Bottle question?

So, already thinking how I am going to break their ADDICTION to their bottles!!! They have never had a lovey that they liked, except their bottles! They love to calm down and sleep with their bottles. Any suggestions on how to break them of this habit????
THanks!

 

I don't know if this will be a popular answer here, but I just didn't try to break them of the addiction. My girls stopped taking bottles during the day around 13 months, so they were just getting them at bedtime and wakeup time. I just waited until they seemed to really like their sippies (they drink water from sippies only), and tried giving them a sippy of milk instead of a bottle at these times. This was about 16 months. They were having none of it - threw the sippies back at me and cried. So I retreated for a while and tried again recently, at which point they happily accepted the sippy cup. It was easy on them and easy on me, because they were ready.

People will tell you they MUST be off bottles by X age, but I didn't find much to back that up. A few mentions here and there of dental problems, but if they aren't sucking on a bottle all day long and you are brushing their teeth, I think the need to wean from the bottle is way overblown.

 

I did it gradually too. At first they wanted nothing to do with the sippy. I had to try several different ones until I found one they liked. I think it was the soft spout Gerber. Even when they did take milk from a sippy, I still gave them their bottle at night for a while until I had them drinking enough milk during the day from a sippy. Once they did that, then the bottles were gone and they didn't have a problem with it. Now they paci's are a different story! We still have those (they are 2).

 

After I had them drinking milk, I got rid of the bottles cold turkey. My two wouldn't drink from a sippy at all, even though we had introduced them 6 months previously, so this was the easiest way for all of us. The girls weren't too happy that day but Ainsley got the hang of it by the end of the day and Sierra was a pro a couple of days later. They forgot about their bottles pretty quickly.

 

QUOTE(betseeee @ Sep 14 2007, 07:53 PM) [snapback]408125[/snapback]
I don't know if this will be a popular answer here, but I just didn't try to break them of the addiction. My girls stopped taking bottles during the day around 13 months, so they were just getting them at bedtime and wakeup time. .............................

People will tell you they MUST be off bottles by X age, but I didn't find much to back that up. A few mentions here and there of dental problems, but if they aren't sucking on a bottle all day long and you are brushing their teeth, I think the need to wean from the bottle is way overblown.


Just wanted to say that I completely agree with the above post. There does seems to be alot of (unnecessary IMO) stress about getting your babies off their bottle.

I weaned them off slowly; like cutting out the pre-nap bottle first........until we were down to just one bottle. It was given after their PJ's were on, and they would drink it while each one snuggled with one of us while we read a book. It has been part of their "wind down" ritual since they were babies. (during the day they get sippys of water) I wanted to hold on to that routine as long as I could......they would drink 8-10oz of milk and we (my DH and I) loved that special time at the end of the day with them curled up on our laps; blankies in one hand the bottle in the other.....

They were over 2 when I cut out that final bottle at night.

So I was in no hurry. And their teeth are great. (their milk consumption dropped, but that is another story!!)

 

My girls are 11 months and I just took them off the bottle. I introduced them to the sippy cup around 8 months. They like the ones with the soft spout. I did one week of none during the day and then stopped it at night too. They did great. Didn't wake up in the night or anything.

 

All kids are different.

My oldest DD was a 12 months, my 3 year old Lily was 15 months, and the twins were 22 months.

If your kids seem ready then take them. If they need them, then give the bottle to them. It will not harm them to have them a little longer. I would definietly start weaning and introducing a cup, but you dont have to break them from it completely.

ETA: Kyle was nursed. I didnt want you to think I had a 14 year old that still took a bottle. :rotflmbo:

 

I just gradually replaced a bottle with a sippy and food. First I did the lunch bottle, and just gave them lunch and a sippy. The next week I did the 3:30pm bottle and replaced it with a snack and a sippy. Then I did the morning one about a week later and they got breakfast and a sippy, and then a few months later we did the evening bottle and replaced it with a sippy of milk. I started at about 11.5 months. We stopped the bedtime bottle at 16 months. I was so glad to get rid of bottles.

 

I dropped a bottle at a time, starting at 10.5 months. The last bottle we dropped was the bedtime bottle at 12.5 months. We anticipated that it would be much, much harder than it actually was. We just stopped giving it and they were fine.

 

One of my two essentially switched himself. We had the short disposable sippies, they fit in their hand better, and he would drink out of this much better that his bottle at about a year. He wanted to be sitting, if he was sitting and trying to drink the bottle he would either get nothing or tip over, so we did cups. Now, my other son, I pushed it with him. I think if I had it to do over I woudl have given him more time. He has always been the one to "need" a little more "comfort". and he would see the othr babies and still want it. oh well, what can you do? Well, you can do what feels right for you and your little ones. For us, alot of our other changes have been either with or involved changes they were showing. They are amazing little creatures, as long as they are developing fine in every other way, doing well with food, I would not push it. Gradually transition bottles to sippies during the day that are not "bonding" moments. some people cuddle w/them in the morning when they wake, or evening before nap. Whatever is the "special" one, save for last. They grow up so fast.

I can not believe my two and now Three! :clapping:

Oh, mine did not become attached to a "lovey" until they were almost one. Luckily they chose different ones and we had duplicates!