Sippy Transition

My boys are just over 11 mos old, so we're getting close to transitioning to all sippies. We are down to 2 bottles per day, one shortly after wake up & then one before bed. They take milk in their sippy cup during the day now & do 'so-so' (their intake varies day to day).

I guess I'm at a loss as to how to drop the morning bottle, then the evening bottle...or do I drop both at the same time? Do I go cold turkey? I'm excited to get rid of bottles but scared as to how they're going to react. They really like their morning bottle & LOVE their bedtime bottle. They do NOT fall asleep to it, as they actually usually play a little after their bedtime one before actually going into their cribs.

At what age do I start dropping the last 2 bottles & how in the world do I go about doing it? Ideally, I'd like them off bottles completely by the end of summer, but would like that morning bottle gone sooner.

Here's what their 'schedule' is now (give or take a 1/2 hr or so)...any advice you have for me ????

6am Out of crib (wake up varies from 4:45-5:45am..ugh...we're working on that)
6:30am 8 oz bottle
8:15am Breakfast (with milk sippy)
9am Nap (from 1-2 hrs)
11:45pm Lunch (with milk sippy)
1pm Nap (45 mins-2 hrs)
2:30pm Snack (with juice or water sippy)
4pm Dinner (with milk sippy)
6pm 8-10oz bottle
6:30-7pm Bedtime

Daycare SERVES breakfast/lunch at those times, so I can't really adjust those. They do have a snack around 10am, but I've been skipping it there to try to up their milk intake at lunch & because they're usually still napping. I can easily add that in though & request they have milk with snacks vs water/juice.

TIA for any input you have! This is the one thing I think I'm MOST clueless about!!! They've kinda guided me through every other time we've 'dropped' bottles, but I don't think they're going to WILLINGLY drop these last 2!!!!

PS I can't believe it's less than a month til I have to move over to this forum! Time sure is flying!!!!

 

I did the lunch bottle to sippy, then afternoon bottle to sippy, then morning bottle to sippy then bedtime bottle to sippy. Just one day used a sippy cup instead of a bottle. We transitioned at 10.5 mos. They were used to laying in the boppy on in my lap holding the bottle so I switched to handing them a sippy cup instead. Some of kids were stubborn as all get out with that bedtime one but it only took two nights and they never looked back. Just decide when you're going to do it and do it. They'll get their cues from you. Good luck!

 

We went cold turkey at 11 months, 1 week. I kept mealtimes the same but offered the sippies constantly throughout the day. So the time you usually give the bottle first thing in the morning, make sure their sippy is full of milk. My girls would chug a good amount first thing in the morning, because they were used to their bottles at that time.

As for bedtime, in the beginning I would offer their sippies just before going up to put jammies on and brush teeth. Eventually, once dinner was done they didn't get the sippy again for the night and they never asked for it.

We had a drastic reduction of milk intake when we transitioned which is why I offered it all day long in the beginning. They got used to it and eventually brought their intake back up.

 

Hi Andrea
This was ALOT easier for me with the girls then I thought it would be- like the previous two posts, I just handed them sippies instead of bottles and it worked! The first time they seemed a little weird about it but didn't fuss. I am still offering them milk at all meals, snacks, and in the morning and before bed b/c their intake is still in that flucuating stage.

Anyways I hope it goes as smoothly for you as it did for me- I was really worried about it and it was easy! Go figure! Im just super excited to not have to wash bottles anymore!

 

I didn't force them to give up bottles at 12 months. We had 2 bottles per day at that point of formula/milk. We gave up the before the nap bottle first. then waited to give up the bedtime bottle. I don't remember the exact age, but it wasn't a problem for us (at least not that I can remember).

 

I went from formula in bottles one day to milk in sippies the next. The problem with holding onto a bottle, if they really are attached to it, is that they will hold out for that bottle. Mine never drank consistantly from a sippy until they didn't have bottles anymore either.