more milk and sippy questions

My boys are 11.5 months and I am read all sorts of ways to go bottles to sippies and formula to milk. I am afraid to even start because our schedule has been working great for a couple of months. They are on 4 bottles (should be 3 by now) and 3 solids and occasionally a morning and afternoon snack if we are out. I wanted to get some thoughts on how to change my schedule to make this all happen. I was thinking of leaving the morning and night bottle for now and getting rid of the 2 daytime bottles...give them a snack and water after each nap. I would then attempt to give them milk in a sippy for lunch. So they would have 2 bottles of formula and a sippy of milk at lunch. Once they take to the milk sippy at lunch, I would work on morning bottle and then evening bottle. Any thoughts??? Do most kids have 2 snacks at this age and would you give them water with the snack or attempt a milk sippy?

Here's our current 'schedule'....let me know your thoughts.....

6:00am 7oz bottle
7:30am breakfast
9-10:30am nap
10:30am 4-5 oz bottle
12:30pm lunch
2pm-3:15pm nap
3:15 4-5 oz bottle
5:30pm dinner
7pm bottle
7:30pm bedtime

 

We transitioned to milk by mixing formula and milk together. We used sippies during the day. We used bottles for before naptime (we were already down to one nap before their 1st bday) and before bedtime. They didn't fall asleep drinking the bottle. It was more "routine". Then eventually I swapped the milk bottle at naptime for a sippy. Then awhile later I swapped the bedtime one. I can't remember the exact age - probably before 18 months. I wasn't worried about getting them off bottles by 12 months. We just did a gradual transition and what worked for us.

Given your current schedule (of giving them bottles after waking from sleep)........ maybe start by trying to swap one of those after nap bottles for a sippy?

 

We went from formula in bottles one day to milk in sippies the next.

 

Hi! Funny we are conversing this way!

I have read that kids at one need 16-24 ounces of dairy a day ... so includes milk, cheese, yogurt ...

I nurse first thing in the AM, then they get milk in a sippy with every meal. They get water whenever they want it (I just leave their sippy cups out where they can get to them). I also give them cheese once a day and they will occasionally eat yogurt or have one of those yogurt smoothies in a sippy cup for a snack. Our schedule:

7:45-8 AM nurse
8:30 breakfast (milk in sippy ... they usually drink around 3-4 oz)
10 or 10:30 nap until 11:30 or 12
when they get up they have lunch (milk in sippy)
3-4ish nap
when they are up from nap (anywhere from 4 to 4:30) they get a snack and water or yogurt smoothie
5:30 or 6 dinner (milk in sippy)
8 PM bedtime

if they don't drink all their milk (which they never do ... I usually give them a 4 oz cup) then I usually offer the rest of it (in the sippy) before nap or bedtime ... if they suck it down I will add more if they seem to want it.

As you know ... they never did bottles ... so I don't really have any good advice about that ... what I did with nursing was to take away the one they were least interested in or the most easily distracted during ... so if your guys are still not wanting the bedtime bottle like they were when we left ... I would start with that one ... if they are taking that one really well, I would keep it to keep your nighttime routine the same ... you know how we are about routines If they are sucking them all down ... I would just agree with what you are planning to do ... take away one of the daytime ones and offer snack and sippy instead. I was lucky that the girls like the way milk tastes ... if B and C don't, then I know people who have started milk by mixing it in their bottles ... like if they have a 6 oz bottle make 5 oz formula then add one ounce milk ... and every few days do this until it is all milk in the bottles THEN gradually make the switch to sippys.

Anyway, don't worry about ... "I should be down to 3" ... there is no "should be" ... you are doing a great job with those boys! I think a lot of people attempt to wean the bottle by 18 months ... you got time girl! Also, look at Katie Holmes ... she is always toting around a bottle for Suri and that kid is like 2 and a half! =) You are doing great! I wish I had some good advice for you!

 

We replaced one bottle with a sippy offered with the meal. We started with our dinner bottle and replaced with a sippy of milk offered with dinner. I tried putting milk in the bottle as per my ped's recommendation but my boys wouldn't touch it (I think because they were used to warm formula in a bottle and I was offering cold milk). Anyway, when they got that we replaced the lunch bottle then the breakfast. I'd been offering sippies of water prior to that but they didn't really get it until I started replacing bottles with sippies of milk.

QUOTE(sf @ Jul 31 2008, 09:21 AM) [snapback]906113[/snapback]
Do most kids have 2 snacks at this age and would you give them water with the snack or attempt a milk sippy?

Here's our current 'schedule'....let me know your thoughts.....

6:00am 7oz bottle
7:30am breakfast
9-10:30am nap
10:30am 4-5 oz bottle
12:30pm lunch
2pm-3:15pm nap
3:15 4-5 oz bottle
5:30pm dinner
7pm bottle
7:30pm bedtime

Hmmmm...based on your schedule not sure where you'd put two snacks. And mine are down to one nap too. At one and even now...mine do the following
5:30 wake up
5:45 breakfast with sippy of milk
8:00 snack at daycare with sippy of water/some times milk
11:00 lunch with sippy of milk
11:30 nap
2:00 snack with sippy of water
5:00 some crackers or grapes...they start getting a little hungry before dinner
6:00ish dinner with sippy of milk
7:00 bedtime

When on two naps...
5:30 wake up
5:45 breakfast
8:00 snack
9:00ish nap
11:00ish lunch
1:00 nap
2:30 snack
6:00 dinner
7:00 bedtime

So based on my schedule and yours...I would suggest maybe moving lunch up some when you replace the bottle so their not going too long. I don't see a good spot for a morning snack and with your timing, they likely don't need one. Then I would likely offer a small snack after the afternoon nap and then move dinner back just a hair because you'll be replacing dinner and bottle so sometime between the two might work well.