rid of the bottles. I think I may start with doing away with the morning bottle, replace it with their new cool cups and see how it goes! I'll keep you posted.

 

Pps have wonderful advice, I just wanted to add one more idea. What do your guys think of drinking from an open cup? (With help, of course!!!) Mine think it is the coolest thing EVER in the history of the universe, and I think they'd drink anything that way. Don't know how it would fly with your kids, just tossing out the idea. If the non-bottle option is cool enough, maybe that will help the transition a bit. The new cups sound great too.

 

We went cold turkey. My boys were only having one before bed around a year 1/2 and we just gave them a sippy one night instead of the bottle and they didn't even notice. For real, I was more upset about it then they were. I kept puttuing it off too b/c I thought it would mess everything up.
gl

 

You are not alone! My pedi actually told me to keep them for the time beign due to low weights.
I like the leave them at the vacation house and take the valve out, I have to remember those tricks for when I do make the move.

Good luck

 

You might try water in the am bottle for a week and then go cold turkey. Mine lost interest in their night time sippy this way. Water just isn't as exciting (mine still get drinkable yogurt in a cup)

 

I was dreading getting ride of the bottles and only did it about 6 weeks ago. For us it turned out to be so easy and we had two boys who would litterally prance on the spot in excitment when they saw there beloved "BABA". We were away at my inlaws and gave the boys a sippy instead of a bottle for the drive home at night and them the next night we happened to be out again and did the same and then we just kept it going, sure they asked but we just kind of ignored it. They now ask for "milk!milk!" at bedtime and bedtime is the only time that they get there milk heated up.\\

I gues my advice is to just shake up the routine a bit so there not waiting for it.

GOOD LUCK

Erica

 

How funny. I came to this board with two questions. This was one of them.

Our Alex does just like EricaG's boys. He will go screaming (happily) into the kitchen as soon as that diaper is changed in the AM or bedtime yelling "Baba! Baba!" and laughing and hopping around. It brings tears to my eyes even talking about ending that. I love my happy "baba" dancer!! He's my baby and my last and I just don't want it to end. But, I know it needs to end, and soon. I had the girls off of bottles completely by 15mos. It was easy with them. Alex will have a HUGE fit if I try to give him milk in a sippy - even his beloved Cars sippy.

Thanks for posting - I know it's hard to admit they still get the bottles. The responses here have given me a little push and support just when I needed it (and especially since Dad and Nana are even worse about not wanting to push it).

 

That's what we did with the bottles and soothers and mine were two also, we put them in a big box 'to give to the babies' then when they asked I just reminded them we had given them to the 'babies'